Charisma Lee Carpenter is an American actress. She is best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. Carpenter was discovered by a commercial agent while working as a waitress. This led to several roles on TV advertisements. She made guest appearances in Baywatch and Miss Match, and she has had a role in Malibu Shores. Her best known role was that of Cordelia on TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. After seven years of playing Cordelia Chase (three years on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and four years on Angel), Carpenter returned for Angel's 100th episode in the fifth and final season, explaining that she thought Cordelia fans deserved closure after the controversy of her unexplained removal from the show.