Keith McDuffee from Northborough, MA, USA · CC BY 2.0

Benson is best known for playing Tara Maclay on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a rare and, for its late-1990s network context, quietly groundbreaking depiction of a queer relationship on mainstream television. She went on to write, direct, and star in her own independent films, including Chance and Lovers, Liars & Lunatics, and co-directed Drones with fellow Buffy cast member Adam Busch, building a career on both sides of the camera after the show ended.