Shannen is the daughter of Rosa, a beauty parlor owner, and Tom Doherty, a mortgage consultant, and she an older brother named Sean. She has Irish Catholic ancestry, though was raised in her mother's Southern Baptist religion. In 1978, when she was 7, she and her family moved to Los Angeles, where her father started a West Coast branch of the family transportation business. Shannen knew she wanted to pursue an acting career when she made her acting debut at age ten, with a role on the series Father Murphy (1981). She was a confident student, involving herself in school performances and working hard in school, by making sure she always had exceptional grades. Despite her confidence, she isolated herself from large crowds and preferred to have a few close friends. In an interview of Glamour, she said: “When I was nine, my mother developed an excruciating headache and had to be hospitalized - she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. She came through it but the experience was terrifying. The following year my father had a massive stroke. In a single year I nearly lost both my parents. I felt my classmates couldn't relate to what I was going through, so I closed myself off.”

She made a name for herself as a child actress at just 11-years-old, starring in Little House on the Prairie (1974) as Jenny Wilder. It was Michael Landon who noticed her performance in an episode of Father Murphy, and decided to cast her. Her real success came in 1990, when she was cast in Aaron Spelling's long-running hit series, Beverly Hills, 90210 as Brenda Walsh, the twin sister of Brandon Walsh, played by Jason Priestley. She attracted media attention from the press and eventually made her a household name. The success of the popular teen drama appealed to young teenage girls who could relate to her character. After four years, she left the show in 1994. Afterward, she was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling, Kris, on the family drama Our House, which ran from 1986 to 1988. In 1998, Spelling cast her in another TV series, Charmed, in which she played Prue Halliwell, along with occasionally directing some of the episodes. She left that series in 2001, after three years. She asked to be let out of her contract, due to a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano. Though she had left the show long before it ended, she owns five percent of the rights to the series.

Shannen is now starring in her own show, Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty on the Oxygen network. In the show she goes around doing "dirty work" for members of the public, including dumping boyfriends or telling people what their friends really think about them. She recently starred in the popular British sitcom Bo! in the USA, a program of brain child Leigh Francis. In the show, she plays herself, being randomly harassed by Avid Merrion (Francis) who claims they are lovers. The show aired in October 2006 on the British channel 4, and she appeared in several episodes. It has been announced that she will appear in two TV projects in 2007. First up is the pilot Kiss Me Deadly: A Jacob Keane Assignment for the here! network, and then the holiday picture Christmas Caper for ABC Family. Shannen has set up a production company called "No Apologies" where she’s developing a TV-drama for herself. Shannen was married briefly to Ashley Hamilton, son of George Hamilton. She was also married to Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.

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Trivia

- Shannen lives on a horse ranch in Ventura County, California.
- She is allergic to wool and chocolate.
- Her goddaughter is named Cooper London, daughter of Jason London.
- She confessed to own more than 230 shoe's!
- Her favourite colours are blue and green.
- In March 1993, boyfriend Dean Factor alleged that shen had hit, kicked and scratched him. She countered that he had punched and slapped her. They eventually made up and moved in together.
- After the 4th season, she was removed from the soap Beverly Hills, 90210. According to Spelling because of constant conflicts with the cast members and repeatedly late appearances on the set.
- Shannen has Crohn's disease. It's a problem in the intestines that makes that she can't eat anything, she has to follow a diet and she has to take pills.
- She is a close friend of actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
- In 2000 she was offered a role in Scream 3, but she turned it down.
- She loves to cook, but also enjoys eating fast food.
- Her favourite singers are Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and U2.
- Shannen speaks French and Spanish.
- She still owns a percentage of Charmed even though she left the show.
- In March 2003, she and celebutante Paris Hilton fought at a Los Angeles club after Shannen caught Hilton chatting with her ex-husband Rick Solomon.
- She appeared several times partially nude in Playboy magazine: in December 1993, March 1994 and December 2003.
- Shannen was released from her "Charmed" contract because of in-fighting between her and her co-star Alyssa Milano in 2001.
- She is born on the same day and year as Nicholas Brendon.
- Her hobbies are playing with her horses and dogs, bowling, and watching DVD's.
- She was ranked #5 in "100 Greatest Teen Stars" in 2006.

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