DAVID BOREANAZ, GIRLFRIEND

Angel Heart

His role as a sweet-hearted vampire has made him a TV superstar.  Now, with his very own show, Angel, David Boreanaz is beginning a new life, both on and off the screen.  By Felicity Percival.

They exchanged a lingering look before the tall, dark figure turned and disappeared into the smoky haze, but he'd be back some day to see his one true love.  No, this is not the ending of a soppy movie, it's the final encounter between TV's slaying queen, Buffy Summers, and the sexiest vampire on screen, Angel.  While Buffy secretly shed a tear when Angel walked away, other girls were feeling the opposite.  Hearts went out to Buffy over her loss, but many were happy that their favourite 243-year-old vampire was once again single, as he set out for Los Angeles to begin a new life.

For the man behind the sweet-hearted Angel, 28-year-old David Boreanaz, taking the lead in a brand new TV show was an exciting adventure.  "I think the opportunity is very fulfilling," he said.  "It was a little scary at first, but that quickly changed when we started rehearsing.  It's great to work with different actors and expand."

The show, which is already screening in the US to rave reviews, has Angel moving to LA with the goal of resurrecting himself and finding fulfilment.  With Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) joining Angel in his life too (no, nothing happens between the two), Angel is evolving into a much more complex character.  "He's growing now," explains David.   "He's a bit more tricky and more of an emotional guy."

While Angel's life-altering changes occur on-screen, off-screen David has been making some tough decisions, too.  Last year, on October 15, he filed for divorce from his wife of two years, Ingrid Quinn Boreanaz.  The split was due to irreconcible differences, but David's rapid rise to fame would have made any relationship hard to maintain.

Having been exposed to acting and television as a young boy, it was inevitable that David was bound for a career in showbiz.  Born May 16, 1971 in Buffalo, New York, he grew up in Philadelphia where his dad was a weather forecaster.  At age seven, David saw a performance of The King and I, and decided he wanted to be an actor.  When he completed college, he moved to LA to follow his dream.

However, fame didn't come fast.  For a few years David joined the long line of struggling actors in Hollywood, making ends meet by handing out towels in a sports club, painting houses and parking cars.  All the while he was taking acting classes in the hope that someday he'd get his big break.

When it finally happened, David break read like a movie script.  One day he was walking his dog, Bertha Blue, in a Hollywood neighbourhood when a manager noticed his good looks and signed him up.

After appearing on Married With Children as Kelly Bundy's (Christina Applegate) biker boyfriend, performing in a number of stage plays like Hatful of Rain and Fool of Love, and making movies such as Aspen Extreme and Best of the Best II, David auditioned for a role on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  "I went in three or four times," he says.  "It [was] a stressful situation."

When David joined the Buffy cast in 1997 he also won the opportunity to work with one of the most respected young actresses in the business, Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Playing boyfriend and girlfriend for two years, the two became very close friends.  In 1998 Sarah told TV Week, "David and I have become very close...the purely platonic love we have for each other made it hard after his character went bad and did horrible things.  Usually we're pals and we're holding hands and hugging, we couldn't at that point."

While David denied anything went on between them off-screen, his comments about kissing Sarah didn't alleviate rumours.  "I just wanted to keep on kissing her," he confessed.   "Sometimes I have to walk away because she is so good looking!"

Now that he has split from his wife, and is away from Sarah, David is focusing on his life and career.   Last year he was named one of US People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also has his own brand of Levi's jeans with a button fly and boot leg called 'D Bo Style'!  Living it up as a single guy he's become a regular at all the glamorous parties, and cruises around them in his black Ford Explorer.  In his spare time he plays golf, is passionate about the ocean, and is also getting in touch with his spiritual side.  "Being in touch with your inner self is far sexier than having perfect abs, perfect calves, or collagen-injected lips," he admits.  "I'm not afraid to cry.  Tears are a form of expression, and that's sexy."  Buffy's producer Marcia Shulman has said, "He's like a rugged old-fashioned movie star.   If it was the 50s, he might have changed his name to Rock."

From the soppy farewell in Buffy to the refreshing new vibe of Angel, David Boreanaz will continue to win girls' hearts, as Angel holds Buffy's close to his own.  "He will always stay true," David says regarding Angel's feelings for Buffy.   "She's his one true love, definitely." BACK TO THE TOP