Shannen Doherty(I)
- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Shannen Doherty was born in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, on April 12, 1971,
to Rosa Doherty (Wright) and Tom Doherty. Her father worked in a bank, while
her mother owned a beauty parlor. She has an older brother, Sean B. Doherty. Her
ancestry includes Irish, English, Scottish, and French. In 1978,
at the tender age of seven, she and her family moved to Los Angeles,
where her father started a West Coast branch of the family
transportation business. She knew she wanted to pursue an
acting career when she made her acting debut at age ten, with a role on
the series
Father Murphy (1981).
Shannen was a confident student, involving herself in school
performances and working hard in school, making sure she always had
exceptional grades. Despite her confidence she isolated herself from
large crowds and preferred to few close friends. She made a name
for herself as a child actress at just 11-years-old, starring in
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
as Jenny Wilder. It was
Michael Landon who noticed her
performance in an episode of
Father Murphy (1981) that he
decided to cast her. She then went on to appear in
Our House (1986) with
Deidre Hall and
Wilford Brimley. She also starred
alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and
Helen Hunt in
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
and then in Heathers (1988), a teen
comedy also starring Winona Ryder.
Her real success came in 1990, at the age of 19, when she was cast in
Aaron Spelling's long-running hit series,
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)
as Brenda Walsh, the twin sister of Brandon Walsh, played by
Jason Priestley. She attracted media
attention from the press and eventually made her a household name. The
success of the popular teen drama appealed to young teenage girls who
could relate to her character. After four years she left
the show in 1994. Afterward, she continued her work in movies, starring
in the thriller Almost Dead (1994)
and the comedy Mallrats (1995).
During the fall of 1998, she reunited with long-time producer
Aaron Spelling, when she was cast as Prue
Halliwell on Charmed (1998), a show
about three ordinary women who happen to be witches. She starred
alongside Alyssa Milano and
Holly Marie Combs. After three years
she left the show to find work in movies. Before her departure from the
show she directed three of the last episodes in which she starred.
She continued her work in movies by starring in
Another Day (2001),
The Rendering (2002),
Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002),
and View of Terror (2003). In
2003, she hosted season one of
Scare Tactics (2003) as well as
season two with only 8 episodes and then left to pursue other
endeavors.
In the fall of 2004, Shannen made her return to television on Fox's
drama series North Shore (2004),
where she played Alexandra Hudson, the long-lost sister of Nicole
Booth, played by Brooke Burns. The show was canceled after one season. Then in 2005 she landed the
role of Denise Johnson on the UPN series
Love, Inc. (2005); however, after
the pilot episode she was dropped from the sitcom. From there she has
ventured into new projects and in 2006 she starred in her own reality
series,
Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty (2006).
to Rosa Doherty (Wright) and Tom Doherty. Her father worked in a bank, while
her mother owned a beauty parlor. She has an older brother, Sean B. Doherty. Her
ancestry includes Irish, English, Scottish, and French. In 1978,
at the tender age of seven, she and her family moved to Los Angeles,
where her father started a West Coast branch of the family
transportation business. She knew she wanted to pursue an
acting career when she made her acting debut at age ten, with a role on
the series
Father Murphy (1981).
Shannen was a confident student, involving herself in school
performances and working hard in school, making sure she always had
exceptional grades. Despite her confidence she isolated herself from
large crowds and preferred to few close friends. She made a name
for herself as a child actress at just 11-years-old, starring in
Little House on the Prairie (1974)
as Jenny Wilder. It was
Michael Landon who noticed her
performance in an episode of
Father Murphy (1981) that he
decided to cast her. She then went on to appear in
Our House (1986) with
Deidre Hall and
Wilford Brimley. She also starred
alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and
Helen Hunt in
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
and then in Heathers (1988), a teen
comedy also starring Winona Ryder.
Her real success came in 1990, at the age of 19, when she was cast in
Aaron Spelling's long-running hit series,
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990)
as Brenda Walsh, the twin sister of Brandon Walsh, played by
Jason Priestley. She attracted media
attention from the press and eventually made her a household name. The
success of the popular teen drama appealed to young teenage girls who
could relate to her character. After four years she left
the show in 1994. Afterward, she continued her work in movies, starring
in the thriller Almost Dead (1994)
and the comedy Mallrats (1995).
During the fall of 1998, she reunited with long-time producer
Aaron Spelling, when she was cast as Prue
Halliwell on Charmed (1998), a show
about three ordinary women who happen to be witches. She starred
alongside Alyssa Milano and
Holly Marie Combs. After three years
she left the show to find work in movies. Before her departure from the
show she directed three of the last episodes in which she starred.
She continued her work in movies by starring in
Another Day (2001),
The Rendering (2002),
Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002),
and View of Terror (2003). In
2003, she hosted season one of
Scare Tactics (2003) as well as
season two with only 8 episodes and then left to pursue other
endeavors.
In the fall of 2004, Shannen made her return to television on Fox's
drama series North Shore (2004),
where she played Alexandra Hudson, the long-lost sister of Nicole
Booth, played by Brooke Burns. The show was canceled after one season. Then in 2005 she landed the
role of Denise Johnson on the UPN series
Love, Inc. (2005); however, after
the pilot episode she was dropped from the sitcom. From there she has
ventured into new projects and in 2006 she starred in her own reality
series,
Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty (2006).