Shannen Dohtery Passes On

Shannen Doherty, who starred on the shows Beverly Hills, 90120 and Charmed, as well as the movie Heathers (19/88), died yesterday, July 13 2024, at the age of 53. The cause was cancer. She had been first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015.

Shannen Doherty was born on April 12 1971 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her mother operated a beauty parlour. Her father was a financial advisor. She was only ten years old when she appeared in Pepsi commercial. It was about the same time that she made her television debut in a two-part episode the short-lived show Father Murphy. She made her movie debut as a voice in the animated movie The Secret of NIMH (1982). She appeared in the movie Night Shift (1982) the same year. She guest starred on the short-lived shows The Phoenix and Voyagers! before having a regular role on the final season of Little House of Prairie.  In the Eighties she had a regular role on the show Our House. She began her stint as Brenda on Beverly Hills, 90120 in 1990 Shannen Doherty appeared as Kathleen Kennedy in the mini-series Robert Kennedy and His Times. She guest starred on the shows Magnum, P.I.; Airwolf; Highway to Heaven; Still the Beaver; Outlaws; 21 Jump Street; and Life Goes On.. She appeared in the movies Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), and Heathers (1988).

In the Nineties Shannen Doherty continued to appear on Beverly Hills, 90120. Later in the decade she began her stint on the TV series Charmed. She appeared in such TV movies as Jailbreakers, Gone in the Night, Sleeping with the Devil, and Satan's School for Girls. She appeared in the movies Mallrats (1995), Nowhere (1997), and Striking Poses (1998).

In the Naughts she continued to appear on Charmed. She also had regular roles on the shows North Shore and 90210. She was the lead voice on the animated series Mari/Kari. She guest starred on the shows Gary & Micke and Love, Inc. She appeared in the mini-series Category 7: The End of the World. She appeared in such TV movies as Another Day, The Rendering, and View of Terror. She appeared in the movies Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Burning Palms (2010).

In the Teens she had a regular role on BH90120. She guest starred on the shows Suite 7, Rock in a Hard Place, Heathers, and Riverdale. she appeared in such TV movies as Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys and All I Want for Christmas. She appeared in the movies Bukowski (2013), Back in the Day (2016), Bethany (2017) and Undateable John (2019). In the 2020s Shannen Doherty appeared in the movies Fortress (2021), Hot Seat (2012), and Darkness of Man (2024).

Beverly Hills, 90120 debuted when I was in my Twenties, so I never watched it, but I remember Shannen Dohtery well from Our House, Charmed, and the movie Heathers. She could play a wide variety of roles, often quite different from each other. She played Kris Witherspoon on Our House, the eldest daughter trying to adjust to live in California. On Charmed she played the eldest of the Haliwell sisters, who is also the most powerful witch of the three. In the movie Heathers she played Heather Duke, the opportunistic high schooler who takes over as her clique's leader following the death of Heather Chandler. Shanen Dohtery was a very talented actress, so it's little wonder she starred on multiple TV shows and in multiple TV movies.