While Beverly Hills, 90210 is one of the most iconic teen sitcoms ever to grace the small screen, a common criticism of the show concerned how old the cast of 90210 was. Set in West Beverly High, a fictional high school in an affluent area of Los Angeles, California, all the main characters were high school students, which means they should have been about 16 when the show began. Yet many actors were already in their mid-20s, with some in their 30s, when the show cast them as teenage high school students.
Thankfully, the 90210 cast managed to pull off the roles convincingly for an entire decade. Despite the age difference between the actors and the characters they portrayed, Beverly Hills, 90210 remained one of the most-watched and most-imitated television shows at the time. It also resulted in a franchise that spawned six different TV shows. By the time the show ended, the high schoolers were adults, and it fit their actual ages a little better, but the ages of the Beverly Hills, 90210 cast when it started in 1990 was wildly different from the cast.
Jennie Garth, born in 1972, was a teenager when the series began, although she was 18 when the show started. Garth dropped out of high school and started working with Hollywood scout and manager Randy James on her acting career. This is when she auditioned for Beverly Hills, 90210, and earned the role of Kelly Taylor. This means Kelly’s character transformation on the show coincides with Garth’s real transition into adulthood. Garth went back and obtained her high school diploma later in life.
She rose to fame playing a high school student, although she ended up taking part in some essential storylines, as her character suffered through sexual assault on the series and had to deal with the ramifications of that ordeal. After 90210, Garth starred in other sitcoms, including What I Like About You, and a reality show, Jennie Garth: A Little Bit Country. She returned to her role in the revival series BH90210 with almost all the original cast. Garth was born in 1972 and continues to act in TV roles.
Ian Ziering, born in 1964, played a high school student even though he was 26 when Beverly Hills, 90210 began. It might seem unusual, but it isn’t. Decades later, Cole Sprouse starred in the teen drama Riverdale as a high school student, and he was 28 years old when playing the role. Ziering played Steve Sanders, a friend of Brandon Walsh, and one of only four main characters to appear on the show for all 10 seasons it aired on Fox. Born in 1964, Ziering is now in his 60s.
Ziering’s most notable role since Beverly Hills, 90210 is in the iconic Sharknado film series. He appeared in the original Sharknado movie in 2013, and it became a massive cult favorite when it premiered on TV. Playing FIn Shepard, one of the main characters battling the airborne sharks, he returned for the sequels as well, with The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time airing in 2018. He also got a DCEU role when he played the Blue Devil in the DC Universe series, Swamp Thing.
Brian Austin Green played David, the youngest of the main cast members. He was a freshman when the rest were already seniors. He also started out as the goofy high school kid that originally hung with other cliques. Green, born in 1973, was one year younger than Garth when the show began at just 17,making him the second-youngest original cast member. Viewers watched David grow up on the show, from an immature freshman to a trauma survivor when his best friend died by suicide.
Green has appeared in a variety of shows and movies over his career. His most notable role came on TV once again, when he starred as Derek Reese in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, where he was one of the lead stars alongside Lena Headey’s Sarah Connor. He also had a recurring role in Desperate Housewives and had a huge comeback on the reality TV series Dancing with the Stars in 2021, performing with his real-life wife, Sharna Burgess.
Born in 1973, Tori Spelling was 17 years old when Beverly Hills, 90210 began. Donna Martin was supposed to be a year older than David, who ended up as her boyfriend and later husband — but in real life, she is actually only two months older than Brian Austin Green. Spelling is also the daughter of Aaron Spelling, the man who produced Beverly Hills, 90210 (Darren Star was the actual creator). While this could be seen as nepotism, Spelling has been acting since she was six.
On the show, Donna had several big moments, including losing her virginity to David and then later marrying him and having a child. However, the two ended up breaking up after the show’s conclusion. As for actress, Tori Spelling has mostly remained on the fringe of Hollywood since 90210, with her most prominent appearances being in reality TV shows, including one with her estranged husband, Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood. She also has a podcast she hosts called MisSpelling.
Jason Priestley was one of the leading cast members on Beverly Hills, 90210, and became an instant teen heartthrob thanks to his role as Brandon Walsh. As the main male lead in the series, he was Brenda’s brother and very close friends with Dylan and Steve. Born in 1969, Priestley was only a few years older than his character, as he was 21 when 90210 started. He earned two Golden Globe nominations for the show and he appeared in every episode of 90210 except one before he left the series in the ninth season.
After 90210, Priestly also starred in the series Tru Calling as Jack, Call Me Fritz as Fritz, Private Eyes as Matt, and he showed up on the Luke Perry series Jeremiah for a fun reunion with his 90210 co-star. On the big screen, fans have seen Priestley in movies like Seeers, Tombstone, and Die Mommy Die. Born in 1969, Priestley most recently appeared in the Canadian TV series Wild Cards, which also airs on The CW.
Born in 1966, Luke Perry turned 24 shortly after 90210 season one premiered, but he managed to pull off the brooding, bad-boy high schooler, Dylan. He looked older than most of the cast, but he was also someone who always acted older than he was, thanks to his rough childhood and connections to organized crime in the Los Angeles area. As for Perry, he became a teen heartthrob, despite his age, and Perry was in his 30s by the time 90210 ended — although, by that time, his character was a full-fledged adult.
Sadly, Perry passed away in 2019 at the age of 52. At the time of his death, he was starring in The CW series Riverdale, playing the lead character Archie Andrews’ father, Fred. The series paid tribute to him after his death. Perry also had major roles in the original movie version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the TV show Jeremiah, and the movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his last role before his death. His son, Jack Perry, is now a professional wrestler for AEW.
A puzzling casting decision at first, Gabrielle Carteris was 29 when the first 90210 season premiered, and turned 30 midway through that season. Carteris managed to be convincing as a high school student who was significantly younger, playing a character who was at least 13 years younger than the actress was when she filmed it. The fact that her character was wise beyond her years and a nerdy outcast helped. She also had some compelling storylines, which her age helped her portray respectfully.
Carteris was the president of SAG-AFTRA, the trade union representing actors, between 2016 and 2021, replacing Ken Howard (who had died) and then getting reelected twice since the original assignment. Born in 1961, she is in her 60s and still shows up on TV shows in guest roles, including 9-1-1, We Own This City, NCIS, and the BH90210 revival series in 2019, where she returned to the role of Andrea once again.
One of the few original cast members who wasn’t a student (or parent of a student), Joe E. Tata played Nat Bussichio, the kind and lovable owner of The Peach Pit restaurant the gang frequented, and where Brandon (and sometimes others) worked. Born in 1936, Tata was 54 when Beverly Hills, 90210 started, about the age his character was on the show. He had a big storyline where he suffered a heart attack and the friends all gathered together to help run his restaurant as he recovered.
Tata also walked Donna down the aisle at her wedding to David after her dad had died of a stroke. He returned to his role as Nat in a few episodes of the 90210 spin-off in 2008. His last acting role was in a 2014 episode of Mystery Girls where he played a school principal. Over his career, his credits include guest appearances on major shows like Magnum P.I., Hill Street Blues, The Fall Guy, The A-Team, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, and The Rockford Files.
Shannon Doherty was only on the series for its first three seasons, but she did return to her role in BH90210, poking fun at many of the rumors about her and the “bad girl” reputation she acquired after the show. Doherty was 19 when Beverly Hills, 90210 started, making her two years younger than Jason Priestly, who played her twin brother. Doherty also starred in another hugely successful show, Charmed, from 1998-2001.
Born in 1971, the actress has been open about her battle with breast cancer, announcing in February 2020 that her cancer had returned, and she was in stage four. In 2023, she revealed the cancer had reached her brain and bones and was terminal, but she said she was undergoing new treatments in 2024 and continues to battle the disease. She also continues to act, with a movie coming out in 2024 called Darkness of Man and several TV movies over the last decade.