Amber Benson

Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1977, Amber Nicole Benson began to studying various aspects of the performing arts such as dancing from an early age.

After a brief spell in Orlando, Amber moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 14. It was almost a year, however, before she got work as an actress - in the film King of the Hill, for which she was nominated at the 15th Annual Youth in Film Awards.

Many films and TV series followed, including Bye Bye, Love with Paul Reiser and Eliza Dushku, The Crush with Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes,and Hollywood P.A. - an indie film with a part written specifically for her.

In 1999 Amber won the role of Tara in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Over the course of the next two years, she won legions of fans, particularly in the gay community - who saw Tara's relationship with Alyson Hannigan's Willow as a groundbreaking one for American television.

As much at home behind the camera as in front of it, Amber wrote, produced, directed and starred in Chance, an independent film which has won critical acclaim. She has also co-written, with Christopher Golden, several Willow and Tara comics.

Her writing and directing skills (plus first-hand experience of battling scary monsters) made Amber the ideal choice to co-develop and helm BBC Cult's Ghosts of Albion drama.