Shannen Maria Doherty (/ˈdoʊ.ərti/; born April 12, 1971) is an American actress, producer, author, and television director. She is known for her roles as Heather Duke in Heathers (1989), Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–1994) and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed (1998–2001).
Doherty was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Rosa, a beauty parlor owner, and Tom Doherty, a mortgage consultant. Doherty has Irish Catholic ancestry on her father's side and English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish ancestry on her mother's side. She was raised in her mother's Southern Baptist denomination.