Buffy Summers appears in a recorded work.
Buffy Anne Summers is the titular character from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise . She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name . The character has also appeared in the spin-off series Angel , as well as numerous non-canon expanded universe material , such as novels , comics , and video games . Buffy was portrayed by Kristy Swanson in the film , and later by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the television series . Joyce Summers is a fictional character in the action-horror television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 -- 2003 ) .