Emma Caulfield Ford (born April 8, 1973) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as former demon
Anya Jenkins
Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins (born as Aud) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, she appears as a recurring guest in the third and fourth seasons ...
on the
supernatural drama television series ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
'' (1998–2003), which earned her a nomination for the
Satellite Award for Best Cast. She had recurring roles as Susan Keats on the
Fox teen drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
series ''
Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1995–1996), as Emma Bradshaw on the
CW teen drama series ''
Life Unexpected
''Life Unexpected'' is an American teen drama television series that aired for two seasons from January 18, 2010 to January 18, 2011. It was produced by Best Day Ever Productions and Mojo Films in association with CBS Productions and Warner Bro ...
'' (2010–2011), and as Sarah Proctor on the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
miniseries ''
WandaVision
''WandaVision'' is an American television miniseries created by Jac Schaeffer for the streaming service Disney+, based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. It is the first television series i ...
'' (2021), a role she reprised in its spin-off ''
Agatha All Along'' (2024). She starred in the
supernatural horror film ''
Darkness Falls'' (2003) and in the
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film ''
Timer
A timer or countdown timer is a type of clock that starts from a specified time duration and stops upon reaching 00:00. It can also usually be stopped manually before the whole duration has elapsed. An example of a simple timer is an hourglass ...
'' (2009), and had a supporting role in the comedy film ''
Back in the Day'' (2014).
Life and career
Caulfield was born on April 8, 1973, in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, to Denise and Rodney Chukker. Caulfield's first notable role was as
Brandon Walsh's girlfriend,
Susan Keats, on ''
Beverly Hills, 90210'' in 1995. She appeared for thirty episodes in the series before departing in 1996. In 1998, Caulfield starred in her most famous role to date, as
Anya Jenkins
Anya Christina Emmanuella Jenkins (born as Aud) is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. Portrayed by Emma Caulfield, she appears as a recurring guest in the third and fourth seasons ...
on the
WB's hit show ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...
''. Originally, her character was only to appear for two episodes. However, audiences responded well to Anya, resulting in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' creator
Joss Whedon
Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...
's decision to add her to the main cast. In 2003, Caulfield landed her first lead role in the horror movie ''
Darkness Falls'', which debuted at number one in the U.S. box office. In 2004, she appeared on ''
Monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
'' as Meredith Preminger in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf".
Caulfield also produced and starred in the satire ''Bandwagon'', playing a fictionalized version of herself. The movie was written and directed by close friend and fellow actress Karri Bowman. It screened at various festivals, although it has not been picked up for distribution. Several members of ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' cast and crew have cameos in the film. In 2010, Caulfield posted the original ''Bandwagon'' to
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
along with a 12-part webseries sequel set several years later.
Caulfield is also the co-author of the
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
''Contropussy'', which has been published by
IDW Publishing
IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
.
Caulfield starred in the independent feature film ''
TiMER
A timer or countdown timer is a type of clock that starts from a specified time duration and stops upon reaching 00:00. It can also usually be stopped manually before the whole duration has elapsed. An example of a simple timer is an hourglass ...
'', released May 2009. She starred as the lead role in the
FunnyOrDie short film, ''Don't Panic, It's Organic''. In 2012, she received critical acclaim for her guest appearance on the
ABC fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
series ''
Once Upon a Time'', as the Blind Witch from the fairytale
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15).
Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...
.
She guest starred in the second season of the
Jane Espenson scripted romantic comedy web series, ''
Husbands''.
Personal life
Caulfield was married to Cornelius Grobbelaar from 2006 to 2010.
In 2016, Caulfield confirmed that she was expecting a child with Mark Leslie Ford. She gave birth to a daughter later that year.
She and Ford married in November 2017.
Caulfield was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
in 2010. She did not reveal her diagnosis to the public until 2022.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Caulfield, Emma
American expatriate actresses
American expatriates in England
American film actresses
American soap opera actresses
American television actresses
American voice actresses
American people of English descent
American people of German descent
American people of Luxembourgian descent
American people of Portuguese descent
Living people
Actresses from San Diego
People educated at the American School in England
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American Christians
1973 births
People with multiple sclerosis