Nicholas Brendon.

Three minutes after his identical twin brother Kelly Donovan, Nicholas Brendon was born on April 12, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He attended Chatsworth High School, where he struggled with a stutter but started on the baseball team. After graduating, he dreamed of playing for the L.A. Dodgers, but an arm injury ended that pursuit. He then attended Pasadena City College before turning to acting, which he used as therapy for his stutter.

Brendon’s first major television role was as Xander Harris on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997 to 2003. The show developed a following. He appeared alongside his twin brother Kelly in the episode The Replacement. His first major film role was in the parody Psycho Beach Party 2000. He later took on recurring roles in series such as Criminal Minds as Kevin Lynch, Without a Trace, and Private Practice. Brendon also made appearances on game shows like Hollywood Squares.

Brendon married Tressa DiFiglia in September 2001 and Moonda Tee in October 2014. He dated actress Marley Shelton in high school; she was his prom date, and he bought her 100 roses. His mother, Kathleen Schultz, worked as a talent agent. Brendon had three brothers: twin Kelly, and younger siblings Christian and Kyle.

Nicholas Brendon remains recognized for playing Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a role that continues to draw viewers to the series. He also served as the honorary chairperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America’s Stuttering Awareness Week from 2001 to 2003. In a 2004 fan poll by the Buffy fanzine, fans ranked him #4 among the Top Ten Sexiest Men of the Buffy/Angel universe.