DONTWORRYBEHAPPY

Prudence "Prue"Halliwell

Born October 28, 1970, Prue is the eldest Halliwell sister. Born with the power of telekinesis, she later manifests an astral projection ability. Strong-willed, feisty and intelligent, she would often take charge of situations and has always been overprotective of her two sisters, Piper and Phoebe. Having spent her childhood taking care of her two younger sisters after the death of their mother, she became responsible, with a fierce determination at whatever she did, including fighting demons. This sense of responsibility occasionally leads to clashes with the more free-willed Phoebe, however, the two grow closer as the series progresses. Though at times Prue lets pride dictate her way of handling things, she never lets her personal life interfere with her work life. On May 17, 2001, she is killed by Shax, a demonic assassin sent by the Source.

Shannen Doherty

Early life

Doherty was born in Memphi, Tennessee, the daughter of Rosa, a beauty parlor owner, and Tom Doherty, a mortgage consultant. Doherty has Irish Catholic ancestry, though was raised in her mother's Southern Baptist religion. In 1978, when Doherty was seven, her family moved to Los Angeles and Shannen immediately announced her dreams to become an actress. In an interview in the December 2006 issue of Glamour Magazine Shannen said:

"When I was nine, my mother developed an excruciating headache and had to be hospitalised - she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. She came through it but the experience was terrifying. The following year my father had a massive stroke. In a single year I nearly lost both my parents. I felt my classmates couldn't relate to what I was going through, so I closed myself off."

Success began early, with guest spots on TV series including Voyagers! and Father Murphy. When a casting notice was released in Hollywood for a regular role on the popular Little House on the Prairie Shannen leapt at the opportunity and eventually won the role of Jenny Wilder at just 11 years old, thanks in part to actor Michael Landon seeing Shannen's guest spot on Father Murphy.

Career

Doherty was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling, Kris, on the family drama Our House, which ran from 1986 to 1988. She then went on to appear in an episode of Magnum, P.I. Doherty's first major motion picture role was in Heathers, released in 1989. She went on to star in the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series Beverly Hills 90210 for four years, from 1990 to 1994. Her departure from the series was reportedly acrimonious, however, and her career afterward was somewhat spotty, marked for the most part by made-for-TV movies. There were a few bright spots, however, particularly a lead role in Kevin Smith's 1995 film Mallrats.

In 1998, Spelling cast her in another TV series, Charmed, in which she played Prue Halliwell, the oldest of three sisters who discover they're witches, along with occasionally directing some of the episodes. She left that series in 2001, after three years. Rumors persist that her departure was against her will, due to a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano. Though she had left the show long before it ended, she owns 5% of the rights to the series. Doherty was going to go for the role as Piper Halliwell but she got cast as Prue and her best friend at the time, Holly Marie Combs, who ironically was shooting to be cast as Prue, got the role as Piper. She hosted Scare Tactics on the Sci Fi channel until the 2004 season. She was a former regular on the failed TV series North Shore, a return to her prime-time soap roots.

In 2005, Doherty was cast in the new TV comedy Love Inc. but was dropped from the show just months before the debut in fall because of a personality clash with fellow cast members.Doherty now starring in her own show, Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty on the Oxygen network. In the show she goes around doing "dirty work" for members of the public, including dumping boyfriends or telling people what their friends really think about them.

She recently starred in the popular British sitcom Bo! in the USA a program of brain child Leigh Francis. In the show she plays the role of herself being randomly harassed by Avid Merrion (Francis) who claims they had several intimate relations, she however is unaware of any of these. The show aired in October 2006 on the British channel 4 where she appeared in several episodes. It has been announced that she will appear in two TV projects in 2007. First up is the gay spy pilot Kiss Me Deadly: A Jacob Keane Assigment for the here! network, and then the holiday picture Christmas Caper for ABC Family.

Personal life

Doherty was sentenced to either 10 days in jail or 20 days of work-release duty, three years probation, and ordered to pay a $1500 fine for drunk-driving charges in 2001.

In 2004, Doherty got into a fight with actress Tara Reid at a Miami nightclub. In the incident, a drunken Reid fell backward off a couch and crashed to the floor near Shannen. Reid started yelling at Shannen, who then punched her. In February 2004, Tara tried to get Nicole Richie's bodyguard to throw Shannen out of the club, to which Shannen replied, "I don't care. She needs to go to rehab." Later that night, Reid was reportedly so drunk, she had to be carried out by bouncers.

Piper Halliwelll 

Piper was born in 1973 and is the middle child until Prue's death. Her powers include the ability to freeze and explode objects at will. She is most concerned with having a normal life, and always has reservations about her life as a Charmed One. When she first becomes a Charmed One, she is quiet and reserved, often having to mediate between Prue and Phoebe. As the show progresses, she gains a stronger persona and takes more authority after Prue dies. She eventually becomes the mother of two sons (Wyatt and Chris) and a daughter (Melinda) with her husband Leo Wyatt, and goes to great lengths to protect her children. In the series finale, the final montage shows her with a granddaughter. Her love of food steers her to a career in the culinary arts, which leads her to open her own club, and as revealed in the last episode, her own restaurant.

Combs was born in San Diego, California. At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs (née Berckhem), was fifteen years old and her father was seventeen. Combs' biological parents married, but the two split up after two years, feeling they were too young to make a marriage work. While Combs was learning to walk, she hit her head on a marble table, resulting in a scar over her right eyebrow. She went through many different homes with her mother, often having very little privacy, while her mom attempted to pursue an acting career. When Combs was seven, she and her mother moved to New York City. She was twelve years old when her mother married her stepfather. In New York City, Combs attended Beekman Hill Elementary and then The Professional Children's School of Acting. It is reported that one of her teachers was Ernie Martin. Already, Combs' looks were turning heads and she landed many print ads and commercials. She soon grew to love acting, just like her mother had. She has two sisters that live in Basingstoke, England. They were born in 1994 their names are Susie and Cloe.

Career

Although she had a number of minor roles in the late 1980s, including a brief speaking part in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, Combs' major acting debut arrived in the 1992 TV drama series Picket Fences. She auditioned for the role of Kimberly while she was in New York. The casting agent told her that she wasn't right for the part because, "She didn't have a big enough heart." Combs retorted, "If you're looking for someone with a big heart, what the hell are you doing in New York?" She was later called back and offered the job. Picket Fences ran for four years, winning Combs critical acclaim and a Young Actor's award.

In 1992, Combs made her appearance in Simple Men, Chain of Desire, and Dr. Giggles, in which she plays its protagonist, the 19-year-old daughter of Cliff De Young's character and boyfriend of Glenn Quinn's character, Jennifer Campbell.

Combs was with her friend Shannen Doherty when Doherty was given the pilot script for Charmed. Doherty took Combs along to the audition when Combs said she wanted to take part in the audition. When they did, Combs auditioned for the role of Prue Halliwell and Doherty for Piper Halliwell, but they ended up switching roles because they didn't fit. Alyssa Milano and Combs both became producers for Charmed in the fifth season. For the all eight seasons of Charmed (debuted in 1998 and was a hit TV series, which ended in May 2006), Combs played the second oldest of the three sisters, then the eldest once Doherty left, even though she was the youngest of the four actresses.

Personal life

In 1993, Combs married Brian "Travis" Smith, but they later divorced in 1997. She then went on to marry former Charmed key-grip and long time boyfriend David Donoho on Valentine's Day, 2004. They are parents to two boys, Finley Arthur and Riley Edward. On April 26, 2004, at 1.30 pm, Finley Arthur was born, an baby boy of 3,6 lbs. On 26 October 2006, their second child was born, Riley Edward Donoho. He was born at 12.57 am at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. He weighed in at was 8½ lbs and 19 inches long. "Everybody's great," Donoho, 41, tells "Holly is tired, but she's fine. Riley came right out and as soon as he heard Holly's voice, he smiled. He has hair like Elvis – a full head of black hair. The doctor said he came out looking like a 2-year-old."

Combs has a total of four tattoos, her first at the age of 16, she has a rose on her right shoulder blade, a butterfly on the inside of her right wrist, an Anglo Saxon design around her left wrist and a Tribal design round right wrist, which was repaired in November 2000 because the original design was unbalanced.

Phoebe Halliwell

Phoebe, born November 2, 1975 is the original baby of the family and is a spontaneous, free-spirited young woman. The power she was born with is premonitions, which grow to enable her to see into the past as well as the future. This later allows her to project herself into the future and the past. She later gains the powers of levitation, which she often combines with her martial arts skills, and the power of magical empathy but later loses the latter two. She is a romantic, and later becomes a successful columnist and author. Early on, she often had a turbulent relationship with her older sister, Prue; later she mediates between Piper and Paige. Her longest relationships are with Cole Turner for over a year, and with Coop. In 2006, the Angel of Destiny marries Phoebe and Coop, as seen in the series finale, and they eventually have three daughters. She continues to work at the Bay Mirror and writes a book on finding love.

Alyssa Milano

 

Early life and Career

Milano was born in New York, the daughter of Italian-American parents Lin, a former fashion designer and talent manager, and Thomas M. Milano, a film music editor and a well-known boating enthusiast^. She has a younger brother, Cory (born in 1982), who is also an actor. Milano grew up in Staten Island, New York and was raised Catholic. She began her career at the age of eight when she won a part in an open audition for a national tour of Annie. She appeared in television commercials and off-Broadway productions. At the age of eleven, she earned her first major role in the TV show Who's the Boss?, alongside Tony Danza, Judith Light, Danny Pintauro and Katherine Helmond. She starred as Samantha Micelli, the daughter of Danza's character, Tony Micelli. When Milano won the role, her family relocated from Staten Island to Hollywood. She produced a teen workout video in 1988 called Teen Steam. In 1985, Milano was in the film Commando as Jenny Matrix who was John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger's) daughter.

She won Kids' Choice Awards in 1988, '89, and '90 for her role on Who's the Boss? She was nominated for an "Annie" Award for her work on Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure.

Later career

At the beginning of her career, Milano was known mainly for her role on Who's the Boss? (1984-1992). She tried to shed her "nice girl" image by appearing in several films targeted at adults, such as Casualties of Love: The Long Island Lolita Story (1992), Embrace of the Vampire (1994), Confessions of a Sorority Girl (1994), Deadly Sins(1995), and Poison Ivy II: Lily (1995), where she starred opposite Johnathon Schaech and Xander Berkley. She gained more mainstream success in TV as Jennifer Mancini on Melrose Place (1997-1998), Meg Winston in Spin City and most notably as Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed (1998-2006). Both Milano and Holly Marie Combs became producers for Charmed during the show's fifth season. In 2007, Milano filmed a pilot for ABC entitled Reinventing the Wheelers. The series was not picked up for the 2007-2008 season. She also played the role of Eva Savelot in the MCI's 1-800-COLLECT commercials.

On stage, she starred in Tender Offer, a one-act play written by Wendy Wasserstein, All Night Long, and the first American musical adaptation of Jane Eyre. She returned to her theater roots in 1991, when she starred in and produced a Los Angeles production of Butterflies Are Free. Milano also appeared in the Josie music video by Blink-182, and in 2007, Milano began appearing on television again in commercials for Veet and SheerCover.

Milano was part of TBS' special coverage installment Hot Corner for the 2007 Major League Baseball playoffs. She reported at Fenway Park during the ALDS between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. She also reported at Chase Field during the NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Starting in November 2007 Milano will appear in a minimum of eight episodes on the show My Name is Earl as a "possible love interest for Jason Lee". This will reunite her with Jaime Pressly who guest starred in the Season 5 premiere of Charmed, A Witch's Tail.

Personal life

Outside of acting, her hobbies include photography, humanitarian work and spending time with her six dogs; Ripley, Stella, Hugo, Lucy, Stanley and Pinto. Her other pets include 13 birds, 4 cats and 9 horses.

Milano suffers from dyslexia. In an interview in 2004, Milano explained how she deals with the disorder:

“

"I've stumbled over words while reading from TelePrompters. Sir John Gielgud, whom I worked with on The Cantervill Ghost years ago, gave me great advice. When I asked how he memorized his monologues, he said, 'I write them down'. I use that method to this day. It not only familiarizes me with the words, it makes them my own".

”

Milano is an avid fan of tattoos, and has eight of them located in various areas of her body. Including, both wrists, ankles, shoulder, neck, lower stomach and lower back. Not only that, but Milano is also an avid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 2007 she created her own signature "Touch" line of team apparel for female baseball fans, currently available on Major League Baseball's website, along with her own baseball blog. Milano is also a strong Vegetarian and appears in numerous PETA advertising campaigns for Vegetarianism.

Paige Matthews

Born on August 2, 1977. After a secret love affair with her Whitelighter Samuel Wilder, the Charmed Ones' mother, Patty Halliwell, gave birth to a fourth daughter. They left Paige at the doors of a church because her parents' love was forbidden. She was adopted when she was still a baby, and grew up as an only child of a couple. While in school, Paige would often get into trouble. Her personality is bold and vibrant, adding a new dynamic to the show from season 4 onwards. Paige's birth power is telekinesis, but because she is part Whitelighter this ability combines with her natural orbing to create telekinetic-orbing. She comes into the craft quickly, aiding in the vanquish of The Source of All Evil. In Season 8, she gains the ability to heal those she loves, starting with Henry. She is driven to become a "full-time witch", and has a hard time finding a career she is content with, eventually settling with her destiny as a Whitelighter, like her father. After the death of Gideon, Paige begs the Elders to keep Magic School open. They agree only if Paige becomes the headmistress and runs the school to guarantee the students' safety. Paige marries mortal parole officer Henry Mitchell and they have twin daughters and a son, Henry Jr.

McGowan, the second-eldest of six children (plus two half-siblings), was born in Florence, Italy, the daughter of Terri, an American writer of French descent, and Daniel McGowan, an Irish -born artist. Daniel McGowan ran an Italian chapter of the Children of God to which both he and his wife held membership until 1978. McGowan spent her early childhood amid the group's communes, often traveling Europe with her parents. Through her father's art contacts in Italy, McGowan became a child model and appeared in Vogue Bambini and various other Italian magazines. Her parents returned to the United States when she was 10, when they divorced. She subsequently relocated to Oregon and then Gig Harbor, Washington, where she also met childhood friend actor Rey-Phillip Santos. McGowan did not speak English until she moved to the U.S.

McGowan's formative years were spent with her father in Seattle, Washington, attending Roosevelt High School and Nova Alternative High School. At the age of 15, she officially emancipated herself from her parents. McGowan pursued a possible career in the film industry during her late teens, and also enrolled in a beauty school as a back-up.

Career

McGowan made her first appearance in a Hollywood film with a bit role in the 1992 Pauly Shore comedy Encino Man. Her role in the 1995 black comedy The Doom Generation brought her to the attention of film critics, and she received a nomination for "Best Debut Performance" at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards. McGowan was subsequently cast in a supporting role in the 1996 hit horror film Scream.                                            McGowan spent the majority of the 1990s appearing in a variety of independent films, including roles in Southie, Going All the Way, and Lewis & Clark & George. In 1997, she appeared in the critically acclaimed short Seed, directed by San Francisco-born filmmaker Karin Thayer, and played opposite Peter O'Toole in the 1998 film adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Phantoms. Notably, McGowan also starred in the 1999 comedy Jawbreaker, where she played a high school student who tries to cover up a classmate's murder. That role earned McGowan a nomination for Best Villain at the 1999 MTV Movie Awards.

In 2001, McGowan was cast as Paige Matthews in the popular The WB television series Charmed, as a replacement lead actress after Shannen Doherty's departure from the show. She was offered to be a producer after the seventh season, but turned it down. The series ended its run on May 21, 2006.                                                                          In May 2005, McGowan portrayed actress/singer Ann-Margret in Elvis, a Golden Globe-winning CBS mini-series about the life of Elvis Presley. That same year, she lent her voice to the video game Darkwatch as a femme fatale named Tala. The game was published by Capcom for PlayStation 2 and Xbox.                                                                             In 2006, McGowan had a brief role in Brian De Palma's Academy Award-nominated film The Black Dahlia. The following year, she starred in the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature Grindhouse, released on April 6, 2007. Cast in utterly divergent roles, McGowan appears in both portions of the film, as go-go dancing Cherry in Planet Terror, and as Pam in Death Proof. McGowan attended the 60th Annual Cannes Film Festival to promote Death Proof along with Robert Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell, and Quentin Tarantino.                                                            According to Variety, McGowan has signed on to play B-movie staple Susan Cabot in the upcoming film Black Oasis. Director Stephan Elliott (Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) has penned and will direct the film based on a Premiere article by John H. Richardson. Shooting will begin fall 2007.

Personal life

McGowan used to live in Seattle, Washington, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. She was in a very public three and a half-year relationship with rock musician Marilyn Manson, and often appeared with him at celebrity events in extremely provocative clothing, such as the chain-mail transparent dress and thong she wore to the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards McGowan later ended their two-year engagement over "lifestyle differences." She has since gone on to have relationships with fellow actor Kip Pardue, TV personality Ahmet Zappa, and Men's Health magazine editor David Zinczenko. Prior to the release of Grindhouse, there was speculation that McGowan was dating Mexican-American director Robert Rodriguez. In May 2007, it was reported that they confirmed their relationship while appearing hand-in-hand at the Cannes Film Festival. On October 12, 2007 it was announced by Zap2it.com that McGowan was engaged to Rodriguez.

McGowan has admitted to sleepwalking as a child. "The weirdest spot I ever woke up was a snow bank in Montreal. Now I just speak Italian in my sleep".

McGowan is known as an activist for Boston Terriers. She herself has two, Bug and Fester, and has personally donated to various Boston rescues. McGowan reportedly encouraged friends to donate to Boston Terrier Rescue Net, and according to BTRN: "Having fallen in love with Bug and Fester, her friends donated generously. It amounted to a considerable contribution, which will go a long way in helping BTRN and the needy volunteers who selflessly give to deserving Bostons."

McGowan and her friend Natasha Andres have recently started selling their own line of Pinken Mint purse caddies, which are hooks used to hang handbags from tables and chairs in restaurants as an alternative to resting them on possibly unclean floors. Celebrities such as Keira Knightley, Carmen Electra, and Virginia Madsen have been known to use the caddies.

According to an article in the New York Post, McGowan suffered serious injuries in a car accident early in 2007. Riding as a passenger, her car was struck by another vehicle and the force of the impact drove her eyeglasses into her face. McGowan is quoted as saying, "I didn't realize I was hurt until I put my hand to my face and felt the flap of skin. My glasses had sliced me under my eye." After obtaining the services of a plastic surgeon, McGowan is reported to be suffering no long-lasting consequences from the incident.

Of her acting method, she has said "I'm not really one of those people who goes and writes some big backstory and agonizes over characters... For me personally, it's just kind of more instinctive. But I don't have kind of an acting background. I fell into it accidentally".

As a victim of sexual assault, McGowan continues to lead discussions on the subject among campus groups.

On her right shoulder, Rose used to have a distinctive tattoo of a woman. The design comes from a painting that Rose's Grandfather had painted on the side of his WWII plane. The tattoo clearly shows Rose's love for the 40's, and glamorous women from that period. Rose McGowan's style is also very much like actresses from Black and White movies. Although Charmed make-up artists attempted to cover the tattoo in most episodes, they were sometimes unable to cover it completely and you could just about see the outline. Her tattoo was on show in some of her films, for example Jawbreaker, in which she played bad girl Courtney Alice Shayne. During 2004 Rose decided to have her tattoo removed. Although it's still slightly visible, its no longer the bold trademark tattoo it was. Rose McGowan also has some piercings. She has both ears pierced, and her belly button.