Read more about Tara Maclay at: Wikipedia

Official Site: 20th Century Fox

Tara Maclay is a fictional character created for the fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003). She was developed by Joss Whedon and portrayed by Amber Benson from the fourth to the sixth season until the character's death. Tara is a shy young woman with magical talents who falls in love with one of the core characters, Willow Rosenberg. Together, they help Buffy Summers, who has been given superhuman powers to defeat evil forces in the fictional town of Sunnydale.

Willow was a popular character when Tara was introduced, and the onset of their relationship was met with some resistance from fans. Tara grows from a reserved girl who is unsure of herself to being the moral center of Buffy's circle of friends, named the Scooby Gang. She is the most virtuous character in the series. Her relationship with Willow is consistently positive, and the first depiction of a lesbian couple on U.S. television. Tara is killed by a stray gunshot toward the end of the sixth season, causing Willow to go on a rampage. Series writers and producers received angry protests from some fans when Tara was killed, including accusations of homophobia. Whedon upheld that it was the necessary course to take to propel Willow's story arc further; both the show's producers and Amber Benson deny that any malicious intent was the cause.

Tara is introduced in the fourth season episode "Hush" as a college student who attends a Wicca meeting where Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) goes to find some like-minded people. Tara is hesitant to speak out during the meeting and has a pronounced stammer that returns throughout the series when she is upset. She notices Willow suggest discussing spellcasting, but both are drowned out by the rest of the group. Tara was created to be a friend with whom Willow could learn magic and develop her skills intended to appear for only a couple episodes. However, the actors had such chemistry that the relationship was written to be more intimate. In "Hush", Tara and Willow join hands to move a heavy object telekinetically. After it was completed and edited, Whedon and the producers found it a very sensual scene. Network executives also noticed the chemistry. After some discussion Whedon informed Benson and Hannigan that the characters would become lovers.

Willow was featured from the beginning of the series and already had a strong fanbase. Earlier in the fourth season, she had a boyfriend named Oz (Seth Green), who left after sleeping with another woman. Oz returns in the episode "New Moon Rising", determined to make up for leaving her. It is the first time Tara is introduced to the Scooby Gang as a whole, and Willow must choose between her and Oz. She favors Tara in the end, causing some of Willow and Oz's fans to react angrily on the fansite message boards, leaving homophobic remarks and characterizing Benson as fat and unattractive. Benson, who was referred to as "astoundingly non-Hollywood" by a Scottish journalist, frequented the boards and read the comments, finding them hurtful and taking some of them personally. She responded, protesting that she was at 5 feet, 4 inches (1.63 m) and , not at all overweight, although she appears heavier than her more petite costars. She went on to write:

Tara Maclay has not been a contender in any CBUB matches.