N o w - H o l l y w o o d . b l o g s p o t .c o m

It was difficult to say whether Shannen Doherty was best known for her acting or her off camera antics. As Brenda Walsh, twin sister to Brandon and the resident Midwestern girl putting down roots in Beverly Hills, Doherty made her mark on pop cultural history with her four-year stint on Fox's iconic TV hit, “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000). At the same time she played virginal Brenda, Doherty began attracting media attention – both tabloid and mainstream – for her perceived temperamental behavior off screen....



Filmography

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - ( / 2001 / Released / )
Striking Poses - ( Gage Sullivan / 1999 / Released / )
Nowhere - ( Val Chick No 2 / 1997 / Released / )
Mallrats - ( Rene / 1995 / Released / )
Heathers - ( Heather Duke / 1989 / Released / Greater Union Distributors )
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - ( Maggie Malene / 1985 / Released / )
Night Shift - ( Bluebird / 1982 / Released / )
The Secret of Nimh - ( of Teresa / 1982 / Released / )


TV Credits

90210 ( 2008 / Released ): Actor
Model Behavior ( 2008 )
TV Episode Brenda Walsh


Wide Awake and Dreaming ( 2008 )
TV Episode Brenda Walsh


The Bubble ( 2008 )
TV Episode Brenda Walsh


We're Not In Kansas Anymore ( 2008 )
TV Episode Brenda Walsh


The Jet Set ( 2008 )
TV Episode Brenda Walsh


Christmas Caper ( 2007 / Released ): Actor
Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty ( 2006 / Released ): Creator / Executive Producer / Host
Category 7: The End of the World ( 2005 / Released ): Actor
Celebrity Blackjack ( 2004 / Released ): Actor
Introducing Graham Norton ( 2004 / Released ): Actor
North Shore ( 2004 / Released ): Actor
The Ex-Games ( 2005 )
TV Episode Alexandra Hudson


Shark ( 2005 )
TV Episode Alexandra Hudson


Catwalk ( 2004 )
TV Episode Alexandra Hudson


Sucker Punch ( 2004 )
TV Episode Alexandra Hudson


The Cook, the Waitress, the GM and his Lover ( 2004 )
TV Episode Alexandra Hudson


( 5 more)
View of Terror ( 2004 / Released ): Actor
Beverly Hills, 90210: 10-Year High School Reunion ( 2003 / Released ): Actor
Scare Tactics ( 2003 / Released ): Actor
Scare Tactics Scare Tac-ular ( 2003 / Released ): Host
Bubblegum Babylon ( 2002 / Released ): Host
Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay ( 2002 / Released ): Actor
Portrait of Murder ( 2002 / Released ): Actor
Another Day ( 2001 / Released ): Co-Executive Producer / Actor
Gary & Mike ( 2001 / Released ): Voice
Satan's School For Girls ( 2000 / Released ): Actor
Women of Charmed ( 2000 / Released ): Actor
TV Guide Awards ( 1999 / Released ): Actor
Charmed ( 1998 / Released ): Director / Actor
All Hell Breaks Loose ( 2001 )
TV Episode Director


All Hell Breaks Loose ( 2001 )
TV Episode Prue Halliwell


Look Who's Barking ( 2001 )
TV Episode Prue Halliwell


Exit Strategy ( 2001 )
TV Episode Prue Halliwell


The Demon Who Came From The Cold ( 2001 )
TV Episode Prue Halliwell


( 64 more)
Seventeen: The Faces For Fall ( 1998 / Released ): Actor
Friends 'til the End ( 1997 / Released ): Actor
Sleeping With the Devil ( 1997 / Released ): Actor
The Ticket ( 1997 / Released ): Actor
Almost Dead ( 1996 / Released ): Actor
Gone in the Night ( 1996 / Released ): Actor
A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story ( 1994 / Released ): Actor
Blindfold: Acts of Obsession ( 1994 / Released ): Actor
Jailbreakers ( 1994 / Released ): Actor
90210: Behind the Scenes ( 1993 / Released ): Actor
49th Annual Golden Globe Awards ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
Obsessed ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
The 18th Annual People's Choice Awards ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
The 1992 Billboard Music Awards ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
The 1992 MTV Video Music Awards ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
To Be Free: The National Literacy Honors ( 1992 / Released ): Actor
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve '92 ( 1991 / Released ): Actor
The 43rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Presentation ( 1991 / Released ): Actor
The Mickey Mouse Club ( 1989 / Released ): Actor
ALF Loves a Mystery ( 1987 / Released ): Actor
Our House ( 1986 / Released ): Actor
Outlaws ( 1986 / Released ): Actor
The Eleventh Annual Circus of the Stars ( 1986 / Released ): Actor
Robert Kennedy and His Times ( 1985 / Released ): Actor
The Other Lover ( 1985 / Released ): Actor
His and Hers ( 1984 / Released ): Actor
Little House: Bless All the Dear Children ( 1984 / Released ): Actor
Little House: The Last Farewell ( 1984 / Released ): Actor
Little House: Look Back to Yesterday ( 1983 / Released ): Actor
Little House: A New Beginning ( 1982 / Released ): Actor
Beverly Hills 90210 ( Released ): Actor
Freeze Frame ( Released ): Actor
Life Goes On ( Released ): Actor
Parker Lewis ( Released ): Actor


Full Biography


It was difficult to say whether Shannen Doherty was best known for her acting or her off camera antics. As Brenda Walsh, twin sister to Brandon and the resident Midwestern girl putting down roots in Beverly Hills, Doherty made her mark on pop cultural history with her four-year stint on Fox's iconic TV hit, “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000). At the same time she played virginal Brenda, Doherty began attracting media attention – both tabloid and mainstream – for her perceived temperamental behavior off screen. This reputation, whether real or undeserved, continued to follow her through the years, affecting several TV shows along the way.
Shannen Maria Doherty was born in Memphis, TN on April 12, 1971 to Tom, a banker, and Rosa, owner of a beauty parlor. In 1978, the Doherty family moved to Los Angeles where Tom started a West Coast branch of the family transportation business. Like many young girls plopped down in Hollywood, Doherty decided to pursue acting. Unlike many of these same girls, Doherty had acting chops and an undeniable charisma on screen. She made her debut at the tender age of 10 with a role on the series “Father Murphy” (NBC, 1981-1983).
As luck would have it, actor Michael Landon spotted Doherty on “Father Murphy” and suitably impressed, cast her as Jenny Wilder in the final season of “Little House on the Prairie” (ABC, 1974-1983). Doherty would go on to appear in several made-for-TV “Little House” movies in the years that followed. She also continued making the TV rounds with appearances on such '80s hit shows as “Air Wolf” (ABC, 1984-86) and “Magnum, P.I.” (CBS, 1980-88), before rejoining Landon on an episode of “Highway to Heaven” (NBC, 1984-89).
By the time the ever-employable Doherty was cast in the series “Our House” (1986-1988), she had appeared on the big-screen in “Night Shift” (1982) and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” (1985) with a pre-pubescent Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt. It was in 1989, however, when a grown up Doherty made her first big mark on pop culture, co-starring opposite Winona Ryder in the teen cult film “Heathers” (1989). The masterful satire – which some consider the best comedy of the decade, certainly the best dark comedy – put Doherty on the map as one of the legendary “Heathers” of Westerberg High School.
Doherty one-upped herself a year later when, at the age of 19, she secured the part of Brenda Walsh on Aaron Spelling’s new teen drama, “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Audiences fell in love with the naïve Midwestern girl who fell for the local Beverly Hills bad boy, Dylan McKay, while all the while, learning to navigate the bitchy waters of West Beverly Hills High. After four years on “90210” – and amidst many reports of onset hostilities with her co-stars and crew as well as reports of tardiness on set – Doherty left the show. Writers explained the absence by sending Brenda off to college in her home state of Minnesota. Both pre and post-“90210,” Doherty became the girl everyone loved to hate, with her personal life playing out like an amped up version of “90210” itself. When not flashing paparazzi the bird or being accused of trashing rental properties, Doherty found time for love – being engaged and separated to Dean Factor (heir to the Max Factor cosmetics fortune) by 1991; engaged and separated to Chris Foufas by 1992; and finally married to Ashley Hamilton (son of the perennially tan George Hamilton) two weeks after meeting him. Not surprisingly, they divorced after less than a year. Following a brief relationship with actor Judd Nelson, she started dating director Rob Weiss before breaking up, got engaged, and breaking up again. To add to the infamy, Doherty appeared partially nude in Playboy in 1993 and graced the cover of Hugh Hefner’s gentlemen’s magazine in1994.
In a bid to keep her acting career alive amidst the bad PR blitz, Doherty starred in “Almost Dead” (1994) and Kevin Smith’s “Mallrats” (1995). Such was her appeal as a lead, that despite her questionable on-set reputation, she was cast as Prue Halliwell on the WB's successful series, “Charmed” (working with Aaron Spelling once again) in 1998. The show, about three sexy sisterly witches who protect the innocent, co-starred “Who’s the Boss” star Alyssa Milano and the then unknown Holly Marie Combs. Doherty flourished on the show, eventually directing three episodes before she was once-again axed from a hit show – allegedly due to on-set cattiness between her and Alyssa Milano. This time, Doherty had the final laugh – she owned a piece of the show even after being fired.
Back on her own after losing yet another high profile TV gig, Doherty reunited with Kevin Smith in “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2000), before appearing in a few TV movies, most notably “Another Day” (USA, 2001) and “Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay” (USA, 2002). She also appeared in the straight-to-video flick, “The Rendering” (2002).
In 2003, Doherty returned to TV as a regular by hosting season one and part of season two of “Scare Tactics” (Sci-Fi Channel), before leaving to pursue other endeavors (although some wondered if she was axed from this show as well). In the fall of 2004, Doherty later returned to series TV on Fox’s “North Shore” (204-05), arriving amidst minor controversy when the show’s star, Brooke Burns, expressed her displeasure at Doherty’s casting. Tabloids gleefully reported on-set tensions due to Burns’ perception that Doherty had had an affair with her (Burns’) then husband, actor Julian McMahon years before. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) for all involved, the Hawaii-based show was canceled after only one season. Also in 2004, Doherty reunited with ex-husband Rick Salomon (infamous for his homemade video/porn, “One Night in Paris” – the notorious Paris Hilton sex tape) after being separated for a year.
A year later, Doherty landed the role of Denise Johnson on the UPN sitcom “Love, Inc.” However, Doherty was later axed from this show, too. Reports circulated that the notorious actress may have landed the perfect job – that of host of a reality show in which Doherty would be dispatched to break up with people’s significant others – ambush style.


Profession(s):


Actor
Sometimes Credited As:
Shannen Maria Doherty

Family

brother:Sean Doherty (Born c. 1967)
father:Tom Doherty
husband:Ashley Hamilton (Married Sept. 24, 1993, two weeks after meeting; son of actor George Hamilton and Alana Stewart; separated after five months and divorce in 1994)
husband:Richard Solomon (Married Feb. 3, 2002 in Las Vegas; marriage annulled in 2003; famous for a 2004 a sex tape featuring then girlfriend Paris Hilton)
mother:Rosa Doherty
Companion(s)
Chris Foufas , Companion , ```..Couple had exchanged commitment rings in 1991, but ended relationship in 1992
Dean Factor , Companion , ```..Great-grandson of Max Factor; heir to the Max Factor Cosmetics empire; co-founded Smashbox Studios in 1991; briefly engaged in 1990, but ended relationship in 1991
Johnny Messner , Companion , ```..Dated in 2002; no longer together
Judd Nelson , Companion , ```..Met on the set of "Blindfold" (1994); no longer together
Julian McMahon , Companion , ```..Met in 2001, when he co-starred on her series "Charmed" (WB); no longer together
Rob Weiss , Companion , ```..Announced engagement in December 1995; reportedly split in April 1996; reunited and re-affirmed engagement in February 1997; split again in 1998


Milestones


2006 Hosted the Oxygen network's "Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty"
2006 Played herself in several episodes of the popular British sitcom "Bo! In The USA"
2004 Joined the cast of "North Shore" (NBC) playing Nicole Booth's (Brooke Burns) long lost sister, Nicole Booth
2002 Hosted the reality show "Scare Tactics" on the Sci-Fi Channel
2001 Had a cameo role in Kevin Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"
2001 Executive produced and starred in the USA network movie "Another Day"
1998 - 2001 Re-teamed with Spelling to play Prue Halliwell, the oldest of three sisters who are witches in the WB series, "Charmed"; also directed some episodes; left the series after three years, which again was
1995 Returned to features in Kevin Smith's "Mallrats"
1990 - 1994 Breakthrough role, playing Brenda Walsh on the Aaron Spelling-produced FOX series "Beverly Hills 90210"; left the show at the end of the fourth season, due to reported on-set friction
1989 First major feature film role, "Heathers" co-starring Winona Ryder
1986 - 1988 Cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling, Kris, on the NBC family drama "Our House"
1985 Had a supporting role in the dance movie "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"
1985 Portrayed Kathleen Kennedy in the CBS miniseries "Robert Kennedy & His Times"
1984 Again played Jenny Wilder in the TV-movies, "Little House: Bless All The Dear Children" and "Little House: The Last Farewell"
1983 Reprised role of Jenny Wilder in the NBC TV-movie, "Little House: Look Back to Yesterday"
1982 Feature film debut, appeared as a Girl Scout in Ron Howard's "Night Shift"
1982 Lent her voice to the animated feature "The Secret of NIMH"
1982 - 1983 Cast in the regular role of Jenny Wilder on the spin-off series, "Little House: A New Beginning" (NBC); executive produced by Michael Landon (also wrote and directed some episodes)
1981 First TV appearence, the NBC drama, "Father Murphy"; produced by Michael Landon
Raised in Memphis, Tennessee
Moved to Los Angeles, CA with her family at age six
Will reprise her role of Brenda Walsh on the "Beverly Hills 90210" spin off for the CW Television Network