Julie Benz (born May
1, 1972 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American actress. Benz achieved her
first acting role in a local play in 1989. She is perhaps best known for
portraying the vampire Darla in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where
she was the first character seen on screen and spoke the first line, and later
in the spin-off series, Angel. She has acted in such films as Jawbreaker and As
Good as It Gets. Benz also provided the voice of Miranda Keyes in the video game
Halo 2, though she will not return to the role in the upcoming sequel Halo 3 as
Bungie wanted to try a new direction with the Miranda Keyes by giving the
character an accent.