Nicholas Brendon was born three minutes after his identical twin brother, actor Kelly Donovan on April 12, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He attended Chatsworth High School, where he struggled with stuttering but was also a starter on the baseball team. He had dreams of playing for the L.A. Dodgers, but had to pursue other options when he hurt his arm about a year after graduating high school.

He got his big break as an actor when he landed the role of Xander Harris on the hugely successful TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The series ran from 1997 until 2003, garnering a huge cult following as well as a large fan base for Brendon. Brendon and his twin Kelly Donovan appeared together in the episode "The Replacement", in which Xander has to cope with having a seemingly sinister double.

Outside of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Brendon became a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America, appearing in a print campaign for the organization. His first major role in a feature film came with the Charles Busch satire Psycho Beach Party. Brendon has also starred in the ABC Family Channel original movie Celeste in the City.


Got into acting as a way to overcome his stuttering problem. Attended Pasadena City College. During the off-season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) Nicholas often grew a goatee, while brother, Kelly, stays clean-shaven. This often led to fans mistaking Kelly for Nicholas. Appeared with David Boreanaz (Angel), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), and Mark Lutz (Groosalugg) at the Angel And Buffy Convention held at the Brighton Centre in Brighton, England, 29 August, 2003. Still keeps in touch with his "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997) co-star, Charisma Carpenter. Enjoys baseball, camping, and spending quality time with family and friends. An early aspiration to play professional baseball was cut short after an arm injury in his teen years.