Shannen Doherty's Life in Pictures

Shannen Doherty has had an incredible acting career, with starring roles on Beverly Hills, 90210, Charmed and more. Take a look back at her life in pictures 

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Shannen Doherty's Early Life

Shannen Doherty
Neilson Barnard/Getty

Doherty was born in Memphis, Tenn., on April 12, 1971. She began acting at a young age, having guest spots on TV series such as Voyagers! and Father Murphy. She later scored her first major role at the age of 11 on Little House on the Prairie.

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1982-1983: Shannen Doherty on Little House on the Prairie

Shannen Doherty
Frank Carroll/NBCU

Doherty played Jenny Wilder on the final season of Little House on the Prairie before its eventual cancellation in 1983. Though she was only on a few episodes, it helped put her on the map as an actress.

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1985: Shannen Doherty in Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Shannen Doherty
New World Pictures

In 1985, Doherty began branching out into film as she starred in the teen comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun alongside Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker.

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1986-1988: Shannen Doherty on Our House

Shannen Doherty
Frank Carroll/NBCU

A year later, Doherty was cast as one of the leads in the family drama Our House. The show ran from 1986 to 1988 and earned Doherty two Young Artist Awards nominations.

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1988: Shannen Doherty in Heathers

Shannen Doherty
From left: Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker and Winona Ryder in Heathers (1989). New World Pictures/Getty

Doherty had a starring role in the 1988 black comedy Heathers, where she played Heather Duke alongside Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. The film was one of Doherty's first major motion picture roles and has since become a cult classic that was adapted into a musical and short-lived TV series.

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1990-1994: Shannen Doherty on Beverly Hills, 90210

Shannen Doherty
mikel roberts/getty

In 1990, Doherty starred as Brenda Walsh on the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. As the show became a global pop culture phenomenon, Doherty's role helped her gain critical acclaim and several award nominations. She played the character for four seasons before leaving the show in 1994.

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1998-2001: Shannen Doherty on Charmed

Shannen Doherty
Paramount Pictures

After working with Aaron Spelling on Beverly Hills, 90210, Doherty reunited with the producer when she was cast on The WB's Charmed series about a trio of sisters who are witches. Doherty eventually left the series at the end of season 3, resulting in her character's death.

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2008-2009: Shannen Doherty on 90210

Shannen Doherty
Michael Desmond/The CW

In 2008, Doherty returned to her Beverly Hills, 90210 roots as she appeared on the show's The CW spin-off, 90210. She reprised her role as Brenda Walsh for a handful of episodes on seasons 1 and 2 alongside returning cast members Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling, as well as new additions Shenae Grimes and Tristan Wilds.

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2010: Shannen Doherty on Dancing with the Stars

Shannen Doherty
Adam Larkey/getty

In 2010, Doherty competed on season 10 of Dancing with the Stars alongside partner Mark Ballas. The couple made it to week 2 before being eliminated.

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2011: Shannen Doherty marries Kurt Iswarienko

Shannen Doherty
Angela Weiss/Getty

Following her previous marriages to Ashley Hamilton and Rick Salomon, Doherty found love with photographer Kurt Iswarienko. In October 2011, the couple tied the knot in Malibu.

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2019: Shannen Doherty on BH90210

Shannen Doherty
fox

Doherty returned to Beverly Hills again as she appeared on Fox's BH90210 series in 2019. Unlike previous spin-offs, the show focused on the original cast members of Beverly Hills, 90210Jason Priestley, Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling, and Doherty — as they played heightened versions of themselves.

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2015: Shannen Doherty's battle with cancer

Shannen Doherty
Earl Gibson III/Getty

In 2015, Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer, telling PEOPLE at the time, "I am continuing to eat right, exercise and stay very positive about my life. I am thankful to my family, friends and doctors for their support and, of course, my fans who have stood by me."

Though she went into remission in 2017, she announced in 2020 that her cancer had returned and she was currently in stage 4. Throughout her treatments, she has been open and candid with fans about her cancer journey.

"I want people to not hear stage IV cancer and think of the person that is gray and falling over, and they can't move, and they're going into hospice, and they can't work," she told Sarah Michelle Gellar for an Entertainment Tonight interview in 2020. "You get written off so quickly, even though you're vital and healthy and happy and wanting to go out there and work. So, I'm sharing in order to hopefully give a different face to all of this."

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2021: Shannen Doherty in Fortress

Shannen Doherty
courtesy Everett Collection

Amid her cancer battle, Doherty has continued acting, including appearing in several TV movies and a small role on Riverdale season 4 for the special tribute episode to her Beverly Hills, 90210 costar Luke Perry following his death in 2019.

In 2021, Doherty starred in the action film Fortress alongside Bruce Willis and Chad Michael Murray.

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