Jennifer Eve "Jennie" Garth (born April 3, 1972) is an American actress and director, best known for starring as Kelly Taylor throughout the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise. As of 2012, she stars in her own reality show, Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country on CMT.

Early life

Jennie Garth was born in Urbana, Illinois to John and Carolyn Garth, each of whom already had three older children from previous marriages. Garth spent much of her youth on a horse ranch in Arcola, Illinois. Her family eventually moved to Tuscola, Illinois, and then, when Garth was 13 years old, to Glendale, Arizona. There, she began taking dancing lessons and modeling, which led to her participation in a talent competition, where she was discovered by Hollywood talent scout and manager, Randy James. She attended Greenway High School as a freshman and later transferred to Apollo High School in her sophomore year. Determined to become an actress, she left school during her junior year to work with James in Los Angeles (she would later obtain her high school diploma in California). She began taking acting classes and going to auditions almost daily, and soon landed a role as "Erica McCray" in the NBC television series A Brand New Life (1989-90).

Career

Garth landed her first role in the television sitcom Growing Pains. She also appeared in six episodes on A Brand New Life as Erica McCray.

In 1990, she landed the role of Kelly Taylor on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210. Throughout the series, Garth's character faced several trials and tribulations, along with difficult issues regarding family and her romantic life. Garth displayed an exceptional understanding of the character's struggles and triumphs, portraying Kelly in a relatable way which made her one of the most developed and popular characters on the show. Garth appeared on the series for the full 10 seasons until its end in 2000, along with Ian Ziering, Tori Spelling, and Brian Austin Green. She won a Young Artist Award and was nominated for the Teen Choice Awards, both for her role on Beverly Hills, 90210. She was also instrumental in launching the spin-offs Melrose Place and 90210, with the character of Kelly becoming a continuity icon by appearing in the most franchise episodes. In addition, Garth became the first female cast member to direct episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210.

Her successful role on Beverly Hills, 90210 opened the door to several lead roles in made-for-TV films in the 1990s, including Danielle Steel's Star (1993), Without Consent (1994), Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg (1994), Falling for You (1995), and An Unfinished Affair (1996). She also had minor and supporting roles in the theatrical films Telling You (1998), My Brother's War (1997), and Power 98 (1996).

Garth ranked #59 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2000, and #93 on the magazine's 100 Sexiest Women of 2001.

In 2002, Garth starred in the sitcom What I Like About You as Valerie Tyler. Along with co-star Amanda Bynes, she appeared on the show for all four seasons. The show centered around the relationship of the Tyler sisters, along with their friendships and romances. In 2003 she starred in the television movies The Last Cowboy and the Christmas family drama Secret Santa, playing a journalist. She and the cast Secret Santa won the 2004 CAMIE Award.

In 2005 she voiced her Beverly Hills, 90210 character Kelly Taylor, as well as an additional role in the DVD Film Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. The ensemble cast also included Seth McFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, and Drew Barrymore. Garth also starred in the 2007 TV teen drama film Girl, Positive, playing a teacher who was HIV positive. She and co-star Andrea Bowen (known for the series Desperate Housewives) won a Prism Award for their performances.

In 2007, Garth appeared on season five of Dancing with the Stars and was paired with Derek Hough. They reached the semi-finals in the competition.

In September 2008, Garth returned to the role of Kelly Taylor on the series premiere of the CW Network's spinoff series, 90210. In the new series, Garth's character Kelly Taylor is now a guidance counselor at West Beverly High, where her half-sister Erin Silver also attends. Kelly was reintroduced with a four-year-old son, whose father is ex-boyfriend Dylan McKay. The writers were eager to have her share scenes with former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Shannen Doherty, who reprised her role of Brenda Walsh. Tori Spelling, who played Donna Martin in the original series, later joined the spinoff in a recurring role as well. Garth also reprised the role in the season two.

Garth appeared on the U.S. game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on November 21, 2008. She won $100,000 for her charity, the American Heart Association, for which is spokeswoman for its "Go Red for Women" campaign. This TV show also noted that Garth owns a horse ranch in Santa Barbara, California.

In 2009, she played the role of Natasha in Candace Bushnell's Web series The Boardroom. In January 2010, Garth starred in an iVillage web series created by NBC Universal, Garden Party, about farm life, fresh produce and healthy eating.

Personal life

Garth was married to Daniel Clark from 1994 to 1996.

In 1996, Garth met actor Peter Facinelli while filming the movie An Unfinished Affair. On January 20, 2001, she married Facinelli in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony. They have three daughters: Luca Bella (born 1997), Lola Ray (born 2002), and Fiona Eve (born 2006).

On March 13, 2012, Garth and Facinelli announced that they were divorcing. On March 28, 2012, Facinelli filed for divorce.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Power 98	Sharon Penn
1997	My Brother's War	Mary Fagan Bailey
1998	Telling You	Amber (uncredited)

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1989	Growing Pains	Denise	Episode: "Ben and Mike's Excellent Adventure"
1989-90	'	Ericka McCray	6 episodes
1990	Teen Angel Returns	Karrie Donato	TV series
1990	Just Perfect		TV movie
1990- 2000	Beverly Hills, 90210	Kelly Taylor	292 episodes
1992	Melrose Place	Kelly Taylor	3 episodes
1993	Star	Crystal Wyatt	TV movie
1994	Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg	Laurie Kellogg	TV movie
1994	Without Consent	Laura Mills	TV movie
1995	Falling for You	Meg Crane	TV movie
1995	'	Jennie Garth	Episode: "Larry's Sitcom"
1995	Biker Mice from Mars	Angel Revson (voice)	Episode: "Hit the Road, Jack"
1996	'	Sheila Hart	TV movie
1996	'	Chelnicia 'Chel' Bowen	TV movie
2000-01	'	Gillian Sherman	8 episodes
2001	Watching the Detectives		TV movie
2002-06	What I Like About You	Valerie Tyler	86 episodes
2003	'	Jacqueline 'Jake' Cooper	TV movie
2003	Secret Santa	Rebecca Chandler	TV movie
2005	Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story	Kelly Taylor (voice)	Video
2006	American Dad!	Trudy (voice)	Episode: "Roger n' Me"
2007	Girl, Positive	Sarah Bennett	TV movie
2008-10	90210	Kelly Taylor	20 episodes
2011	Accidentally in Love	Annie Benchley	TV movie
2011	'	Susan	TV movie
2012	Village People	Alexa	TV movie
2012	Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country	Herself	Reality show
2012	The Eleventh Victim	Hailey Dean	TV movie

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
1991	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actress Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series	Beverly Hills, 90210
1992		Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series
1999	Teen Choice Awards	Television - Choice Actress
2005	Character and Morality in Entertainment Awards	Best Ensemble Cast	Secret Santa
2008	Prism Awards	Outstanding Performance in a Miniseries	Girl, Positive

Notes

• a Template:Note Won by Andrea Barber for her role of Kimmy Gibbler in Full House
• b Template:Note Won by Sarah Michelle Gellar for her role of Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

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