Early life

Combs was born in San Diego, California and has described herself as being of Irish descent. At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs (née Berckhem), was sixteen years old and her father was seventeen. Combs' biological parents married, but the two split up after two years, feeling they were too young to make a marriage work. While Combs was learning to walk, she hit her head on a marble table, resulting in a scar over her right eyebrow. She went through many different homes with her mother, near the beach in San Diego often having very little privacy, while her mother attempted to pursue an acting career. When Combs was seven, she and her mother moved to New York City where she spent most of her growing years. She was 12 when her mother married her stepfather. In New York City, Combs attended Beekman Hill Elementary and then the Professional Children's School.

Career

Early work: 1988-1997

When she was 14 years old, Combs landed her first major role in Sweet Hearts Dance (1988), a comedy drama film directed by Robert Greenwald. She played Debs Boon, the daughter of Wiley Boon (played by Don Johnson) and Sandra Boon (played by Susan Sarandon). Her next major role was in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989), a film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Combs portrayed Jenny in the film, which also starred Tom Cruise. Her other roles included Helena in the 1989 anthology film New York Stories, and Kim Fields in Hal Hartley's Simple Men (1992). Also in 1992, Combs made an appearance in Temístocles López's Chain of Desire as Diana, and in the slasher film Dr. Giggles, in which she played Jennifer Campbell, the 19-year-old daughter of Tom Campbell (played by Cliff De Young) and girlfriend of Max Anderson (played by Glenn Quinn).

Combs' first major breakthrough as an actress came at the age of 18, in the CBS television series Picket Fences. She portrayed Kimberly Brock, the daughter of Sheriff Jimmy Brock (played by Tom Skerritt) and his first wife Lydia for the show's four seasons (1992-96). Jimmy's second wife, Dr. Jill Brock (played by Kathy Baker), is her step-mother. Combs auditioned for the role in New York. The casting agent told her that she wasn't right for the part because she "didn't have a big enough heart." Combs retorted, "If you're looking for someone with a big heart, what the hell are you doing in New York?". She was later called back and offered the job. Combs won a Young Artist Award for her performance on the show. During 1996, Combs starred as Sophie DiMatteo in Sins of Silence, a drama/horror television film directed by Sam Pillsbury. The following year, Combs portrayed real-life convicted murderess Diane Zamora in the television film Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder, and appeared in the fact-based drama film Daughters as Alex Morell, one of the two daughters of a murdered heiress.

Later work: 1998-present

In 1998, Combs landed a lead role in The WB television series Charmed, in which she portrayed Piper Halliwell, the middle of three sisters who are witches. Following Shannen Doherty's departure after season three (2000-01), Combs' character became the eldest sister for the remaining five seasons of the show. Combs became a producer for Charmed from season five onwards. The series ended its run on May 21, 2006. In 2008, AOL named Combs' character Piper the third greatest witch in television history. Combs is the only cast member to appear in the unaired pilot and every episode of the series.

During Charmed, Combs made a cameo appearance in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001), and starred opposite Charisma Carpenter in the romantic comedy film See Jane Date (2003), portraying the role of "a struggling actress whose career benefits from an affair with an A-list actor." In 2007, she starred in the Lifetime television film Point of Entry (also titled Panic Button) as Kathy Alden, a wife and mother of a single child whose family moves to a "beautiful and supposedly secure gated community after she's the victim of a violent house break-in." The following year, Combs signed a contract with Lifetime to produce and star in a series Mistresses, based on the British series of the same name. However, that version of the show never made it to air. (ABC later made a version featuring Combs' former Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano.) In 2010, Combs was cast in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars as Ella Montgomery, the mother of one of the main characters, Aria Montgomery (played by Lucy Hale). Combs was a series regular for the first three seasons, but beginning in season four, became credited as a special guest star.

On July 24, 2014, it was announced that Combs and Doherty would be starring in their own road trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which premiered on Great American Country on January 2, 2015. The six-episode series follows the pair traveling across southeastern United States, with stops in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Viewers were able to vote on activities Doherty and Combs would partake in at each destination on Great American Country's official website.

The actress has recently starred in a television movie called Love's Complicated, playing the lead role, Leah. The film premiered on Hallmark Channel, last January 9.

Personal life

Combs smoked cigarettes from the age of 15 until giving them up when pregnant with her first child.

In 1993, she married actor Bryan Travis Smith; they divorced in 1997.

On February 14, 2004, she married her long-time boyfriend and the former Charmed key-grip David Donoho. They are the parents of three sons: Finley Arthur Donoho (born April 26, 2004), Riley Edward Donoho (born October 26, 2006), and Kelley James Donoho (born May 26, 2009), all born by Caesarian section (Kelley was an emergency C-section). Combs kept her third pregnancy a secret because it was high risk, with a delivery at 35 weeks. In November 2011, she filed for divorce from Donoho, citing irreconcilable differences.

She is currently dating Radical Something trio member, Josh Hallbauer, also known as Josh Cocktail.

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Walls of Glass	Abby Hall	Classmate
1988	Sweet Hearts Dance	Dens Boon
1989	New York Stories	Helena	Costume Party Girl
1989	Born on the Fourth of July	Jenny Turner
1991	Nobody Can Hear You Scream	Melinda Ashwood
1992	Simple Men	Kim Fields
1992	Dr. Giggles	Jennifer Campbell	Lead role
1992	Chain of Desire	Diana Richards
1995	A Reason to Believe	Sharon Digby	Independent movie
1995	Evil in the Basement	Karen Ford
2001	Ocean's Eleven	Herself	Cameo

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Guiding Light	Louisa Young	2 episodes
1991-1994	As the World Turns	Denise Jones	5 episodes
1992-1996	Picket Fences	Kimberly Brock	Main role (83 episodes)
1994	A Perfect Stranger	Amanda Hale	Television movie (NBC)
1994	Island City	Erin Sloan	Television movie (PTEN)
1996	Sins of Silence	Sophie DiMattio	Television movie (CBS); lead role
1997	Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder	Diane Zamora	Television movie (NBC); lead role
1997	Our Mother's Murder	Alex Morell	Television movie (Lifetime); lead role
1997	Relativity	Anne Pryce	Episode (1.14): "Billable Hours"
1998-2006	Charmed	Piper Halliwell	Lead role (179 episodes) Producer (seasons 5-8)
2003	See Jane Date	Natasha Nutley	Television movie (ABC Family); co-lead role
2007	Panic Button (original title Point of Entry)	Katherine Alden	Television movie (Lifetime); lead role
2010-present	Pretty Little Liars	Ella Montgomery	Main role: seasons 1-3 Special guest star: seasons 4-present
2014	Hell's Kitchen	Herself / restaurant patron	Episode: "15 Chefs Compete"
2015	Off the Map with Shannen & Holly	Herself	Great American Country reality series (6 episodes)
2016	Love's Complicated	Leah Townsend	Television movie (Hallmark Channel); lead role

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Title of work	Result	Ref.
1993	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actress in a New Television Series	Picket Fences	Won
1994		Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series		Nominated
1995		Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series or Special	A Perfect Stranger	Nominated
1995	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Picket Fences	Nominated
2001	RATTY Awards	Outstanding Ensemble in a Science Fiction Series	Charmed	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Science Fiction Series		Nominated
2002		Best Science Fiction Lead Actress		Nominated
2003				Won
2007	AOL TV	Top TV Witches (Piper Halliwell)		3rd
2008				3rd
2011	E! Online	Top 10 Most Bitchin' Witches (Piper Halliwell)		6th

[ Source: Wikipedia ]