Shannen Maria Doherty is an American film and television actress and director born in Memphis, Tennessee on April 12th, 1971. Shannen's acting career began in early childhood, playing bit parts on various prime time television series and even a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie. Her most famous role to date however, was that of teenager Brenda Walsh from the popular dramatic series Beverly Hills 90210. Doherty even reprised the character for several episodes of it's spin-off program, simply titled 90210.
To fans of the occult and the supernatural, Shannen Doherty is best known for playing the role of Prudence Halliwell on the WB Network television series Charmed. Doherty was one of the main cast members and the top-billed actress during her time on the series. She appeared in seasons one through three, totaling 66 episodes as well as the original unaired pilot episode. She also directed three episodes of the series between seasons two and three. She directed "Be Careful What You Witch For", "The Good, the Bad and the Cursed", and "All Hell Breaks Loose" (her final appearance on the series). Doherty left the show in 2001, resulting in her character's death, and the introduction of Rose McGowan's character Paige Matthews. Reportedly, the reason for her departure was because of tensions between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano. [1] Though she had left the show long before it ended, she continued to own five percent of the rights to the series.
In 2003, Doherty became the host for the candid camera gimmick show Scare Tactics. She hosted the entire first season of the series before departing in 2004.
