Kristy Swanson Apparently Kristy Swanson's parents' decision to allow their daughter to drop out of school at age thirteen and get home-tutored while she pursued an acting career has paid off. Throughout a career lasting nearly thirty years, Swanson has been in numerous commercials, television shows, and movies, and has also appeared in an issue of Playboy. Swanson was born in Mission Viejo, California, on December 19, 1969, to Robert Swanson and Rosemary Albrecht, two physical education teachers. At the young age of nine, Swanson decided to pursue acting, and throughout the next four years, appeared in thirty commercials. At the age of thirteen, the decision was made that she would drop out of school to spend more time pursuing her career. Her parents home-schooled her for the remainder of her education.
Within a few years, Swanson and her parents' dedication paid off as she began landing guest star spots on television shows such as Call of Duty and Cagney & Lacey. Her first film role followed in 1986, as she appeared in John Hughes' Pretty in Pink along with Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, and Jon Cryer. That same year, she appeared in another John Hughes' teenage film, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with Matthew Broderick. Swanson's first starring role in a film came with Wes Craven's Deadly Friend, and she stuck with the horror flick genre, appearing in V.C. Andrews' Flowers in the Attic. Swanson continued with her television roles as well, with guest stints on Valerie's Family and Growing Pains, a recurring role on the nighttime soap Knots Landing, and made-for-television movies such as Not Quite Human. She then landed a permanent role as a nursing student in the series Nightingales, but it was short-lived. After working with Charlie Sheen in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Swanson worked with him again in Hot Shots!, then appeared in the film Mannequin: On the Move with Meshach Taylor. She didn't stray too far away from the horror genre though, as she appeared in Highway to Hell and played the title role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Donald Sutherland and Luke Perry. Paul Reubens starred in the movie as well, earning Swanson the right to finally work with him, as she was once slated to appear in Big Top Pee-Wee, until it was decided she was too young. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer made the switch to a television series, the role of Buffy was taken over by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Three times proved to be the charm, as Swanson starred once again with Charlie Sheen, this time in The Chase, and then tried her hand at drama, with a starring role in Higher Learning. Swanson continued with starring roles in television and movies, yet none of them came close to having the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For one season Swanson appeared on the series Early Edition with Kyle Chandler, and then finally met more success as she starred in Big Daddy with Adam Sandler. Swanson continued with comedies, appearing in Dude, Where's My Car? with Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. Buffy appeared in the buff in 2002, as Swanson had a layout in Playboy. After, she didn't appear to work as much, and when she did, it didn't meet her earlier success. She agreed to appear on Skating With Celebrities, the ice version of Dancing With the Stars, and after meeting her skating partner, Lloyd Eisler, the two fell in love off the ice. Eisler's wife was pregnant with their second child at the time, and she states that Lloyd and Swanson were committing adultery, but they have always contended that Eisler's marriage was over way before they began their relationship. In August 2006, Swanson announced she was pregnant with Eisler's child, and on February 15, 2007, Magnus Hart Swanson Eisler was born. Swanson and Eisler say they will marry, but haven't set a date yet. YUDDY |
