Eliza Dushku

1.1. Birth and childhood

Dushku was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 30, 1980, and was raised in Watertown, Massachusetts. She is the only daughter and the youngest of four children. Her father, Philip Richard George Dushku, was a school teacher and administrator, born in Boston with Albanian heritage, his parents having immigrated from the city of Korçë, Albania. Her mother, Judy Dushku (née Rasmussen), is a political science professor from Idaho of Danish, English, Irish, and German descent. Dushku's parents were divorced before her birth. She was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with her three older brothers, one of whom, Nate Dushku, is also an actor.

1.2. Education

Eliza Dushku attended Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and later graduated from Watertown High School. Although she initially planned to attend Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother taught, her acting career began to take off, altering these plans.

However, in March 2014, Dushku announced her intention to attend college later that year. By June 2014, she had moved back to Watertown from Los Angeles to pursue her education. As of 2016, she was studying sociology at Suffolk University. In 2019, she was reported to be studying holistic psychology at Lesley University, from which she graduated in 2020. As of 2023, Dushku was pursuing a master's degree in counseling and clinical mental health, with a specific focus on psychedelic-assisted therapies and treatments for addiction and mental health challenges. In September 2024, she confirmed she had become a certified therapist, primarily focusing on psychedelic therapy for trauma patients, and is an advocate for the use of psychedelic drugs in mental health treatment.

2.1. Early roles and debut (1992-1997)

Dushku's acting journey began when she was discovered by casting agents at the age of ten. In 1992, she landed her debut film role as Alice in the romantic drama That Night, a part she secured after a five-month search. The following year, she appeared as Pearl alongside prominent actors Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in the drama film This Boy's Life. In 1994, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in the action-spy film True Lies.

Her early work also included the short film Fishing with George (1994) as Piper Reeves, the television film Journey (1995) as Cat, and a role as Paul Reiser's daughter, Emma, in the romantic comedy Bye Bye Love (1995). In 1996, she starred as Cindy Johnson in the comedy-drama film Race the Sun.

2.2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and rise to prominence (1998-2003)

Dushku's plans to attend Suffolk University were put on hold when her agent suggested she audition for a new television series starring another client, Sarah Michelle Gellar. After quickly purchasing dark makeup and accessories to fit the part, Dushku submitted a video audition for the role of Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Initially envisioned as a three-episode guest role, her character's popularity led to an expanded presence throughout the third season and subsequent appearances in season four and the final five episodes of the series. She also reprised her role as Faith in the spin-off series Angel. Due to the long production hours, Dushku, who was still a minor, had to seek emancipation to continue working on the show. She humorously recalled that the judge handling her case, an avid fan of the series, jokingly offered to sign the emancipation order in exchange for a signed photo.

A notable, albeit unwelcome, side effect of her portrayal of Faith was a large volume of fan mail from prisoners, including those in maximum security and on death row. Dushku expressed discomfort about this, stating that the letters contained "disgusting things" and found the situation "way more creepy than Buffy."

2.3. Major TV series appearances (2003-2008)

In 2000, Dushku starred in the successful cheerleader comedy Bring It On. She then reunited with her Race the Sun co-star Casey Affleck in Soul Survivors. In 2001, she appeared in The New Guy with DJ Qualls and in City by the Sea alongside Robert De Niro and James Franco, a film that garnered attention from a wider adult audience and received several positive reviews. That same year, filmmaker Kevin Smith invited her to join the cast of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

In 2003, Dushku starred in the horror film Wrong Turn and the independent comedy-drama The Kiss. The same year, she took on the lead role of medical student Tru Davies in the Fox supernatural drama series Tru Calling. In this series, Tru discovers her ability to "re-live" the previous day to help deceased individuals change their fate after losing a grant and taking a job at a morgue. During this period, Dushku notably declined an offer to star in a spin-off series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer centered on her character, Faith.

Dushku often played "bad girl" roles in films. In a May 2001 interview with Maxim, she commented on these roles, saying, "It's easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you've been told not to do, and you don't have to deal with the consequences, because it's only acting." In December 2005, she starred in the Off-Broadway play Dog Sees God, a production based on the Peanuts comic strip, where she portrayed a character symbolizing Lucy Van Pelt. She, along with other cast members, left the production in February 2006 amidst rumors of producer abuse, which were later dismissed.

She was cast as the lead character, Eve Morrow, in Nurses, a hospital comedy-drama pilot for Fox, but the series was not broadcast. Her appearances also extended to music videos, including Simple Plan's "I'm Just a Kid" and Nickelback's "Rockstar".

On October 1, 2005, Dushku announced that filming had begun for Nobel Son, in which she starred alongside Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, and Bill Pullman. The film premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Another independent film released in 2007 was On Broadway, filmed in Boston, which received positive reviews, with some critics highlighting Dushku's performance.

2.4. Dollhouse and later work (2009-2017)

On August 26, 2007, Eliza Dushku signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox, allowing the network and studio to develop projects specifically for her. This led to the announcement on October 31 that Dushku had enticed Joss Whedon, the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, back to television to create Dollhouse. Dushku served as a producer on the show and starred as the main character, 'Echo'. The series premiered on Fox during the 2008-09 TV season. Dushku explained that her reunion with Whedon came about after she invited him to lunch following her deal with Fox. She described their relationship as "like brother and sister" and Whedon as "my favorite genius... favorite friend... big brother... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down." Dollhouse was renewed for a second season, largely due to Whedon's dedicated fan base and strong DVR viewership, but Fox ultimately canceled the series on November 11, 2009, with filming for the final season concluding on December 16, 2009.

In 2010, Dushku provided her voice for Noah's Ark: The New Beginning and appeared in the film Locked In. She also made a guest appearance in an episode of CBS' comedy The Big Bang Theory, which aired on November 4, 2010, playing FBI Special Agent Angela Page. She also appeared as a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. In 2011, Dushku featured alongside Jayson Floyd in "One Shot", a short action clip released on YouTube. She also had a lead voice role as Holly Mokri in the online animated "motion comic" series Torchwood: Web of Lies, based on the BBC series Torchwood: Miracle Day.

In June 2012, Dushku co-starred with Katie Cassidy, Gina Gershon, and Michelle Trachtenberg in The Scribbler. In 2013, she was cast as Patricia Holm in a pilot film for a proposed TV revival series of The Saint, though the series was not commissioned; the pilot was released on digital HD/VOD in July 2017. From 2013 to 2015, Dushku voiced the role of She-Hulk in the Disney XD animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., and also appeared as the character in Ultimate Spider-Man. In 2014, she was slated to star as Rita in Randall Miller's Midnight Rider, a biopic of Gregg Allman, but the film was later cancelled. In 2016, she had a recurring role as Agent Veronica Dawson in the fourth season of the Cinemax TV series Banshee. In 2017, she had a recurring guest role as J. P. Nunnelly in the final three episodes of the first season of the CBS drama series Bull, with an option to become a series regular in season two.

2.5. Voice acting and video games

Eliza Dushku has lent her voice to several animated productions and video games. Her animated roles include Selina Kyle / Catwoman in Batman: Year One (2011) and DC Showcase: Catwoman (2011), Zalbeth in Noah's Ark: The New Beginning (2012), and Lipstick Lesbian in Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie! (2013). For television, she voiced Jordan Hilgren-Bronson in King of the Hill (2002), Shockzana in Robotomy (2011), and Holly Mokri in Torchwood: Web of Lies (2011). She is particularly known for her main voice role as Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk in Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013-2015).

In video games, Dushku voiced Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds (2003) and the Cab Driver in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (2004). She took on the roles of Yumi Sawamura and Mizuki Sawamura in the English dub of Yakuza (2005). She also voiced Shaundi, a lead character in Saints Row 2 (2008), Rubi Malone, the main character in WET (2009), and Megan McQueen in Fight Night Champion (2011).

2.6. Retirement from acting

After a hiatus of seven years, Eliza Dushku confirmed her retirement from acting in September 2024.

4.1. Relationships

In October 2009, Dushku began dating former Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Rick Fox. By August 2010, the couple confirmed that they were living together. However, their relationship ended, with their split being announced on June 24, 2014.

In June 2017, Dushku became engaged to businessman and former professional tennis player Peter Palandjian. They were married on August 18, 2018, in Boston.

4.2. Marriage and children

On August 1, 2019, Dushku announced the birth of her first child, a son named Philip Bourne Palandjian. In February 2021, she revealed via Instagram that she was pregnant with her second child. Her second son, Bodan, was born in August 2021.

5.1. Charitable work

Dushku serves on the board of directors for the THRIVE-Gulu organization, which stands for The Trauma Healing and Reflection Center in Gulu, Uganda. This organization is dedicated to assisting survivors of war, including former child soldiers, in Northern Uganda. Her mother and stepfather were co-founders of the center. Dushku has actively contributed to its efforts, raising 30.00 K USD for the land to build the center's facility and participating in other fundraising activities, as well as providing direct support at the center.

Recognized for her activism, Dushku was invited by the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) as a national keynote speaker and was honored with a Global Generation Award in 2011, presented alongside then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at MCN events. Over several years, Dushku also dedicated efforts to fundraising for Camp Hale, a summer camp that both her father and brothers had attended. Her campaigning specifically helped establish a new girls' session at the camp, which launched in 2012, and she personally participated in its activities.

5.2. Political activism

Dushku is politically active and publicly supported Bernie Sanders during the U.S. presidential election of 2016. She has voiced strong opinions on the American higher education system, stating that "our American system of college expenses & debt is a broken one, a failing dynamic and cause that I will stand behind in pursuit of change & effective reform," linking this conviction to her support for Sanders.

6.1. Visits and honorary citizenship

In 2006, Dushku visited her father's family and their ancestral city of Korçë in Albania, following an invitation from then-Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. During this trip, she also visited Kosovo and later received an Albanian Eagle tattoo on the back of her neck as a symbol of her heritage.

On her second visit to Albania in 2011, Dushku applied for and obtained Albanian citizenship, receiving an Albanian passport and ID Card. She was granted honorary citizenship of Tirana, the capital city, and was bestowed with the honorary title of Tirana Ambassador of Culture and Tourism in the World by the city's mayor, Lulzim Basha. Additionally, she received honorary citizen status in Korçë, her father's hometown. Eliza and her brother, Nate Dushku, co-produced a film documenting their joint visit to Albania, titled Dear Albania.

7.1. Sexual molestation and harassment allegations

In January 2018, Dushku publicly alleged that she had been molested by stunt coordinator Joel Kramer when she was 12 years old, during the production of the film True Lies. She stated that shortly after an adult friend confronted Kramer on set, she was injured during a stunt, breaking several ribs, with Kramer being responsible for her safety at the time. Kramer has denied the accusation of sexual misconduct.

In January 2019, it was revealed that CBS had paid Dushku a 9.50 M USD settlement. The settlement stemmed from her being fired from a recurring role on the CBS series Bull after she reported alleged inappropriate behavior by the series' lead, Michael Weatherly, on set to the producers. According to official mediation documents, Weatherly was recorded making comments about spanking Dushku over his knee, soliciting a threesome, and alluding to sexual assault in his "rape van," among other harassing statements. After Dushku spoke with the producers, Weatherly reportedly texted CBS Television Studios' president David Stapf to discuss Dushku's sense of humor, to which Stapf responded that "Ms. Dushku made the show better." Days later, showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron terminated Dushku's anticipated role on the show, despite opposition from studio executives. The settlement amount was calculated to compensate Dushku for the loss of earnings from her planned promotion to a series regular, as there were "well-developed plans" for her to become a permanent cast member following her initial three-episode guest appearance. In December 2018, when the settlement became public, Weatherly issued a public apology for his comments. Dushku responded that Weatherly had violated the terms of their settlement by speaking to the press and characterized his apology as "more deflection, denial, and spin." In November 2021, Dushku testified before the House Judiciary Committee regarding her sexual harassment accusations during her time on Bull.

7.2. Allegations against Joss Whedon

In February 2021, Dushku publicly expressed support for her Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Charisma Carpenter in relation to Carpenter's allegations of abuse against the series creator, Joss Whedon.

8.1. Health conditions

Dushku has publicly stated that she has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In December 2011, she announced her decision to adopt a vegan diet after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives. However, in December 2014, she confirmed that she was no longer a vegetarian.

8.2. Addiction recovery

On March 7, 2017, Dushku attended a Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, where she revealed her personal struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, which began at the age of 14. She described her addictions as having been so severe at one point that her brother prohibited her from being left alone with his daughter, her niece Sofia. At the time of her public revelation, she stated she was eight-and-a-half years sober. Her current pursuit of a master's degree in holistic counseling, psychology, theory & practice, with a focus on psychedelic-assisted therapies, is driven by her desire to provide others with healing support, particularly for addiction and trauma, given her own experiences. In September 2024, she confirmed her certification as a therapist, with a focus on psychedelic therapy for trauma patients, and advocates for the use of psychedelic drugs in mental health treatment.

9.1. Acting awards and nominations

9.2. Other honors

• In 2009, Dushku was ranked 6th on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100 Women" list.
• In October 2011, she was named Ambassador for the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Entertainment Matters program.

10.1. Film

10.2. Television

10.3. Video games

10.4. Music videos