List of Beverly Hills, 90210 characters
The following is a list of characters from Beverly Hills, 90210, an American drama series that aired from October 4, 1990, to May 17, 2000, on the Fox television network before entering syndication. It is the first installment of the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise.
Main characters
Brandon Walsh
plays the character of Brandon Andrew Walsh. After Walsh's initial difficulties fitting into Beverly Hills, he soon settles down. In Season One, after one of his drinks was spiked at a party, he briefly experienced a drinking problem, which led to a car accident and a night in jail. In Season 3, Brandon developed a serious gambling problem, which led to Nat, his boss at the Peach Pit, bailing him out after he got into trouble with a mobster bookmaker. Throughout the entire series, Brandon was involved in various journalism projects, from sports editor and co-chief of the Beverly Blaze in high school to co-editor of the CU Condor, a brief stint as news director at CUTV, and a year as student-body president. After graduation from college, he and his friend Steve spent a year developing the Beverly Beat. He finally accepted a position with the Washington, D.C., bureau of the New York Chronicle. He was the person many turned to when in trouble — Donna's expulsion from high school, Brenda's many problems, Kelly's drug problem, Andrea's getting into Yale, Valerie's suicide attempt, Ray's lawsuit against Joe, Steve's constant stunts, and even Dylan's battle with drugs and alcohol and the murder of his wife. Brandon is mentioned in the spin-off 90210 as having a family.Priestley's co-stars described him as the group's off-screen "quarterback". Although Priestley didn't reprise his role as Brandon in the spin-off 90210, he directed the episode where Tori Spelling's character Donna Martin returns to town. Jason Priestley was the last actor to be cast for the show.
Brenda Walsh
portrays Brenda Walsh, the twin sister of Brandon. She felt very lonely when she first arrived in Beverly Hills, but soon became friends with Donna, Kelly, Steve, David, and Andrea. She met and dated her twin brother's friend, Dylan McKay. She was the nice girl until around the second season, when her character began to progress into being more rebellious and devious. She went to Europe during the summer after her junior year of high school and had a short-lived romance with Rick and eventually met and almost married Stuart, the son of one of Jim's business partners. Later, after she ended this relationship, she got the lead role in a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and a subsequent spot in a London summer acting program. She was able to get admission to the program and departed Beverly Hills. A letter Brandon received from Dylan revealed that he and Brenda got back together during his time in London. They would eventually split up, and Brenda would continue touring as an actress. She was mentioned from time to time after Doherty was fired from the series but never appeared again after that point. Brenda appeared in the first season of the spin-off series 90210. Brenda returns to Beverly Hills to star in a play and takes the opportunity to spend time with Kelly after gaining success as a theater actress and stage director in London. She subsequently agrees to direct a high school musical at West Beverly Hills High when the original director is no longer available. Her relationship with Kelly and both women's lingering feelings for Dylan have become focal points for the two best friends. Brenda then finds out that she can never become pregnant. She tries to hide this fact from Kelly by trying to push her away. She later tells Kelly that she slept with Ryan. The two eventually reconcile. In the season finale, Brenda returns and offers her support to Adrianna, who is having a baby. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Brenda adopted a baby girl from China.Kelly Taylor
portrays Kelly Marlene Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series, maturing from "spoiled teen vixen to grounded 25-year-old." Kelly endured several personal battles, including a drug-addicted mom, and an absent father who was later sent to jail for embezzlement. She lost her virginity to Ross Weber and was almost raped. She was almost burned alive at a rave, and later developed a coke habit from her boyfriend, which she went to rehab for, then was stalked and almost killed by her roommate. Kelly became unexpectedly pregnant before having a miscarriage and told she may never carry a child to term. She was shot during a drive-by shooting at LAX and suffered amnesia. She was raped in an alley and later shot the rapist, with the police clearing her on grounds of self-defense. She had difficulty choosing between Brandon and Dylan. When Dylan offered her a trip around the world, Brandon responded by proposing marriage, but she walked away from both offers. Erin is her half-sister and David is her stepbrother. She eventually reunited with Brandon and moved in with him, nearly marrying him. They called off the marriage at the altar, expressing a lack of being ready. Kelly and Donna opened their own clothing store in a mall, and Kelly started dating a lawyer from another floor of the mall, Matt Durning. The return of Dylan McKay and Matt's mentally ill wife were roadblocks in their relationship, but they did get engaged in Season 10. Later on, Kelly decided she loved Dylan most of all, and Matt decided their connection was real, so he ended the engagement and left town. She left the clothing store to get into public relations. In the spin-off 90210, she and Dylan are shown to have broken up, although they share a son. She became the temporary caretaker for younger sister Erin and a guidance counselor at her alma mater, West Beverly Hills High School.Garth departed the spin-off following the second season.