Jennie Garth

Jennie Garth

Active - 1989 - 2016  |   Born - Apr 3, 1972 in Urbana, Illinois, United States  |   Genres - Romance, Drama, Comedy

Share on

Biography by AllMovie

One of the stars of Fox's long-running prime-time teen show Beverly Hills, 90210, Jennie Garth also branched out into made-for-TV films and B-movies. Born in Urbana, Illinois, and raised on a farm until her family relocated to Arizona, Born April 3rd, 1972, Garth studied dance and worked as a model before moving to L.A. at age 16 to pursue acting. She was cast in the short-lived series A Brand New Life (1989) before landing the star-making role of blonde Beverly Hills princess Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1990. With Kelly enduring numerous nighttime drama catastrophes while aging from spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old, Garth stayed with the show for its entire ten-year run. Bolstering her TV series fame with TV movies, beginning with the adaptation of the Danielle Steele romance Star (1993), Garth also played the eponymous abused wife in Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg (1994), a serial killer target in Falling for You (1995), and executive-produced and starred in the teen psychiatric drama Without Consent (1994). After the B-thrillers Power 98 (1996) and My Brother's War (1997), Garth focused more exclusively on the last several seasons of 90210 and starting a family with actor-husband Peter Facinelli, whom she met while filming An Unfinished Affair (1996). In 2002, Garth was cast in her own series, playing big sister to Amanda Bynes in the WB series What I Like About You, which found Garth's character caring for the teenager in their parents' absence. She stayed with the series for four years until 2007, when she was cast as a mom confronted with the possibility of HIV becoming a part of her family life in Girl, Positive. She reprised her role of Kelly Taylor on the spin-off 90210 (really, a continuation of the earlier series) and later reteamed with her co-star Tori Spelling in the short-lived series Mystery Girls. In the years to come, Garth would remain a constant force on the small screen, appearing on shows like Community and in TV movies like The Eleventh Victim.

Movie Highlights

See Full Filmography

Factsheet

  • Raised on a 25-acre horse farm in Illinois before moving to Arizona at age 13.
  • Spotted by a talent agent at age 15; left school her junior year and moved to Los Angeles, where she started acting classes.
  • Met husband Peter Facinelli on the set of the TV movie An Unfinished Affair.
  • Named "Best Dressed" by TV Guide in 1996.
  • Appeared on season 5 of Dancing with the Stars, paired with Derek Hough.
  • Reprised her role of Kelly Taylor on the Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off 90210 in 2008.
  • Supports the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).