|
 |
|
||||||||
 Darla,
an Anglo-Saxon derivation meaning "Dear One", is anything but
dear to those among the living. The young woman who came to be called
Darla was a prostitute in the Virginia Colony. In 1609, she was sired
on her deathbed by the Master, the self-proclaimed lord of the vampires
and leader of the clan of vampires known as the Order of Aurelius. In
a short period of time, Darla became a creatively scheming, not to mention
deadly vampire in her own right, and also became the Master’s personal
favorite. Masquerading as an Irish noblewoman in Galway, Ireland in 1753, Darla transformed Liam into Angelus, the Scourge of Europe, training him, teaching him, and loving him for over 150 years. The two spent every deliciously bloody moment together, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Darla and Angelus even created their own special little family of vampires throughout the centuries, first with James and Elizabeth, an undead Romeo and Juliet. The two gained the most notoriety when they paired with the deadliest members of their bloodline, Drusilla and Spike, in the latter half of the 19th century. In 1898, fate came in the form of a beautiful gypsy girl, just one of Darla’s many inventive and carefully thought out gifts for her beloved Angelus. Little did Darla know that as a result of her gift, the girl’s family would restore Angelus’ soul. As a result, Darla rejected Angelus when his soul was returned — just when he needed her the most — throwing him out into the streets of Romania to fend for himself. Angelus unsuccessfully tried to get back in Darla’s good graces over the next two years. During the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, he refused to kill a baby Darla kidnapped for him. They would never meet again until nearly 100 years later. Parting ways with Drusilla and Spike, Darla rejoined the Master’s Order of Aurelius. She arrived in Sunnydale, California in 1997, in an attempt to free her sire from the Hellmouth. At the same time, Angelus — now called Angel — also was in Sunnydale and in love with Buffy Summers the Vampire Slayer. Failing to bring him back into the fold, Darla attempted to trick Buffy into believing Angel fed off her mother, when in reality, it was Darla. Her plan failed miserably, however, and Darla was killed by Angel’s hand. The Scrolls of Aberjian had a different future in mind for Darla, who was resurrected as a human by Wolfram & Hart in Los Angeles, California, in 2000. She was the first vampire to be a born-again human, a stark contrast to Angel, a human in the body of a vampire. The memories of Darla’s past, now tempered with a conscience, began to eat away at her. To make matters worse, she was dying of syphilis. Despite his best efforts to cure her, Angel failed; nonetheless, the human Darla was grateful. Before they could explore any other options, Drusillla returned and ushered Darla once again into the darkness. Darla and Drusilla went on a killing spree in LA, betraying — and eventually slaughtering — a number of Wolfram & Hart lawyers. Angel broke up their alliance after setting them on fire. That didn’t stop Darla from tormenting him. In the throes of despair, Angel had sex with Darla in the hopes of losing his soul. When he didn’t in the aftermath, he told Darla to leave his city or else he’d kill her if he saw her again. The night they copulated had unforeseen consequences: Darla was pregnant, despite the fact vampires cannot reproduce. The unborn baby was protected by a higher power, therefore making Darla unable to kill it. She returned to LA seeking Angel’s help. They learned the baby was part of a prophecy stated in the Nyazian scrolls. It was also revealed that the unborn child was a boy — a human boy with a soul. However, since Darla was incapable of delivering
a baby, the child was dying. Repenting her sins, Darla told Angel that
this child was the one good thing they ever did together. In a selfless
act, she staked herself, freeing the baby from her womb, leaving Angel
to raise their son alone.
Julie turned to acting and got involved in local theater. She studied acting at New York University and upon graduation, she moved to LA to pursue her career. Julie landed bit parts in various movies and television series, including guest spots on Married With Children, Sliders, Diagnosis Murder, Hang Time, and in the Aaron Spelling pilot, Cross Town Traffic. In 1997, Julie, as well as her fellow Angel co-star Charisma Carpenter, auditioned for the title role of Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Both lost the role to Sarah Michelle Gellar. This was the second role Julie lost to Sarah; the first was the role of Kendall Hart on the daytime soap opera, All My Children. However, Julie did get a call back to play the vampire known as Darla, which has become her most famous role. In fact, Darla has the distinction of being the first vampire to appear on-screen in the pilot episode of Buffy. She did such a good job with that character that her role was expanded a few more episodes until she was killed off in the first season. Julie left her mark on the Buffy and Angel mythos and was invited back for essential flashback scenes on both shows. She stunned everyone at the end of the first season of Angel as her character returned from the dead. Julie played a recurring role on Roswell as Kathleen Topolski. She also had a small, if not memorable, role in the 1997 movie, As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt (who both won Oscars for their performances). Some other films she appeared in include: The Brothers, A Fate Totally Worse Than Death, and Jawbreakers. She has a role in the upcoming miniseries, Taken, which is slated for a 2002 release. Behind the camera, two of Julie’s greatest passions are shopping and cooking. As part of her official Web-site, she answers questions concerning fashion, makeup, and etiquette. For more information, check out the official Julie Benz official website. Julie was born on May 1, 1972 in Pittsburgh, PA. She has been married to actor Jon Kassir, more widely known as the voice of the Crypt Keeper of Creep Show fame, since 1998. The couple lives in Los Angeles with their two dogs, Elvis and Gracie. Filmography:
|
|||||||||
