A talented, soulful child actress who segued into teen and adult roles beginning in the late 1990s, dark-haired, brown-eyed siren in the making Eliza Dushku displayed a refreshing edginess as a young performer that transcended the typical girl-next-door sweetness and moved on to her sultry and downright scary portrayal of the villainous Faith on The WB's "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" (from 1998 to 2000). Raised in Massachusetts, Dushku appeared at the Watertown Children's Theater beginning in the first grade, performing in productions and also serving as a sign-language interpreter for hearing-impaired audience members. In 1991, Dushku was discovered in a casting search for the small coming-of-age romance "That Night" and tapped to co-star as the young, awestruck neighbor of a troubled sixteen-year-old (Juliette Lewis), who helps the older girl navigate her forbidden romance with bad boy Rick (C Thomas Howell). Dushku made an impressive screen debut, evincing all of the dreamy idealism of her character's youth without resorting to unrealistic sentimentality. The film was released in 1993, the same year that she was featured in her follow-up role as the daughter of Robert De Niro's sadistic character in the critically acclaimed biopic "This Boy's Life". 1994 saw her call Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger Mom and Dad in James Cameron's humorous actioner "True Lies". Dushku made her TV debut at age 14 in the CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation "Journey" (1995). After this, she returned to the big screen with featured turns as rebellious teens in the divorce-themed comedy-drama "Bye Bye, Love" (1995) and the Hawaii-set teen film "Race the Sun" (1996). Television beckoned again in the late 1990s, and Dushku made an auspicious comeback with a recurring role on The WB supernatural series "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer", playing the eponymous heroine's nemesis Faith, a fellow slayer with nefarious motives. Dushku's portrayal of the striking, black leather-clad villain was appropriately chilling, and won the actress legions of fans while paving the way for a post-adolescent career. A surprise guest turn on a 2000 two-episode arc of the spin-off series "Angel" (The WB) reprised the role of Faith, and Dushku lightened up some that same year with a featured role in the sharp cheerleading comedy "Bring it On". In "Soul Survivors" (2001), she was alongside other young Hollywood favorites like Casey Affleck and Wes Bentley. 2002, though, proved a banner year in the actress' career, proving her ability and rising star status in two high profile features, "The New Guy", which marked her return to teen comedy, and the crime drama "City By the Sea", in which the spunky ingenue was reteamed with Robert De Niro. The following year, Dushku joined a series of young up-and-coming actors for the Rob Schmidt indie project "Wrong Turn" (2003).
Profession(s):
Actor
Sometimes Credited As:
Eliza Patricia Dushku
Family
brother:Nate Dushku (Born in 1977; featured in "Antitrust" (2001))
brother:Aaron Dushku (Older)
brother:Benjamin Dushku (Born in 1976)
father:Philip R Dushku (Albanian-American; works in the Boston Public Schools; divorced from Eliza'a mother when she was still an infant)
mother:Judith Rasmussen (Danish/English American; a university administrator and professor at Suffolk University; divorced from Eliza'a father when she was still an infant)
Companion(s)
Scott Sartiano
, Companion
, ```..Co-owner of the trendy East Village restaurant Butter; dated summer 2003
2008 Co-starred in the independent feature, "On Broadway"
2007 Co-starred with Macaulay Culkin in the dark comedy, "Sex and Breakfast"
2005 Starred in the off-Broadway production, "Dog Sees God"
2003 Co-starred in the indie horror thriller "Wrong Turn"
2003 - 2005 Cast as a city morgue worker who relives the past in "Tru Calling" (Fox)
2002 Re-teamed with Robert De Niro in the crime drama "City By the Sea"
2002 Acted in the teen comedy "The New Guy"
2001 Cast in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"
2000 Reprised the role of Faith in a two-episode arc on the "Buffy" spin-off "Angel" (WB)
2000 Co-starred with Kirsten Dunst in the cheereading comedy "Bring It On"
1998 - 2000 Had a recurring role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (WB) as a morally corrupt fellow slayer named Faith
1996 Acted in the ensemble of the Hawaii-set teen comedy-drama "Race the Sun"
1995 Had an early TV credit in the CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation "Journey"
1995 Played Paul Reiser's troubled daughter in the divorce-themed feature "Bye Bye, Love"
1994 Cast as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis' daughter in "True Lies"
1993 Had a featured role in "This Boy's Life" as the daughter of Robert De Niro's character
1991 Feature debut in the coming-of-age drama "That Night" opposite Juliette Lewis (released in 1993)
Appeared on stage at the Watertown Children's Theater
Will co-star in "Nobel Son" opposite Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito and Bill Pullman
