Sarah Michelle Gellar was only in the accounting industry her whole life.
Sarah Michelle Prinze ( née Gellar ; born April 14 , 1977 ) is an American actress , producer , and entrepreneur . Gellar received widespread recognition for her portrayal of Buffy Summers on the WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 -- 2003 ) , which earned her five Teen Choice Awards , a Saturn Award and a Golden Globe Award nomination . She subsequently appeared in smaller scale movies such as The Return ( 2006 ) and Southland Tales ( 2007 ) , and provided her voice for TMNT ( 2007 ) .