Born is Las Vegas on July 23, 1970, this distinctive gal’s star quality was revealed at an early age. She began her classical dance training at age five and was entertinaing in Vegas hotels by nine. Charisma believed in experiencing everything life had to offer: "Living my life to the fullest meant performing in local lounge shows, attending a special high school for the performing arts in San Diego [an hour away from home], and of course, riding motorcycles with my uncles." 
 Charisma’s spunk sometimes got her in trouble. Spurred on by a cousin, Charisma once took her dad’s Corvette out for a spin. "I ended up driving dad’s pride and joy all around town. Then when we were heading back, we were going down this hill...and mom and dad were coming up in their car. Dad saw us, jumped out and came running straight at us like, ‘Get outta the car!' I tried to put it into park but it hadn’t quite stopped and made this horrible crunching noise. I took a whuppin’ for that." 
 Charisma’s family moved a lot [she went to three different high schools], so she was always the new girl trying to make friends. Sometimes her style didn’t mesh with other students. "My mom owned a retail store, so I had these hot satin pants. I was like Satan at my all-Christian school." 
 Like her character on Buffy, Charisma once dated a guy in high school who wasn’t very popular. "He kept to himself and had that brooding smart thing going on. My friends didn’t give me a hard time, but I think they were surprised by my choice." Looks like she had some real-life experience to draw from when developing Cordelia’s relationship with Xander. Charisma and Cordelia both date whomever they please. 
 Now, a few years down the road from high school, Charisma still stands out and does what she wants. She loves adventurous sports like rock climbing, horseback riding, rollerblading, hiking and even sky diving. 

Links
Charisma-Carpenter.com