Biography
Shannen Doherty put together a career that started in childhood and continued through the various challenges of adulthood. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she made her screen debut at 10 on the family drama "Father Murphy" (NBC, 1981-83). That appearance on that show, produced by Michael Landon, led to her being cast as Jenny Wilder on the final season of "Little House on the Prairie" (NBC, 1974-83), a role that she would reprise in a series of television films. She continued making guest appearances on television shows like "Magnum P.I." (CBS, 1980-88) and "Highway to Heaven" (NBC, 1984-89). She also starred with Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt in the teen comedy "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (1985). She was cast as one of the leads, playing Wilford Brimley's granddaughter, in the TV series "Our House" (NBC, 1986-88). After the show's run, she appeared with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater in the iconic teen film "Heathers" (1988). Her place in pop culture became fixed with her role in Aaron Spelling's teen hit "Beverly Hills, 90210" (FOX, 1990-2000). Playing Brenda Walsh opposite Jason Priestly, Luke Perry, and Jennie Garth, the actress became caught up in a whirlwind of publicity that surrounded the show's meteoric rise. She left the show after four seasons, and went on to star in Kevin Smith's "Mallrats" (1995). A string of pulpy television movies, including "Sleeping with the Devil" (CBS, 1997) and "Satan's School for Girls" (ABC, 2000) followed. She returned to series television with her role as Prue Halliwell, one of three witch sisters along with Holly Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano, in "Charmed" (The WB, 1998-2006). After leaving that show, she spent a season hosting the prank show "Scare Tactics" (SyFy, 2003-13) and starred in the reality show "Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty" (Oxygen, 2006). She soon after began revisiting her past roles, starting with guest starring appearances as Brenda Walsh on the "Beverly Hills, 90210" follow-up "90210" (The CW, 2008-13). She also teamed up with Combs for the travel program "Off the Map With Shannen and Holly" (Great American Country, 2015). In 2015, she began treatments for cancer, but continued acting periodically. She revisited another of her earlier projects when she appeared in the TV version of "Heathers" (Paramount, 2018). She returned once more to Brenda Walsh when she joined most of the original cast to play herself for a meta continuation of "Beverly Hills, 90210," entitled "BH90210" (FOX, 2019- ). Shannen Doherty died on July 13, 2024 at the age of 53.
