What the Actresses From Nostalgic 90s TV Shows Are Doing Now (and How They’ve Changed)

In the 90s, when the internet was not yet very accessible, we were really fond of our TV series. The main female characters of these long stories were real role models for us, and we wanted to be as beautiful and stylish as they were. Who didn’t want to have the same blond hair as Eden did? Or to be as business-like as Stephanie Harper from Return to Eden. And, of course, all of us dreamed about the guys that all these women were so lucky to meet.

At Bright Side, we want to reminisce about the actresses who played the main heroines of the iconic TV series from the 90s and to find out what their life has been like since then.

Cybill Shepherd, Moonlighting

Maddie Hayes, the main character of the Moonlighting TV series and a chic and smart former high-fashion model, becomes the manager of a detective agency and an amateur sleuth. This became Cybill Shepherd’s most memorable part. It brought her a lot of fans and 2 Golden Globes. It’s impossible to forget her wheat-blond hair, stylish outfits, and her brilliant banter with her on-screen partner, Bruce Willis.

Cybill is now 69 years old, but she continues to play in movies. However, none of her following work became as popular as her role in Moonlighting. On the photo to the right, you can see Cybill’s latest part in the 2017 movie Being Rose.

Gillian Anderson, The X-Files

Thanks to the style of the FBI agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, red hair and a bob haircut became really popular in the 90s. The character was played by Gillian Anderson in the TV series and in 2 movies, The X-Files and The X-Files: I Want to Believe and it brought her worldwide fame.

In the 2000s, Gillian returned to a theater stage, and she also took part in some TV shows and movies. The new 2016 season of The X-Files TV series was well-received by viewers. In 2019, Gillian will play the part of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher in the historical movie The Crown.

Lara Flynn Boyle, Twin Peaks

Lara Flynn Boyle’s part of Donna in the iconic Twin Peaks TV series made the actress famous. After that, she received many offers from movie directors. For example, she played one of the main parts in Men in Black II and in a few famous television shows.

However, in the middle of the 2000s, Lara’s career began to go downhill. Currently, she mainly works on low-budget movies. This happened due to her experiments with plastic surgery which made her appearance almost unrecognizable.

Sherilyn Fenn, Twin Peaks

Her part of the hot beauty, Audrey Horne, on the Twin Peaks TV series made Sherilyn Fenn the sex symbol of the 90s. The actress had a gorgeous natural beauty, and many people even compared her to Marilyn Monroe.

There are more than 100 parts in Fenn’s filmography, but she never became really famous in Hollywood. 25 years after the first premier of the Twin Peaks TV series, Fenn played a part in the Twin Peaks sequel in 2017.

Hélène Rollès, Hélène et les Garçons (Helen and the Boys)

Hélène Rollès played the main part in a French sitcom about student life called Helen and the Guys.

The actress is 52 now. After Helen and the Guys, she took part in 3 sequels of this sitcom: The Miracle of Love, Holidays of Love, and Mysteries of Love (2011-2018). Besides acting, Hélène Rollès is also a musician and has recorded a few albums. She is not married and has 2 adopted children from Ethiopia.

Marcy Walker, Santa Barbara

Marcy Walker played the part of Eden Capwell in one of the most popular and long-lasting soap operas — Santa Barbara. The viewers remembered Eden thanks to her impeccable image and passionate love with her on-screen partner, policeman Cruz Castillo acted by A. Martinez.

After Santa Barbara was finished, Marcy acted in a few other soap operas. In 2005, she announced that she was planning on ending her acting career to become a pastor. She’s currently serving as the LifeKIDS Pastor for Life Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. She has an adult son who’s trying out acting too.

Heather Locklear, Dynasty and Melrose Place

In the 80s and 90s, Heather Locklear used to play vampy women for the most part. Her characters in Dynasty and Melrose Place were exactly like this. The part of Amanda Woodward in Melrose Place, who was a heartbreaker and a schemer, became her greatest success. Heather received 4 consecutive Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress — Television Series Drama.

In the middle of the 2000s, her career slowed down. But even now her name appears in the media from time to time due to problems in her personal life, bad plastic surgery, long bout with depression, and attempted suicides.

Tori Spelling, Beverly Hills, 90210

Tori Spelling became famous thanks to the part of Donna Martin in the iconic teen drama TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. She cast for this part when she was 17. She acted in all 10 seasons from 1990 to 2000.

In the beginning of the 2000s, Tori acted in movies like Scary Movie 2, Sol Goode, and Naked Movie. Besides that, she’s published a few autobiographic books. Nowadays, Tori is more focused on her family, she is married and has 5 children.

Carmen Electra, Baywatch

Over the course of her long acting career, Carmen Electra has taken part in 77 movies and TV shows. However, the part of a hot lifeguard on Baywatch is probably one of her most recognizable roles.

Electra is also a musician and has recorded 2 albums. She had a series of fitness DVDs too. Though she is still in demand in Hollywood, she is more focused on charity work now. She supports non-profit organizations which offer support to brain tumor survivors, abused and abandoned children, and people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Melissa Joan Hart, Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart, was the story of an ordinary 16-year-old girl who suddenly finds out that she’s a witch.

After the series ended in 2003, Melissa mainly played supporting roles and made cameos on different TV series. She also took part in the TV show Dancing with the Stars.

Marcia Cross, Melrose Place

Marcia Cross became famous thanks to her part as Dr. Kimberly Shaw on the Melrose Place TV series. Her heroine died during the 5th season. After that Marcia’s acting career slowed down, she only played small parts in TV projects and a few feature films. However, in 2002 the actress regained her success because she was cast in the Desperate Housewives TV series.

When Desperate Housewives ended, Cross took a break from her career and focused on her family. She became a first-time mother at the age of 45 and gave birth to twins in 2007. In 2017, Marcia Cross was diagnosed with cancer, but thanks to radiation and chemotherapy, she is now in remission.

Rebecca Gilling, Return to Eden

The part of Stephanie Harper on the Australian television drama series Return to Eden made Gilling internationally famous. This was a story of revenge where a beautiful and rich woman became the victim of her scheming husband.

In 1993, Rebecca Gilling finished her acting career and started to focus on different ecological projects. She is 65 now and is a spokesperson for the Australian not-for-profit environmental organization, Planet Ark.

Who was your favorite heroine in the 90s? Let’s discuss in the comments.