NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 鈥淗arriet the Spy鈥� hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows 鈥� and 鈥淕ossip Girl鈥� 鈥� has died. She was 39.
Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. at a 51-story luxury apartment tower in Manhattan鈥檚 Hell鈥檚 Kitchen neighborhood where officers found Trachtenberg "unconscious and unresponsive,鈥� according to an NYPD statement.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected and the New York Medical Examiner is investigating the cause of death, police said.
鈥淭he family requests privacy for their loss," Trachtenberg's representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement Wednesday.
Trachtenberg was 8 when she began playing Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeon鈥檚 鈥淭he Adventures of Pete & Pete Nona鈥� from 1994 to 1996 and then starred in the title role in the film adaptations of 鈥淗arriet the Spy鈥� and 鈥淚nspector Gadget,鈥� opposite Matthew Broderick.
鈥淢ichelle comes off as genuine because she really is a genuine kid. Everyone can identify with her,鈥� said Debby Beece, president of Nickelodeon Movies in 1996.
In 2000 Trachtenberg joined the cast of 鈥淏uffy,鈥� playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.
Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following 鈥淚 am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this,鈥� she wrote on social media, and alluded to 鈥渉is not appropriate behavior鈥� she experienced as a teenage actor.
In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery鈥檚 鈥淭ruth or Scare.鈥� Trachtenberg went on to recurring roles on 鈥淪ix Feet Under,鈥� 鈥淲eeds鈥� and 鈥淕ossip Girl,鈥� where she played the gang鈥檚 scheming nemesis, Georgina Sparks.
For her fan-favorite role, she was nominated as a TV villain at the Teen Choice Award in 2012. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl," she told in 2009. I love the reaction you get. I never understood why some actors don鈥檛 want to play villains or evil characters.鈥�
She was one of the original series' stars to return for a pair of guest appearances in the 2021 鈥淕ossip Girl鈥� revival.
As if to cement herself in millennial culture, Trachtenberg made a cameo in Fall Out Boy鈥檚 music video for the alongside Seth Green.
Her other credits included 鈥淚ce Princess鈥� in 2005, playing a math prodigy and aspiring figure skater. The AP said it had 鈥渁 good, though feeble, heart and the best of intentions鈥� and said Trachtenberg was 鈥渕ining the same nervous twitter from her kid-sister days on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'鈥�
The New York City-born Trachtenberg also appeared in the 2004 teen sex comedy 鈥淓uroTrip,鈥� she co-starred with Zac Efron and Leslie Mann in 2009's 鈥�17 Again鈥� and played murderous stalker and abductor on an episode of 鈥淐riminal Minds.鈥�
For 鈥淜illing Kennedy,鈥� the 2013 film in which she played the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, around 80% of Trachtenberg鈥檚 dialogue was in Russian. She had learned the language from her mother growing up.
Other credits included supporting roles in the films 鈥淢ysterious Skin鈥� in 2004 and 鈥淏lack Christmas鈥� in 2006. She also starred on the NBC medical series "Mercy" (2009鈥�2010) opposite Taylor Schilling. More recently, she hosted the true-crime docuseries 鈥淢eet, Marry, Murder鈥� on Tubi.
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Associated Press Writer Michael R. Sisak contributed to this report.
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
