Scatty physicist and all-round genius.

Reading a good book is usually a good thing, unless doing so traps you in an alternate dimension where humans are treated like cattle.

That's exactly what happened to physicist Winifred Burkle (Fred) until Angel rescued her from a life of sackcloth and cave-dwelling in Pylea.

It's taken a while for the poor girl to adjust to the real world again. A steady supply of tacos and a lot of scribbling on her bedroom walls is helping. She needs to watch that crush on Angel, though.

Fred's certainly one of the brains of Angel Investigations. Her ability to calculate the most bizarre things in her head often comes in handy - if you can understand what on earth she's on about. She builds a mean monster trap too.

Brought back down to Earth by a visit from her parents, Fred's become invaluable to the gang - especially Gunn. She's learnt to fend for herself, and developed one whopper of an appetite for junk food too.

Texan-born Amy Acker studied acting at Southern Methodist University. Before joining the Angel cast, she worked with Star Trek god William Shatner in the UFO film Groom Lake.

Like Fred, Amy wears glasses in real life. "I think that really the only reason I got the job, was because Joss liked my glasses," she admitted in a recent interview.

Like David Boreanaz and Julie (Darla) Benz, Amy loves a round of golf. "I'm not very good, and I don't wear the right clothes," she told the WB's web site. "I actually got kicked off of a course once because I didn't have the proper shirt."