Shannen Doherty Biography

If you look down Shannen Doherty's list of acting credits, it seems quite impressive. Yet, this is a young actress who has been besieged by rumors, arrests, and short marriages, and some of these have done their part to muddy up her resum .Doherty was born April 12, 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father, Tom, worked in a bank, and her mother, Rosa, owned a beauty parlor. Yet the family, including older brother Sean, moved to Los Angeles when Doherty was seven. Shortly after relocating, Doherty decided to pursue acting, landing her first job three years later with a role on the Michael Landon-produced series, Father Murphy.Landon then cast Doherty in his other series, Little House on the Prairie, in a more regular role, as she appeared in twenty episodes during the last two years the series aired. Among other small television roles, Doherty also appeared as a young Kathleen Kennedy in Robert Kennedy His Times. Her first feature film was next, the dance movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun, appearing alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Hunt. Another television series came Doherty's way as she starred in Our House alongside Diedre Hall and Wilford Brimley. Next up for her was another movie, Heathers, about a young girl who wants to belong so much that she starts murdering her competition. Doherty starred in this along with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.The part that made Shannen Doherty a household name was starring with Jason Priestly as high school twins in Beverly Hills, 90210, produced by Aaron Spelling. Doherty stayed with the show for four years, until Spelling reportedly tired of her conflicts with fellow cast members and habitual lateness. Nonetheless, she forged ahead in her career, appearing in the movie Almost Dead. After raising trouble showing up late for an Italian television interview, she flew home and was late for her first day on the set of yet another series, called Jailbreakers. The director thought about firing her, but kept her despite this potential problem.Doherty made her first of several appearances in Playboy magazine around this time, and followed this with a role in the movie Mallrats with Ben Affleck. After a handful of small guest starring roles on television, Doherty reunited with Aaron Spelling, appearing on his series Charmed with Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs. Once again, she left an Aaron Spelling series, and as rumors abounded that she and Milano were having troubles getting along. After Doherty left, she was replaced with Rose McGowan. More small TV roles followed, as well as another series called North Shore.Along with Doherty's troubles holding down her jobs because of tardiness, she was also arrested for smashing a beer bottle on a man's car window, and was sentenced to anger management classes. Doherty was arrested on drunk driving charges on a later offense, and had her Beverly Hills, 90210 wages garnished because of writing bad checks. She has had two failed marriages, one to George Hamilton's son, Ashley, and another to Rick Salomon who appeared in Paris Hilton's famous sex tape. The failed marriages have led to Doherty's own reality series, Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty.

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