Alyson Hannigan is an American actress who is best known for her small-screen gigs. She first established herself with the role of Willow Rosenberg on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003). She was part of the ensemble cast on How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014). Hannigan may not be a big-screen staple but she will always be remembered for her role in the American Pie film series where she portrayed Michelle Flaherty.
Alyson Hannigan Bio (Age and Background Info)
She was born on March 24, 1974, as Alyson Lee Hannigan in Washington, DC. When she turned 2 years old, her parents Emilie (Posner) Haas and Alan Hannigan divorced, thus Alyson became their only child.
Alyson was then raised by her Jewish mother Emilie who apart from being a real estate agent was also a photographer. Working as a photographer, Emilie would often photograph Alyson for a modeling job that required a baby, and Alyson just grew to love being in front of cameras.
Thanks to those photos, Alyson from the age of 4 began appearing in commercials for companies such as Oreos, McDonald’s, and Six Flags. To better her chances at a show business career, her mom relocated with her at the age of 11 to Holywood.
But her dad who was a truck driver for Teamsters and is of Irish ancestry was not completely out of her life. While Alyson attended North Hollywood High School, she’d visit him in Santa Barbara.
In high school, Alyson played soccer and the clarinet as extracurricular activities. She also successfully scored an agent and the acting gigs started coming.
Despite being actively involved in Hollywood, Alyson took her academics seriously. After graduating from North Hollywood High in 1992, she proceeded to study psychology at California State University, Northridge graduating around 1996.
Her major film role was in 1988’s My Stepmother Is an Alien while her first small-screen role was as Jessie Harper in Free Spirit (1989 – 1990). Subsequently, she appeared in other shows like Roseanne, Switched at Birth, Touched by an Angel, and Picket Fences.
Alyson’s big break came to wither her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer which became a hit, propelling her to widespread recognition. For her role in the film, she won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Teen Choice Award both in 2002.
Thanks to the success of the show, Alyson began to score film gigs, most of which were teen-focused. They included the American Pie film series, and Boys and Girls (2000).
Alyson guest-starred in a string of shows before getting her next big role in How I Met Your Mother. After the show ended in 2014, things went quiet for a while. During that period, she appeared in pilot episodes of More Time with Family and The First Wives Club which were never picked up. Alyson was next seen as the host of Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
Fortunately, her next pilot comedy “Man of the House” of which Kerry Washington is an executive producer got picked up by ABC in March 2018.
What’s Her Net Worth
At the start of her career, Alyson supplemented her meager paychecks by babysitting the children of Bob Saget who would become her co-star in How I Met Your Mother, a gig that paid Alyson over $300,000 for each episode. That paycheck contributed largely to the $8 million she banked in 2013 which earned her a berth on Forbes list of highest-paid TV actresses.
But before then, Alyson was already a millionaire. Her per episode earnings for Buffy peaked at $250,000. Alyson made an estimated $8.7 million from the series.
In addition to her acting gig, another way Alyson mints is by flipping real estate. She definitely learned a tip or two from her real estate agent mom. All of these endeavors and more have contributed in giving Alyson Hannigan a net worth of $30 million.
Who is Alyson Hannigan’s Husband?
Alyson Hannigan’s Husband is Alexis Denisof. They met on the set of Buffy which Alexis joined in season 3 to portray the role of Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. He would go on to become a star of the spin-off show Angel (1999 – 2004).
Following a brief period of dating, the couple got married on October 11, 2003, during a three-day celebration at Two Bunch Palms Resort.
Alexis Denisof was born on February 25, 1966, in Salisbury, Maryland to Dr. Christiana Taylor and Gerald Denisof. He is of Russian, French, and Irish descent. At the age of 17, he relocated to London, England where he attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art while working.
Denisof began his carer as a fight director in theater before transitioning to TV and film. One of his first major feature films was 1989’s Murder Story. After his breakout role in Angel ended, he joined his wife in How I Met Your Mother playing the guest role of Sandy Rivers. He had a minor role in The Avengers (2012) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).
Alyson and her husband Alexis share two children together, daughters; Satyana Marie Denisof, born on March 24, 2009 (also Alyson’s birthday), and Keeva Jane Denisof, born May 23, 2012.
The family lives in an $8 million mansion in Encino, California which they bought in 2016. That purchase came after they flipped their Brentwood Hills mansion for a $260,000 profit.
The first house they ever bought was a 4,200-square-foot, Spanish-style bungalow in Santa Monica. They paid almost $2 million for it and in February 2018, they put it up for sale at $5.1 million. In March 2018, they listed their 3 bedroom Atlanta condo for rent at $6,500 per month.
