<P> The Master is a fictional character on the action - horror / fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 -- 2003 ) . He is a centuries - old vampire portrayed by Mark Metcalf , determined to open the portal to hell below Sunnydale High School in the fictional town of Sunnydale where the main character Buffy Summers lives . The premise of the series is that Buffy ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ) is a Slayer , a teenage girl endowed with superhuman strength and other powers which she uses to kill vampires and other evil beings . Each season of the series Buffy and the small group of family and friends who work with her , nicknamed the Scooby Gang , must defeat an evil force referred to as the Big Bad ; the villain is usually trying to bring on an apocalypse . The Master is the first season 's Big Bad . </P>
<P> The Master is a fictional character on the action - horror / fantasy television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer ( 1997 -- 2003 ) . He is a centuries - old vampire portrayed by Mark Metcalf , determined to open the portal to hell below Sunnydale High School in the fictional town of Sunnydale where the main character Buffy Summers lives . The premise of the series is that Buffy ( Sarah Michelle Gellar ) is a Slayer , a teenage girl endowed with superhuman strength and other powers which she uses to kill vampires and other evil beings . Each season of the series Buffy and the small group of family and friends who work with her , nicknamed the Scooby Gang , must defeat an evil force referred to as the Big Bad ; the villain is usually trying to bring on an apocalypse . The Master is the first season 's Big Bad . </P>
who played the master on buffy the vampire slayer
who played the master on buffy the vampire slayer
Mark Metcalf
Mark Metcalf