Xander Harris
(Nicholas Brendon)
Alexander LaVelle Harris, known universally as "Xander", is a bright student at Sunnydale High, but lacks application.
Xander has been close friends with Willow for most of their lives. He doesn't realise that she is smitten with him and, in any case, he is besotted with Buffy. Theirs is a doomed romance, since there's only one man in Buffy's life: Angel. Xander finally plucked up the courage to tell Buffy of his feelings (in Prophecy Girl) only to find that they were not reciprocated. Nevertheless, he remains fiercely loyal and protective, even though often it places him in danger. Their adventures together have tested Xander severely. Xander has matured considerably since meeting Buffy, and has grown in courage. Little of Xander's home life has been revealed. Like Willow and Buffy he's an only child, but one who isn't close to his parents.
Xander has not had many romantic relationships, (and is seemingly oblivious to Willow's charms), and most of them have ended badly, (his entanglement with Natalie French in Teacher's Pet, for example). Following a long period of mutual animosity Xander and Cordelia were chased into a basement by one of the three assassins from the Order of Taraka (in What's My Line? - Part 2). There long-suppressed passions boiled over, marking the beginning of what's sure to be a sparky relationship.
Nicholas, who portrays the sardonic Xander with sensitivity and humor, already has a varied list of credits in television, film and theater. With his aspiration of playing professional baseball squashed when an arm injury cut his sports career short, Brendon tuned to the acting game for a new challenge. Soon after, he made his television debut in a Clearasil commercial.
He persevered in entertainment and switched to the other side of the camera, working as a television production assistant on "Dave's World." After he landed a guest-starring role on the series, Brendon continued to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Fate soon smiled upon him and he was called to audition for the role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
In television, he had a recurring role on the daytime drama "The Young and the Restless," guest-starred on the popular primetime comedy series "Married With Children," and starred in the pilot "Secret Lives." He played an evil corn follower in the feature film "Children of the Corn III Urban Harvest," and starred in Los Angeles theater productions of "The Further Adventures of Tom Sawyer" at Theatre West, "My Own Private Hollywood" at The Black Hole Theatre and "Out of Gas on Lovers' Leap" at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Offscreen, the Los Angeles native enjoys playing basketball, camping and spending quality time with friends and family, including his identical twin brother, Kelly.