Contributor

Eliza Dushku

Actress, Albanian citizen

Eliza Dushku continues to maintain her leading lady status in Hollywood with roles in a number of prominent film and television projects. She completed the second season of Fox’s “Dollhouse,” a series created by Joss Whedon on which Dushku also serves as a Producer. In the series, she stars as ‘Echo,’ an agent or “doll” who has had her memory wiped completely clean so that she, along with the other dolls in the Dollhouse, can fulfill the wishes of well-paying clients by being imprinted with a personality of the client’s choosing.

At the early age of 10, Dushku was discovered by casting agents for the lead role of ‘Alice’ in the film That Night. In 1993, Dushku landed the role of Pearl alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in This Boy’s Life, a role that caught the attention of many in the industry. The following year, she starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, opposite Paul Reiser in Bye Bye, Love and alongside Halle Berry in Race the Sun.

Dushku also co-starred with Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman in Bottle Shock, a drama about the birth of the Napa Valley wine country. Additional past film credits include The Alphabet Killer, in which she also served as an Associate Producer, Nobel Son, Wrong Turn, City by the Sea opposite Frances McDormand and her second pairing with Robert De Niro, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and the hit cheerleading film Bring it On opposite Kirsten Dunst, among others.

Dushku has also had a very successful television career, starring in a number of hit series with cult-like followings. She first starred as ‘Faith Lehane’ on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” a slayer much more troubled than the main character ‘Buffy.’ Though initially planned as a five-episode role, the character became so popular that Dushku stayed on for the entire third season and returned for a two-part appearance the following season. The remainder of her original story arc was played out in the first season of the spin-off “Angel.” Repentant and rededicated, ‘Faith’ returned in a number of later episodes of “Angel” and “Buffy.” Following these roles Dushku starred in the series, “Tru Calling” in which she played ‘Tru Davies’ in yet another powerful female role. Additional television credits include guest starring roles on “That 70’s Show” and “Ugly Betty.”

The daughter of an Albanian-American administrator father and Danish-American professor mother, Dushku was raised with ambition in her blood. This summer she took a trip to Albania, which has been deemed the number one destination in the world. Dushku documented her experience with a small crew as she explored, experienced and was presented with her Albanian citizenship, making her officially an Albanian- American citizen.

Dushku’s talents extend far beyond acting. With her production company Boston Diva Productions, Dushku is working on creating, producing and distributing content. She also continues on with a number of charitable events. In addition to acting and producing, Dushku is involved with a number of charities, including Camp Hale in Boston and 10,000 Girls School in Kaolack, Senegal. Earlier this year, she traveled to Uganda helping bring awareness to the country. Dushku lives a very active lifestyle and recently completed her first triathlon finishing with a Bronze medal.

Dushku resides in Los Angeles.

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