Denise Dowse

Hard-working Hawaiian-born actress Denise Dowse appeared most memorably in dual roles on the decade-spanning '90s staple "Beverly Hills, 90210." In the early half of the 1990s, she launched her career putting in one-off appearances on hit sitcoms like "ALF" and "Full House." But soon this exposure and her strong demeanor won her parts in feature films like the Robert Redford comedy-thriller "Sneakers" and the Pauly Shore vehicle "Bio-Dome." As her career moved forward, she began to score roles on shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and stole the show as tough-as-nails Sky Marshall Meru in the cult favorite "Starship Troopers."

Further TV work led to two recurring roles in the final years of "Beverly Hills, 90210" as the strict-but-sweet Vice Principal of West Beverly Hills High School, Mrs. Yvonne Teasley, as well as Professor Harriet Strathmore during the show's college years. While Dowse appeared in acclaimed 1990s films "Pleasantville" and "Requiem for a Dream," she also landed the part of tough Judge Rebecca Damsen for over 30 episodes of the CBS legal drama "The Guardian." Denise Dowse died on August 14, 2022 at the age of 64.