Original: Summer Lyn Glau ( ; born July 24 , 1981 ) is an American actress , known for playing River Tam in the science fiction series Firefly and follow-up movie Serenity , and for playing Cameron in the series Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles .
Simplified: Summer Glau ( born July 24 , 1981 in San Antonio , Texas ) is an American dancer and actress . She is best known for playing as River Tam in the science fiction television series Firefly and movie Serenity .