Nicholas Brendon, the sardonic Xander Harris who helps the title character ward off werewolves and other creatures of the night on the hit series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (The WB, 1997-2001; UPN, 2001-03), turned to acting when an arm injury quashed his professional baseball aspirations. The handsome, dark-haired actor landed his first professional work in a Clearasil TV commercial before appearing in a recurring role on the daytime soap opera "The Young and the Restless" (CBS) and guest-starring on Fox's popular primetime comedy series "Married ... With Children." With roles few and far between, Brendon worked as a production assistant on the CBS sitcom "Dave's World" and also guest-starred in an episode, but his role on "Buffy" finally brought him the recognition he had craved. In addition to a small role in the feature "Children of the Corn III" (1995), he has starred in Los Angeles-area theater productions of "The Further Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "My Own Private Hollywood" and "Out of Gas on Lovers' Leap."