Donna Martin - Kelly Taylor

Kelly Taylor

Jennie Garth portrays Kelly Taylor, the gradual main character who appears throughout the entirety of the series (and the premiere episodes of spin-offs Melrose Place and 90210), 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 upon being date raped. She was almost burned alive at a rave, and later developed a coke habit of her own 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 responding 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 (just prior to Jason Priestley's departure from the series). 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 series following the second season.