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    Beverly Hills, 90210 Actress Kimmarie Johnson Dead at 50

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    Watch: ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ Actress Kimmarie Johnson Dead at 50

    The sun has set too soon on the life of another beloved Beverly Hills, 90210 star. 

    Kimmarie Johnson, who portrayed Judy in multiple episodes of the teen drama, died following a “heart event,” her niece Rhonda Scott told TMZ Nov. 5. She was 50. 

    Johnson, per TMZ, experienced the medical emergency on Oct. 27 at her home in Los Angeles before being rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital. There, she was diagnosed with a “heart aneurysm condition,” per the outlet. She died Nov. 4 after her heart stopped beating. 

    After a small role in Let’s Talk About Sex, Johnson made her debut on Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1998, working alongside the likes of Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green. 

    She later went on to have small roles in projects such as Dude, Where’s My Car? alongside Austin Kutcher and Jennifer Garner in 2000, in addition to other film roles through 2017, when she made her last on-screen appearance as Rebekah in Tucker’s War. 

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    Beverly Hills, 90210‘s Jason Priestley Reveals Why He Had to Cut Off Friends After Getting Famous

    Aside from her acting career, Johnson founded her own skincare consulting company, Skin Glow, in 2011 and modeled for print campaigns and runway shows. In 1993, she won the Miss Pennsylvania USA Beauty Pageant and went on to be a finalist in the Miss USA competition. 

    Born in Pittsburgh, Johnson graduated from Wilkinsburg High School in 1985. She went on to study at California University in Pennsylvania, before moving to New York City and then Los Angeles to pursue. a career in modeling. 

    Johnson is survived by her niece, as well as her son Cameron Nino, who was born in 2003.

    Paul Redmond/Getty Images

    Johnson’s passing comes after Beverly Hills, 90210 has had a difficult few years of loss, with Shannen Doherty dying in 2024 following a yearslong battle with breast cancer and David Gail dying the same year from cardiac arrest. 

    Following Doherty’s death, Garth—who acknowledged she and Doherty were “pitted against each other” on Beverly Hills—called her “courageous, passionate, determined and very loving and generous.”

    “Our connection was real and honest,” Garth wrote in a tribute at the time. “I will miss her and will always honor her deeply in my heart and in my memories.”

    To revisit memories from Beverly Hills, keep reading…

    Mikel Roberts/Sygma via Getty Images

    Tough BeginningsCreated by Darren Star, the show was originally called Class of Beverly Hills, and at one point, Star, who based the show loosely on his own high school experience in Potomac, Md., used the working title Potomac 20854 before its now-iconic title was settled on. While Beverly Hills, 90210 would go on to become one of the most popular TV shows of the ’90s and be largely responsible for launching the teen soap genre, the Fox show was a dud when it first debuted in 1990, ranking No. 118 in the ratings (going up against NBC’s Cheers didn’t help). But after the season one finale, featuring Brenda and Dylan’s first time, started gaining buzz, Fox smartly ordered new episodes for the summer, providing some much-needed teen angst and drama in what used to be the TV off-season. “We filmed all of our risqué summer episodes at the beach and aired those at the time when the other shows were in reruns,” Jennie Garth told the New York Times. “So we caught a huge teen audience, kids that were home from school. And then it just went crazy.”From there, 90210 went from low-rated guilty pleasure to cultural phenomenon and the mostly unknown stars became some of the most famous people in the world.”In just a matter of weeks, we went from being just another generic ensemble cast of any old prime-time drama to being…superstars,” Garth wrote in her memoir. “I don’t think any of us were prepared for the stardom that was thrust upon us in this way.”
    The Ultimate Teen IdolBefore being cast as one of TV’s ultimate heartthrobs, Luke Perry was working construction as a way to pay his bills between auditions—including for the role of Steve Sanders, which ultimately went to Ian Ziering.But when producers realized they were lacking a brooding bad boy, Perry, then 27, got the call. “When Luke walked into the audition, it was like ‘Wow, that’s the person,'” Star gushed to Rolling Stone. “He seems exactly like James Dean to me, but it isn’t a conscious imitation—he’s really being himself.”Dylan McKay was initially only going to appear in a few episodes, but it was clear from the moment he drove up in that black Porsche 356 Speedster that a star was born—though Spelling had to fight to make Perry a series regular. (Imagine their reaction when they learned 20 people were injured after a riot broke out at a mall during one of Perry’s appearances when 10,000 fans showed up?)Perry remained on the show until 1995, leaving for three years to pursue other opportunities before returning in 1998, and remained on until the end, often credited as a special guest star. In March 2019, Perry died at the age of 52 after suffering a stroke. He was starring on Riverdale, the latest teen soap that can credit the original 90210 for leading the way, playing the father of Archie (KJ Apa), the show’s brooding lead. While he wasn’t set to appear on Fox’s BH90210 revival that year, the show paid tribute to the beloved star in its premiere. 

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    Tori Spelling’s TruthFearful of nepotism, executive producer Aaron Spelling‘s daughter Tori Spelling auditioned under a fake name, Tori Mitchell (inspired by a character Heather Locklear played in a TV movie her dad produced), reading for the roles of Kelly and Andrea before landing the role of Donna Martin.”I heard about the show from my agent. She said, ‘Your dad is doing it.’ I was like, ‘I haven’t heard anything about it,'” Spelling told EW. “I popped into his briefcase when he got home, and I was like, cool. I really wanted to play Andrea. I went in under a different name, then I got the part of Donna—which I’m sure had something to do with my dad.”Donna ended up the cener of many an iconic moment, including the infamous “Donna Martin graduates!” chant when getting drunk on prom night got her banned from the graduation ceremony. In his memoir, Jason Priestley revealed a prank he pulled on that day of filming: Knowing they were going to reloop the dialogue anyway, Priestley got the group of extras to chant “Donna Martin masturbates!” instead, finding the opportunity “pretty irresistible.”
    Shannen Doherty’s DramaShannen Doherty, previously known for the pitch-black high school comedy Heathers, was named the cast’s Biggest Diva upon graduation from West Beverly, and Brenda Walsh only stayed through one season of 90210‘s college years.”Her lateness was appalling, and she had a callous attitude and an indifference,” former executive producer Charles Rosin told EW in 2000. Aaron Spelling added, “It wasn’t like she ruined the show or anything. It just upset the cast members tremendously.”Doherty admitted, “There was definitely a time that I did not want to be there. I was unhappy.”The final straw for producers was rumored to be Doherty’s decision to cut her hair in the middle of filming the season four finale in 1994, which saw Brenda deciding to move to London to pursue acting.But later Spelling admitted going to her father to expedite Doherty’s firing.”I felt like I was a part of something, a movement, that cost someone their livelihood,” an emotional Spelling said during a 2015 special. “Was she a horrible person? No. She was one of the best friends I ever had.”After Doherty’s death at 53 in July 2024 following a years-long battle with breast cancer, all of her former costars paid tribute. Priestley called her a “force of nature,” while Spelling remembered her as “a rebel in an era when most women didn’t feel comfortable being strong.”
    The New Girl in TownAfter Doherty’s dramatic exit, the pressure was on to find her replacement.”We obviously had an exhaustive search to replace her,” executive producer Larry Mollin told TeenDramaW–re in 2010. “We looked at many people.”Alicia Silverstone, Alyssa Milano and Drew Barrymore were all reportedly in contention, but 90210 went with Saved By the Bell star Tiffani Amber-Thiessen, whose scheming Valerie Malone was the opposite of cheery Kelly Kapowski.”We wanted a baaad girl. There was really an edge with Tiffani because she was so sexual,” producer Rosin told EW. “In her first episode, she [smoked] some pot. We were making a statement there.” (In her first scene, she memorably rolls a joint with one hand, though a stunt double was needed.)Viewers responded immediately to the character, but there was one cast member who didn’t love Thiessen: Brian Austin Green, her real-life boyfriend at the time. “When we cast her, Brian was so upset! Oh my god, he felt betrayed!” Mollin recalled. “We were totally shocked and had no idea. But, then, of course, we realized why: because other people would be kissing…his girlfriend!”
    Ahhh, Young LoveFact: If you assemble a cast of young, attractive, available people and have them work together for an extended period of time, they will hook up.”Various combinations of people slept with each other over the years,” Priestley shared in his memoir, undoubtedly filling fans with righteous joy that their suspicions were right all these years later. Priestley went on to say his “full-fledged adult relationship” was with Christine Elise (aka Emily Valentine), whom he dated for five years.During a test on Celebrity Lie Detector, Spelling said she had a quick summer fling with Priestley, dated Green (saying she was “always in love” with her onscreen beau), and once kissed Perry. (Priestley’s response? “I’m not getting into this… It’s nobody’s business… Either way…,” he tweeted.)After dating Thiessen for several years, Green started seeing Vanessa Marcil, who played one of David’s non-Donna love interests, Gina Kincaid. They split up in 2003 and share now grown son Kassius.
    On-Set Feuds and Fist FightsIf viewers thought the rivalry between Brenda and Kelly was intense, it was nothing compared to the behind-the-scenes feuding between Doherty and Garth, with Spelling often attempting (and failing) to play peacemaker. “I don’t know why it is, but there is a universal truth that when you put three teenage girls together, some serious s–t is going to go down,” Garth wrote in her 2013 memoir, “even if it meant sounding like a complete and utter b—h. Poor Tori, the youngest of the three of us was, inevitably, often caught in the middle and she was always trying to smooth things over, trying to get Shan and me off each other’s backs and get along, but her efforts usually failed.”Things got so heated that the two stars once came very close to throwing punches (with some accounts saying fists actually did fly), with Garth revealing the cause of the blowup (which the male cast members had to step in to de-escalate): Doherty pulled up Garth’s skirt while filming a scene. Garth, describing the two of them as “gasoline and a match,” wrote, “I did snap and I yelled at her, something to the effect of, ‘Come on, b—h! We’re talking this outside!'”Fortunately, Doherty and Garth ultimately reconciled.”Our connection was real and honest,” Garth wrote on Instagram after Doherty’s death. “We were so often pitted against each other but none of that reflected the truth of our real relationship which was one built on mutual respect and admiration.”
    Blame Fox for Brenda and Dylan’s BreakupIt might be hard to believe, but back in the early ’90s, 16-year-old Brenda losing her virginity to Dylan at the spring dance was a big effin’ deal. And the biggest outcry came from scandalized local affiliates (or the people who wrote in to them to complain) who were upset that Brenda’s first time was…perfectly fine! “I was strongly advised to write a show that would address the consequences of that sexual experience,” Star revealed to The New York Times. “So the first episode of the second season Brenda broke up with Dylan because their relationship had gotten too mature.”
    Jennie Garth’s Secret StruggleWhile Kelly Taylor was battling cults, cocaine use, love triangles and amnesia onscreen, Garth was privately struggling with anxiety from the age of 19, as she revealed in her memoir. “I felt comfortable—almost comforted—by all of the workers buzzing around me during the day, but after hours, I’d find myself getting anxious when strangers approached me,” she wrote. “And so simple tasks, like going to the grocery store, or the mall, or to get gas, became overwhelming exercises in having to be ‘on’ when my natural inclination was to shut down and not interact with anyone. I…began to suffer a level of anxiety that as, at times, nearly paralyzing. When the panic attacks started to kick in, I became even more withdrawn.”She revealed at one point she had “stopped going to the movies or clothes shopping or doing any of the other things normal young people do,” waiting until well after dark to step out of her home. “I wouldn’t say that I ever stepped over the line into full-blown agoraphobia, but I would say I definitely came close.”
    Trashed Dressing RoomWhile Ziering mostly avoided any and all drama on set, he revealed he had an emotional breakdown in season four after a storyline of Steve’s was cut.”There was an episode where Steve was accused of rape,” he told HuffPost Live in 2015. “But, they edited out so much powerful stuff. That was like the first time I really got some great words to say and I work-shopped them and I studied. I brought game, and it never even made it through the edit.”Feeling “betrayed” by the producers’ decision not to air the scenes without letting him know first, Ziering lost his cool. “I tore the dressing rooms apart,” he revealed. “We all work so hard for our characters and to not even get a heads up…I’m not a volatile person, I have a very long fuse, but after working so hard on this particular episode, I just didn’t feel like they were with me on this one.”
    Jason Priestley’s Partying and Parting WaysAfter becoming a heartthrob as ultimate nice guy Brandon, Priestley was desperate to shed the goody-two-shoes image in real life, so he indulged in some hard partying “to prove that I was nothing like the sanctimonious Brandon Walsh,” he wrote in his memoir. (During a 2014 Watch What Happens Live! appearance, Garth said he partied the hardest out of all the cast members.) “When you’re young like that, you feel like a hamster on a wheel. All you’re doing is spinning that wheel and your world,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “You have a bunch of people telling you how great you are, so it’s really easy to just start believing it after a while.”Priestley ended up changing his ways (thanks in large part to his relationship with costar Elise), going on to become a producer on the show and directing episodes, which is why Brandon’s unceremonious exit in season nine hurt his feelings at the time.”I did the first scene of the morning—literally with this actor who was brought in to replace me—and that was it. I hugged the crew, picked up my box of stuff, went to my car and drove away,” he told the Guardian. “There was no party, no nothing. I felt like I’d wasted nine years of my life.”He returned in a video message—Brandon’s well-wishes for Donna and David when they tied the knot—for the series finale in 2000.
    Age Is Just a NumberAfter initially auditioning for Brenda, believing that being a twin IRL would give her an edge, Gabrielle Carteris landed the role of Andrea—after the 29-year-old lied about her age to snag the part of the academically minded 16-year-old. (Fun fact: Teen Witch star Robyn Lively, then Priestley’s girlfriend, turned down the role of Andrea first.)”I actually talked to a lawyer about how could I sign these contracts and lie about my age and still be able to do the show. Is it OK?” she told Access Hollywood. “[The lawyer said] ‘Yes it is, as long as you just say you’re over 21.'”A main cast member for the first five seasons, producers reluctantly worked Carteris’ real-life pregnancy into the show, making Andrea pregnant and marrying her off to the baby’s father, her boyfriend Jesse Vasquez (Mark Espinoza). But by the end of the fifth season, the producers felt Andrea’s time in America’s most famous zip code had run its course and sent her off to Yale with her young family. “It didn’t really add to us. It took away a lot of the fun, to have to be in this grown-up stuff,” Mollin said. “We eventually just didn’t think it was going to work.”
    The Future Oscar Winner Who Was FiredTwo Oscar wins later, Hilary Swank is still not over being fired from Beverly Hills, 90210 back in the day. After playing single mom Carly Reynolds for 13 episodes in season eight, Swank was unexpectedly fired despite having signed a two-year contract, leaving her “devastated” after learning fans didn’t love her character paired with Steve Sanders. “They were like, ‘Look, it’s not working,'” Swank said on Conan of the conversation she had with producers. “And I couldn’t move. I was like, ‘What’s not working? Me? Am I bad? I’m not working because I’m bad?'”But when one door closes, another opens, and soon after her firing Swank landed her (first) Oscar-winning role in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry.

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