Jennie Garth Biography

Jennie Garth was born Jennifer Eve Garth on April 3, 1972, in Urbana, Illinois, USA, to John and Carolyn Garth. She has six elder half-siblings. She grew up at a horse ranch in Illinois. For some time, she stayed in Tuscola, Illinois. When she was 13, her family settled in Glendale, Arizona.

As a teen, she studied dance and started modeling. At the age of 15, she was discovered by a Hollywood scout at a local talent competition; he advised her to pursue a career in acting.

She went to ‘Greenway High School’ as a freshman, and did her sophomore year at ‘Apollo High School.’ Taking the scout’s advice seriously, she dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles when she received an audition offer. She later earned her high school diploma in California. In the meantime, she took acting classes and went for auditions almost daily.

In 1989, Jennie Garth appeared as ‘Erica McCray’ in the television series ‘Brand New Life,’ which ended after its first season. She then landed the role of ‘Kelly Taylor’ in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210,’ which made her a household name. She performed in the series for the next ten years. The show highlighted various teenage issues, including cocaine addiction and breakups. She also directed two episodes of the show.

Her success in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ opened several opportunities for her. She started acting in TV films and appeared in ‘Danielle Steel's Star’ in 1993. The following year, she was featured in ‘Lies of the Heart: The Story of Laurie Kellogg,’ which highlighted domestic abuse. She was then seen in ‘Without Consent.’

She also starred in ‘Falling for You’ in 1995 and ‘An Unfinished Affair’ in 1996. She also appeared in spin-offs, such as ‘Melrose Place’ and ‘90210’ where she reprised her role as ‘Kelly Taylor.’

She appeared in two feature films: the HBO feature film ‘Power 98’ in 1996 and a political drama film titled ‘My Brother's War’ in 1997. She also voiced ‘Kelly Taylor’ in the 2005 direct-to-DVD adult animated comedy film ‘Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story.’

After ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ ended in 2000, she landed a role in the show ‘The Street’ in the same year. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after the first season. She then starred in TV movies like ‘Watching the Disney’ (2001), ‘Secret Santa’ (2003), and ‘The Last Cowboy’ (2003).

She landed the role of ‘Valerie Tyler’ in the TV series ‘What I Like About You’ in 2002. She played the role till 2006, appearing in all the four seasons. The show was about the relationship between the ‘Tyler’ sisters, their friendships, romances, and the challenges they faced. After the show ended, she appeared in the fifth season of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2007, where she made to the semifinals. In the same year, she also starred in the TV film ‘Girl, Positive,’ where she played a HIV positive teacher.

In September 2008, she reprised her role as ‘Kelly Taylor’ in CW's spin-off series ‘90210.’ In the new series, she played a guidance counselor.

In 2009, she portrayed ‘Natasha’ in Candace Bushnell's web series ‘The Boardroom.’ She also featured in a cameo role in an episode titled ‘Mary Mary Quite Contrary’ in the children's television show ‘Sesame Street.’ In 2010, she appeared in a web series titled ‘Garden Party,’ which was about farm life, fresh food, and healthy eating. The series was created by ‘NBC Universal.’

She continued to appear in TV movies, such as ‘Accidentally in Love’ (2011), ‘A Christmas Wedding Tail’ (2011), ‘Village People’ (2012), ‘The Eleventh Victim’ (2012), and ‘Holidaze’ (2013). In 2013, she also appeared in a television sitcom titled ‘Community.’

In 2014, she starred in her own reality show ‘The Jennie Garth Project.’ The ten-episode reality show focused on Jennie while she renovated her home ‘Hollywood Hills’ in California. That year, she also appeared alongside her ‘90210’ co-star Tori Spelling in the ABC series ‘Mystery Girls.’

n 2014, she released her memoir ‘Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde’ by collaborating with ‘New American Library’ (NAL), a division of ‘Penguin Group.’

In May 2017, she launched ‘MomGiftBox.com,’ an online subscription box of products to inspire and pamper mothers. The same year, she was seen as a guest judge in the ninth season of ‘RuPaul's Drag Race,’ a reality show produced by ‘World of Wonder’ for Logo TV. The show documents RuPaul’s search for America's next drag superstar. The same year, she also appeared in a game show titled ‘Celebrity Family Feud.’

In 2019, she co-produced and starred in ‘BH90210,’ the sixth series in the ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ franchise.

For her role in the popular series ‘Beverly Hills 90210,’ Jennie Garth was nominated for a ‘Teen Choice Award.’ The character ‘Kelly Taylor,’ which she portrayed beautifully, became her most significant role. It also earned her appreciation from critics and co-stars.

In 1992, Jennie Garth won the ‘Young Artist Award’ under the ‘Best Young Actress Co-starring in a Television Series’ category for ‘Beverly Hills, 90210.’

For the Christmas family drama ‘Secret Santa,’ she and the rest of the cast members won the 2004 ‘CAMIE Award.’

In 2008, she received the ‘Prism Award’ for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Miniseries’ for ‘Girl, Positive.’

Jennie Garth married musician Daniel B. Clark in 1994, but the two divorced in 1996. Meanwhile in 1995, she met actor Peter Facinelli, while filming ‘An Unfinished Affair.’ They got married on January 20, 2001. The couple has three daughters: Luca Bella (born in 1997), Lola Ray (born in 2002), and Fiona Eve (born in 2006). Jennie and Peter divorced in June 2013.

She started dating actor David Abrams in 2014, and got engaged to him in April 2015. They got married on July 11, 2015. Jennie and David separated in 2017. In April 2018, they filed for divorce, but reconciled in 2019 and dismissed the divorce proceedings.

She supports various charities, including ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,’ ‘Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network,’ ‘Kids Vision for Life,’ ‘Stand Up to Cancer,’ ‘The American Heart Association,’ ‘Autism Speaks,’ ‘Lollipop Theater Network,’ and ‘Water4.’

She was ranked 59th on FHM’s ‘100 Sexiest Women of 2000’ list. The following year, she was ranked 93rd on the magazine's ‘100 Sexiest Women of 2001’ list.