Shannen Doherty

Shannen Doherty was an American actress. She became known for creating controversy on the set, and her tumultuous personal life made headlines in the media during her youth. Doherty was best known for her roles in the film Heathers and television series such as Beverly Hills, 90210, and Charmed. Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Since that time, she was very public with her ongoing treatments through remission and the return of the cancer in 2019. In 2023 she announced that the cancer had spread to her brain.

Shannen Maria Doherty was born on April 12, 1971, in Memphis, Tennessee, daughter of Tom and Rosa Doherty. Doherty worked as an actress since her child years on Little House on the Prairie. Afterward she was typecast as a too-good-to-be-true teen until the 1989 black comedy Heathers, in which Doherty made a convincing member of an exclusive clique infiltrated by Winona Ryder's protagonist (see Newsmakers 91 for sketch on Ryder).

Doherty became famous for playing Brenda Walsh, a teenage transplant from wholesome Minnesota to the good life in California, in the FOX high school drama, Beverly Hills, 90210, which debuted in 1991. But soon, her fame sprang from a different angle—fueled by rumors of discontent on the 90210 set, of stories that Doherty would show up late, display a bad attitude, and berate the crew. Then after the work day was done, Doherty’s personal life made its way into the tabloids.

Despite some critical skepticism, Beverly Hills, 90210 became a hit with young audiences, becoming one of the FOX's highest-rated shows. In the series, Brenda Walsh and her twin brother, Brandon, played by heartthrob Jason Priestly (See Newsmakers 93), were presented as a moral grounding in the decadence of Beverly Hills. However, the tabloids were quick to point out that Doherty's real-life exploits were far from moral. She even inspired an I Hate Brenda newsletter in 1992. Her love life often was the subject of the press. After two public breakups, Doherty married Ashley Hamilton, son of perpetually tanned actor George Hamilton, in 1993. "Then she went on Saturday Night Live and, in a mock wedding video, pushed Ashley into the cake," noted People. The union was followed closely in the press, with alternating reports of a marriage on the rocks interspersed with photos of Doherty cheering her husband on during his appearances as a musician. The two divorced in 1994.

The marital stories had barely died down when new Doherty rumors began cropping up—specifically, that the Beverly Hills, 90210 company had finally had enough of Doherty. The is-she-or-isn't-she-fired question made the rounds from Hollywood to the media. The stories that Doherty was written out of some new episodes were fueled by talk that producer Aaron Spelling was testing some other young actresses for an unspecified role. As it turned out, Doherty was not asked back for the 1994–95 season, and her character was conveniently packed off to London to pursue her dreams.

While Doherty continued to make headlines for her personal life, she began a new venture in 1998. She and fellow actresses Halley Marie Combs and Alyssa Milano starred as witch sisters in the WB’s series Charmed. The show was a hit, and it appeared as though Doherty’s drama was behind her, which was a relief to producer Aaron Spelling, who had taken a chance on Doherty by hiring her for another project. By 2001, however, an alleged conflict with Milano led writers to kill off Doherty’s character. Although Doherty no longer appeared on the show, she continued to profit from its success as she owned 5 percent of the show’s rights.

After Charmed Doherty appeared in a few television movies and several episodes of North Shore. Between 2005 and 2008, the actress held roles in several television movies and a few television pilots. In 2008 Doherty reprised the character of Brenda Walsh—though grown-up—for eight episodes of the CW’s 90210. The reboot had a new, younger cast but the same concept of the original.

After providing the voice for sisters Mari and Kari in the Web animation series Mari-Kari and releasing an autobiography in 2010, Doherty was approached by the Women’s Entertainment (WE) channel. Producers had heard she was engaged to be married to photographer Kurt Iswarienko, and they were interested in filming her wedding preparations. She signed on for a reality show and Shannen Says premiered in 2012. It documented Doherty’s wedding planning, renovations of her Malibu home, and her return to school. She also became the official spokesperson for Education Connection.

The actress continued to work on several projects over the next few years. In 2015 Doherty and her Charmed costar Combs reteamed for the travel adventure series Off the Map. The same year, Doherty revealed she was battling breast cancer.

The actress first attempted hormone therapy in her fight against breast cancer. She soon moved to traditional chemotherapy and radiation. Doherty had a mastectomy and a year later underwent breast reconstruction. She said the experience taught her a great deal about herself and strengthened her marriage. Unfortunately, breast cancer treatment also put her body irreversibly into menopause, ending her hopes of giving birth to a child someday.

In 2019 Doherty and her fellow 90210 cast mates began promoting a reboot of the California-based series. The core cast, minus Luke Perry, who had died earlier that year, was reuniting for the series. Doherty, like her fellow actors, was also an executive producer of the 2019 summer series.

In 2017 Doherty announced that her cancer had gone into remission, but in 2019 she said that it had returned and was stage 4, the most serious stage. She continued to work on projects into 2022. In January of 2023, she announced that the cancer had spread into her brain. According to an article in Variety, Doherty said “My fear is obvious” as she continued to undergo radiation treatments. That same month, Doherty and her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, announced their separation. In April of 2023, she filed for divorce. In November 2023, she revealed the cancer had spread to her bones. Doherty continued to work, despite the diagnosis. “I know it sounds cheesy and crazy, but you’re just more aware of everything, and you feel so blessed. We’re the people who want to work the most, because we’re just so grateful for every second, every hour, every day we get to be here,” she told People’s Danielle Bacher. On July 13, Doherty passed away at age 53. “The devoted daughter, sister, aunt, and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace,” her publicist said in a statement released to People.

"Shannen Doherty." Newsmakers, Gale, 2024. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1618002199/BIC?u=txshrpub100100&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=0b26e054. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.