Rachel Blanchard was born on March 19, 1976. She attended Havergal college, an all girls school in Toronto. After high school Rachel went on to attend Queens university in Kingston, Ontario Canada. She later dropped out, however, when she got offered the role of Cher in the "Clueless" (1996) TV series. She landed the coveted role after being handpicked from among the hundreds who auditioned. Blanchard's career was launched with a part in a McDonald's commercial. She is best known for her role in the hit Nickelodeon supernatural anthology series, "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Blanchard was also a series regular in the syndicated "War of the Worlds", and the British series, "Chriss Cross".

Her other television credits include the telefilm, "Alex: The Life of a Child", and such Canadian productions as "Glory Enough For All", "Katts and Dog", "On My Own", "Two For Joy" and "The Campbells". Blanchard most recently starred in The Rage: Carrie II, the sequel to the cult classic Carrie. She appeared in the feature films Road Trip opposite Brekin Meyer, Sean William Scott and Tom Green, Sugar & Spice with Mena Suvari and Marley Shelton, Iron Eagle IV with Louis Gossett, Jr. and the Canadian film Young Ivanhoe. Blanchard recently wrapped two independent films, Joel Silverman's Nailed opposite Harvey Keitel and Brad Rowe, and Wild Dogs, which will premiere at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival. She will also be seen in Chasing Holden which will be released this fall. A decided contrast to Cher, Blanchard eschews the latest fashions and shopping for sports and hiking. In her free time, Blanchard enjoys hockey, traveling and hiking. She resides in Toronto when not filming in Los Angeles.