Jennie Garth, who played Kelly Taylor on the original 90210, will join the cast of the new spin-off on the CW channel. Ms. Garth will not be a regular but will play a guidance counsellor to the (probably) much more at-risk new West Beverly High kids at her alma mater, according to the Associated Press.On 90210, Ms. Garth became a diet pill abuser, was trapped in a fire, became involved in a cult, used cocaine, was raped, shot, got amnesia and had a miscarriage, according to her career review. She'll apparently have a lot of advice to give, but she might be a bit rusty since her roles on What I Like About You with Amanda Bynes and Dancing With the Stars have been so squeaky clean. Garth, 36, departed the CBS comedy pilot My Best Friend's Girl last month.
Born April 3, 1972 in Urbana, IL, Garth was discovered at age 15 by a talent scout who suggested she head to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. She did just that – dropping out of high school in her junior year to move west. Not long after arriving, she landed a role in the short-lived TV series Brand New Life (NBC, 1989-1990). Although "Life" did little to launch her career, its demise was quickly followed by landing her most iconic role – that of Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210.
Playing the popular tramp-turned-good girl Kelly through the years afforded Garth the opportunity to not only grow up on camera in front of America, but to fully develop her character and improve her acting chops each season. From surviving getting burned in a fire, to battling a cocaine addiction, to dealing with all the love triangle drama of Kelly/Dylan/Brenda, Garth showed her versatility. Initially cast as the class tart with Shannon Doherty's Brenda the heroine of the show, Garth quickly emerged as the fan favorite – no doubt some of it a result of Doherty's real-life run-ins with the law and paparazzi. While a reported off-screen feud between seemingly the entire cast and wild child Doherty grabbing the headlines, Garth emerged from the scandals unscathed and above the fray.
Although Garth was raised on a horse ranch in the Midwest, she was entirely convincing as a spoiled Beverly Hills teen. It was this talent that opened up additional professional doors. The enterprising Garth taught good nutritional habits and fostered positive body image in teens with her 1992 video release, "Jennie Garth's Body in Progress." Acting-wise, she made her starring TV-movie debut in NBC's Danielle Steel's 'Star' (1993), playing Crystal Wyatt, a young woman who turns personal tragedy into professional success as a popular singer. Garth gave a solid performance, but the clichéd TV-movie failed to make a memorable mark. More impressive was the gripping ABC drama, Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg (1994), starring Garth as a teen bride who puts up with ten years of abuse before convincing four young friends to murder her despicable husband (Gregory Harrison). Garth's turn as Kellogg was appropriately wrenching, eliciting well-deserved sympathy from the viewing audience. Later that year she played a rebellious young teen committed to a psychiatric facility by her out-of-touch parents in "Without Consent" (ABC), an entertaining telepic that marked Garth's first foray behind-the-scenes as executive producer. She next starred in the forgettable 1995 CBS thriller Falling For You.
While Garth had generally been cast as likable victims in her TV-movie work, her role in ABC's An Unfinished Affair (1996) broke that stereotype. In this soap drama, the actress played Sheila Hart, a scorned woman who takes up with her married former lover's naive son (Peter Facinelli) as part of an intricate revenge plot. Her performance as the colorfully contemptible character featured some delightfully wicked moments, and recalled her devilish early take on "90210"'s Kelly Taylor. Garth additionally had a role as the concerned girlfriend of a targeted shock jock's protégé in the HBO-aired feature "Power 98" (1996) and was featured in the Ireland-set political drama "My Brother's War" (released direct-to-video in 1998). She re-teamed with now real-life love Peter Facinelli, offering a cameo in the independent feature film, Telling You (1999).
Back in the "90210" zip code, the actress tried her hand at directing a 1999 episode during the program’s final season. With the bittersweet conclusion of the show's final episode in 2000, Garth was free after 10 years to pursue other adventures. After appearing in a few TV movies, she landed a role against type – that of older sister Valerie on the WB sitcom, What I Like About You (2002-06). A breath of fresh air after a decade's worth of primetime teen angst, Garth enjoyed a solid run doing situational comedy and watched as her younger co-star, Amanda Bynes, became a breakout star.
By the series' finale in early 2006, Garth could rest easy knowing that she was one of the few West Beverly High grads to escape the career-engulfing shadow of the iconic "902010." Not all her co-stars were as fortunate as she to find work and forge other successful identities. Though one – Ian Ziering – found a new kind of fame; that of hoofer-in-training on Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 2005- ). Caught in the audience cheering on her one-time onscreen flame, Garth must have caught a case of dance fever herself, as she was announced as one of several celebrity dance contestants on season five of the popular show. Garth put on a good show, making it to the semi-finals and impressing America with her growing confidence, as she learned complicated routines with her partner, Derek Hough – despite taking a tumble in the first few weeks. When Garth was eliminated on the ninth week of competition before the far inferior dancer, entertainer Marie Osmond, many people called foul – particularly the show's judges. Despite coming in fourth, Garth blossomed in front of America as she embraced her inner dancer.
