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Alyson Hannigan

Alyson Hannigan has built a career around sharp comic timing, approachable warmth and an ability to feel completely at home inside an ensemble. Born in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 1974, she began appearing in commercials at four and spent part of her childhood in Atlanta before moving to Hollywood at 11 after securing an agent. She later attended California State University, Northridge, earning a degree in psychology. Her first major film role came in the 1988 science-fiction comedy My Stepmother Is an Alien, followed by a regular part in the short-lived sitcom Free Spirit. The defining early turn arrived in 1997 with Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. As Buffy Summers' best friend, Hannigan became central to a supernatural series that balanced action, humor and drama. She also reprised Willow in the spin-off Angel. Film audiences came to know another side of Hannigan through Michelle Flaherty in American Pie. Initially a supporting character in the 1999 comedy, Michelle returned with a substantially larger role in American Pie 2 and American Wedding. Hannigan revisited the character once more in American Reunion in 2012. Her next long television run began in 2005, when she took the role of Lily Aldrin on How I Met Your Mother. Lily, a kindergarten teacher and amateur painter, was part of the sitcom's core New York friend group across its nine seasons. Hannigan's performance earned her the 2010 People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress. Hannigan has also worked on stage, making her West End debut opposite Luke Perry in a 2004 adaptation of When Harry Met Sally... Her later work has included hosting Penn & Teller: Fool Us from 2016 to 2023, voicing Claire Nancy in Fancy Nancy and playing Ann Possible in the 2019 Kim Possible film. In 2023, she reached the Dancing with the Stars final with partner Sasha Farber, finishing fifth. Across comedy, fantasy and family entertainment, Hannigan's career has been marked by characters who bring wit and heart to the group around them.