April 12 is a good day to celebrate if you're a fan of high-school TV dramas that may or may not have changed your life. Claire "Angela Chase" Danes ("My So Called Life") and Shannen "Brenda Walsh" Doherty ("Beverly Hills, 90210") share a birthday.
Danes is turning 34 years old, 18 years after her short-lived show went off the air after just 19 episodes. The actress has certainly gone on to bigger and better things, winning Emmys and Golden Globes along the way for her film and television work. She is currently the star of the critically acclaimed Showtime series "Homeland."
But we'll always scribble a special tribute to Angela Chase in our notebooks or lockers. The famed redhead's wisdom beyond her years is what made "My So Called Life" such a success, and helped the show develop its cult following. If only Jordan Catalano didn't take so long to figure out what we all knew.
Doherty is turning 42 years old. Five years before we got to know Angela Chase, Brenda Walsh and her pals put a zip code on the map when "Beverly Hills, 90210" started in 1990. The series ran for 10 years and made Doherty and Luke Perry and Jason Priestley and Tori Spelling bonafide stars.
Doherty won us over with roles in "Heathers" and "Mallrats" and the TV series "Charmed," but against our better judgement, we followed Dylan's lead and fell for "Beverly Hills" Brenda, the girl next door ... who manages to get herself written off the show.
Doherty's personal life made headlines over the years as the actress racked up a DUI bust, two very short marriages and a few appearances in Playboy. Oh, Brenda. You should have stayed in Minnesota.
Birthdays are a big deal in high school. So cast your vote below for whose party you'd rather attend.