Shannen Maria Doherty

Background

Ethnicity: Shannen Doherty has Irish ancestry on her father's side and English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish ancestry on her mother's side.

Shannen Maria Doherty was born on April 12, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, the United States, to Rosa, a beauty parlor owner, and John Thomas Doherty, a mortgage consultant. The younger of two siblings, Doherty grew up idolizing her older brother, Sean, a focused student whom Shannen refers to as "brilliant." Her early years in Memphis were spent riding horses and dreaming of landing a spot on the Olympic equestrian team.

Shannen was brought up in Memphis in Tennessee, but 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. It was while being in Los Angeles Shannen knew she wanted to pursue an acting career. She was an exceptionally well-behaved kid, raised by strict but loving parents. Shannen has always been very close to her family, who have always supported her.

Education

When the Doherty family moved to Los Angeles, Shannen attended Valmonte elementary school. It was while being in Los Angeles Shannen knew she wanted to pursue an acting career. Shannen's life changed at the age of eight when her friend asked her to watch an audition for a children's production of Snow White at the local church. She had never thought of acting before, but when she was invited to join in she did. She landed one of the leading parts and never looked back. Her performance attracted some local press and a newspaper suggested that she needed to find an acting agent to manage her.

It took Shannen two years to convince her parents to allow her to pursue a career in acting. Her parents had heard all kinds of bad stories about child actors and didn't want that life for their only daughter. After showing so much determination, Shannen's mother finally agreed and took her to see some acting agents. She was quickly signed up and within a week she landed a job! It was the voice-over for the animated feature of 'The Secret of N.I.M.H'. She was later booked for some commercials.

At the age of nine, tragedy struck the Doherty household. Her mother was experiencing terrible headaches and was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, therefore she was in the hospital a lot. Doctors said she'd be paralyzed. Then, at aged ten her father had a stroke. She almost lost both of her parents. It was a very tough time for her. Despite this, Shannen stayed strong and carried this burden around with her unknown to her friends and teachers. This also meant that Shannen became the main source of money for the family from a very young age. While she began making a name for herself on the small screen, Doherty also continued her schooling.

In ninth grade, she attended Los Angeles Baptist School. The school had a no-dancing policy, so she organized her own dance, off school property, and invited the entire student body. The following Monday, she found herself facing off with the principal. She said: "I was like, really? You're getting me in trouble? I can pull out passages from the Bible where it says they danced and rejoiced. I mean, if Jesus did it, it can't really be that bad!" In the end, Shannen's parents took her side, pulling her out of school and enrolling her at the prestigious private school instead. Doherty recalled: “it was very much about academics and was strict. It was heavily, heavily European, and I think everybody was very open-minded, objective and accepting. It wasn’t a judgmental environment at all.”

She attended Le Lycee Francais, a private French school in Los Angeles, where she stayed focused on her studies. "I did very well in school," Doherty said of her time there: "I graduated with a 4.0 and I could have gone to Princeton or USC or any college of my choice, coming from that school with the honors I graduated with." Shannen was a confident student, involving herself in school performances and working hard in school, by making sure she always had exceptional grades. Despite her confidence, she isolated herself from large crowds and preferred to have a few close friends.

Instead of applying to college, the actress continued working.

Career

At age 11, Shannen landed a guest role on the Emmy-nominated television show, Father Murphy (1981). Her two-episode performance as Drusilla Shannon earned her a Young Artist Award nomination and brought her to the attention of the series' creator, Michael Landon. In 1982, Landon gave Doherty her next big break, when he cast her in a guest role as Jenny Wilder on his Emmy-winning TV series, Little House on the Prairie.

Her role as a wholesome young girl growing up on the Western frontier earned her guest appearances on a variety of television series throughout the 80s. In 1986, after several auditions, Shannen landed the role of Kris Witherspoon on the critically acclaimed TV drama Our House. The 16-year-old played a straight-A student intent on getting into the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 1988, the role earned Shannen another Young Artist Award nomination.

In 1989, she appeared in her first major motion picture as Heather Duke in the black comedy, Heathers. The Sundance-nominated film was a hit with critics, and fans loved the movie's dark humor.

By the age of 18, the actress had developed the beginnings of a long and promising career in Hollywood. Financially, however, she was hurting. Doherty's former accountant embezzled much of the actress's earnings, leading to a dry spell in her career. While trying to figure out what to do next, she moved briefly to San Francisco and then New York. "It was a really hard time in my life," Doherty said. "It really taught me a lot." During this time she returned to television, appearing in popular shows such as 21 Jump Street and Life Goes On.

In 1990, at the age of 19, Doherty landed her breakout television role when she was cast as Brenda Walsh in Aaron Spelling's new TV series, Beverly Hills, 90210. The show was a smash hit, winning a People's Choice Award as well as Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Audiences loved to hate Doherty's character, and her portrayal of the devious high school student earned her national fame and another Young Artist Award nomination. Although Doherty was at the height of her popularity, conflicts on the set caused the young actress to leave the show in 1994, after only four seasons.

A year later, however, Doherty was back in the spotlight with a new project, the Kevin Smith-directed film, Mallrats (1995). The film, which took a playful look at mall culture in America, opened to mixed reviews but quickly developed a cult following. Doherty's appearance didn't get the actress the roles she was hoping for, however, and she again returned to television performances.

Three years later she was picked to play Prue Halliwell, a teenaged sorceress, in the WB network's sci-fi drama, Charmed (1998). The show, which also featured co-stars Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan, earned Doherty Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Award nominations in 1999 and 2000. Doherty left the show in 2001.

In 2004, Doherty starred as a regular on the TV drama, North Shore. The next year, Doherty was cast in the comedy series, Love Inc. Although she filmed the original pilot, she was dropped from the show before the premiere. In 2006, Doherty began work on the other side of the camera as the producer for her Oxygen network reality show, Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty. In the show, Doherty helps everyday people dump boyfriends, end friendships, and do their general dirty work. The show was canceled after one season.

In 2008, Doherty agreed to reappear in a remake of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoffs, 90210, for the CW Television Network. She returned as a guest star for six episodes. Projects for 2009 include the TV movies Resistance and Burning Palms (2009).

In 2010 she was part of the 10th season of the ABC hit reality series, Dancing With The Stars and released her own book called Badass: A Hard-Earned Guide to Living Life with Style and (the Right) Attitude. She is also an art director for a glossy monthly magazine called Pasadena. She is in charge of choosing cover designs and photo spreads for the Californian publication.

In April 2012 Shannen starred in her own WEtv reality show called Shannen Says. Shannen took viewers on the bumpy and hilarious ride toward the altar with her (then) fiancé, Kurt Iswarienko where she only had seven weeks to plan and pull off her big day. Shannen and Kurt were both executive producers of the show.

In January 2015 Shannen and her best friend, Holly Marie Combs filmed a new show together called Off The Map With Shannen & Holly. The GAC travel show followed them both on a road trip across the Southeastern United States through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. The series followed the two friends as they "travel unknown roads" and "meet locals" while tackling "exciting adventures" with help from viewers. Viewers voted on which activities they do at each destination.

In November 2016, Doherty joined the cast of a Heathers television series, originally set to air on Paramount Network in March 2018. She would play the mother of one of the new generation of Heathers, different from the character of Heather Duke which she originated in the 1988 film. However, the show's premiere was delayed by the Parkland school shooting because of its dark tone and themes of high school violence before the network chose to pull the show altogether in June 2018. Ultimately, the series aired over five nights in October 2018.

Doherty will reprise her role of Brenda Walsh in the upcoming sequel BH 90210, which is scheduled to debut August 7, 2019, on FOX.

Achievements

• Doherty earned a lot of appreciation for her role in Beverly Hills, 90210, a show hugely popular among the audience. She played the role of Brenda Walsh which brought her two Youth In Film Awards nominations in the categories of Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series and Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series’ in 1990 and 1991 respectively. She was twice nominated for the Saturn Awards for her role in Charmed in 1999 and 2000.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Badass

    (For fans of Shannen Doherty, best known for her roles as ...)

    2010

• movie

  • Night Shift

    (When down-on-his-luck financial planner Chuck Lumley (Hen...)

    1982
  • Little House: Look Back to Yesterday

    (As the citizens of Walnut Grove face an economic recessio...)

    1983
  • Growing the Big One

    (When Emma's grandfather leaves her his farm along with hi...)

    2010
  • The Secret of N.I.M.H.

    (Fun, drama and suspense come vividly to life in this ench...)

    1982
  • A Burning Passion

    (Step into the shoes of Margaret Mitchell, author of the P...)

    1994
  • Bethany

    (After Claire's mother dies, she and her husband move back...)

    2017
  • Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

    (When best buddies Jay and Silent Bob discover that a majo...)

    2001
  • Blood Lake

    (After chomping through massive fish populations, thousand...)

    2014
  • Girls Just Want to Have Fun

    (Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt and Shannen Doherty star...)

    1985
  • Little House: The Last Farewell

    (In this beloved, final adventure of the Ingalls family, t...)

    1984
  • Little House: Bless All the Dear Children

    (Laura and Almanzo are in a desperate race against time af...)

    1984
  • Striking Poses

    (The film opens with a disturbed woman (Doherty) trying to...)

    1999
  • Mallrats

    (Jason Lee, Shannen Doherty and Ben Affleck take on the ma...)

    1995
  • Back In The Day

    (A young boxer is taken under his wing by a mob boss after...)

    2016
  • No One Would Tell

    (In an update of the 1996 made-for-television movie, this ...)

    2018
  • Gone in the Night

    (When Cyndi and David Dowaliby's daughter Jaclyn is abduct...)

    1996
  • View of Terror

    (Shannen Doherty stars as a young woman who finds herself ...)

    2004
  • Burning Palms

    (A father's relationship with his precocious teenage daugh...)

    2010
  • The Christmas Caper

    (Professional thief, Kate Dove (Shannen Doherty) takes ref...)

    2007
  • Heathers

    (Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Shannen Doherty star i...)

    1988
  • Blindfold: Acts of Obsession

    (Doherty plays Madeleine Dalton, a woman who is drawn to b...)

    1994
  • Another Day

    (A woman's boyfriend dies in a fire after a fight over the...)

    2001
  • Category 7: The End of the World

    (Category 7: The End of the World wreaks havoc on the Eiff...)

    2005
  • Jailbreakers

    (Angel is a 15-year-old cheerleader who has her life all a...)

    1994
  • Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon

    (In the early days of the 20th Century, an expedition led ...)

    2008
  • Encounter with Danger

    (Stars Shannen Doherty. When Jack disappears, Lori learns ...)

    2009

• TV series

  • BH 90120

    (Having gone their separate ways since “Beverly Hills, 902...)

    2019
  • Beverly Hills 90210

    (After moving from Minnesota with their parents, Jim and C...)

    1990
  • Little House On The Prairie

    (It's a fond farewell for the Ingalls, in the ninth and fi...)

    1982
  • Charmed

    (The three Halliwell sisters discover that they are descen...)

    1998

• TV show

  • Shannen Says

    (Shannen Says follows icon Shannen Doherty as she prepares...)

    2012

Religion

Doherty was raised a Southern Baptist and attended a Baptist school growing up. But she didn’t like it. She said: "I hated that school. It was very repressed. They thought that dancing was evil, and I disagreed… I flipped through [the pastor’s] Bible and found references to people dancing and rejoicing. I said to him, ‘It clearly shows they danced and rejoiced. Just what the fuck is wrong with you?’"

Her religious upbringing appears to have continued affecting her into adulthood. During her term on Beverly Hills 91210, Doherty expressed concern over the questionable morals of the characters - her own included and complained about their sexual escapades.

Politics

Doherty is a registered Republican. According to Complex magazine, she said: "I realize that the majority of people in the entertainment business happen to be Democrats. I have no problem with that. And they should have no problem with the fact that I'm a Republican."

In 1992, Doherty made an appearance and led the Pledge of Allegiance at the Republican National Convention. That was the year George H.W. Bush lost his reelection bid to Bill Clinton and interestingly, Doherty took a somewhat controversial side of a division within the Republican Party that year. She expressed her support for Bush’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp, who vocally opposed many of Bush’s domestic policies and led a small revolution within the party. More recently, Doherty broke Hollywood rank again and endorsed Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.

Views

An avid animal rights activist, Doherty is a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and while performing the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 she challenged founder Paul Watson and global supporters of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Personality

Beginning with her stint on Beverly Hills, 90210, Doherty gained a reputation in the media for bad behavior that dominated her public image for many years. People Magazine has called her the "iconic Hollywood 'bad girl' of the nineties." Between 1992 and 1994, coverage alleging fighting between Doherty and her co-stars dominated tabloid headlines, particularly concerning her heated feud with Jennie Garth, and further reports of heavy partying, on-set lateness, and physical fights. The zine magazine Ben Is Dead, which published a newsletter called "I Hate Brenda" at the height of the show's popularity, even opened a hotline called the "Shannen Snitch Line" to which people could call in and report gossip about Doherty.

This reputation gained further ground during her three seasons on Charmed when tabloids fueled rumors of a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano. In both instances, Doherty departed the shows acrimoniously after a few seasons; on Charmed she was allegedly fired by producer Aaron Spelling after an ultimatum from Milano.

90210 executive producers Darren Star and Charles Rosin have both confirmed that Doherty was difficult on-set; Rosin commented that "...she had habitual lateness. Her lateness was appalling, and she had a callous attitude and an indifference." Jennie Garth has admitted that the two of them "often wanted to claw each other's eyes out", and at one point it escalated into physical violence; nonetheless, she has said the feud was mutual and based more on immaturity than true animosity. Doherty, for her part, has admitted to making mistakes, blaming her behavior on the pressures of fame, her youth, and problems in her personal life. In 2010, she stated: "I have a rep. Did I earn it? Yeah, I did. But, after a while, you sort of try to shed that rep because you're kind of a different person. You've evolved and all of the bad things you've done in your life have brought you to a much better place."

Despite constant rumors of on set rivalries during her time on Beverly Hills, 90210, she was close to both Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green, who defended her behavior to the press numerous times.

Part of Tori Spelling's autobiographical memoir, which was released in early 2008, discussed Shannen's bad behavior on the set of 90210. Spelling talked about how Shannen "took her under her wing" and introduced her to her partying ways, but despite Shannen's bad girl ways, Spelling liked her and was friends with her. However, as Shannen's behavior worsened, Spelling "didn't want to betray her," but she finally agreed to support the decision to have Shannen fired from the show. "When she left, I felt the same as everyone else, like I could breathe again," Spelling wrote.

In the early 1990s, she was targeted by a young woman who attacked celebrities in nightclubs, before suing them, claiming the celebrity started the attack. Shannen defended herself against the woman, punching her in the face. The tabloid press ignored the motives of the young woman, spending more time claiming that Shannen attacked her in a drunken rage.

Physical Characteristics: Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015, which had spread to her lymph nodes. In February 2016, Doherty revealed that she was receiving anti-estrogen treatment to shrink the tumor and enable treatment by lumpectomy rather than mastectomy. Due to the presence of multiple tumors, a lumpectomy was not possible, so a single mastectomy was performed in May 2016. Surgery revealed that some of the cancer cells may have spread beyond the lymph nodes. Because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought, Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy following surgery. On April 29, 2017, Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission.

Interests

• playing video games, cooking, playing the guitar

• Politicians

  Ronald Reagan, George Bush

• Writers

  East of Eden by John Steinback, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

• Sport & Clubs

  horseback riding

• Music & Bands

  U2, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Frank Sinatra, Paolo Nutini, Sam Smith

Connections

In early 1993, Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order on May 25, 1993. He alleged physical violence and threats on the part of Doherty, although Doherty's father claimed that the abuse came from Factor and not her.

On October 11, 1993, Doherty married Ashley Hamilton, the son of actor George Hamilton. They filed for divorce in April 1994.

In 2002, Doherty married Rick Salomon, but the marriage was annulled after nine months. On October 15, 2011, Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in Malibu, California.

Father:

John Thomas Doherty

The late John Doherty Jr. was a financial advisor who worked for a bank in Memphis but did not only give advice on money matters. To his daughter, he was a loving father and a big source of inspiration. They had a very special bond between them and Shannen considered him her best friend and rock. He was the reason why Doherty joined the Dancing with the Stars team after he suffered a devastating stroke.

Mother:

Rosa Doherty

Rosa Elizabeth owned a beauty parlor and initially was not very willing to let her child become an actress. Her only daughter was a gifted child performer but it took two years of pleading for Rosa and her late husband to finally let the Heathers (1989) actress follow her dream in the performing arts.

Spouse:

Kurt Iswarienko

Iswarienko has been a great support system for Doherty through her chemotherapy, pain and every other emotion that comes with the life-changing disease. According to Doherty, cancer has brought some unique clarity into their lives.

Brother:

Sean Doherty

Shannen grew up idolizing her elder brother; this was because he was a brilliant student with so much focus. Being the only two Doherty kids, they grew closer as they age. Sean is married to Thanne Doherty and has 2 kids. He worked for Wildhorse Consulting, a firm specializing in government affairs and political consulting.

Ex-husband:

Ashley George Hamilton

Ashley Hamilton was the first man to take Doherty down the aisle. Their relationship and marriage was highly publicized because the former lovers went to the altar after knowing each other for only two weeks. It was no surprise when Shannen filed for a divorce after just five months. Hamilton has since then re-married and divorced Angie Everhart.

Ex-husband:

Rick Salomon

Doherty’s next marriage was another short-lived one to socialite Rick Salomon. He is an American poker player but is mostly known for his series of relationships with various celebrities. Rick owns his own online gambling site and was in 2014, fortunate to win a huge amount of money in a Poker World Series. His marriage to Doherty was annulled after just 9 months of their union.

colleague:

Sarah Parker

colleague:

Winona Ryder

colleague:

Alec Baldwin

colleague:

Kevin Costner

colleague:

Mark Hamill

colleague:

Rosamund Pike

colleague:

Charles Melton

colleague:

Selma Blair

References

• Shannen Doherty