Prior to moving in to television's most famous zip code, Grimes acted in another teen soap, the long-running Canadian series "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (Nickelodeon, 2001- ) as troubled teen Darcy Edwards, proving even bad girls had a chance at becoming America's next sweetheart.
Shenae Sonya Grimes was born on Oct. 24, 1989 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Early on in her acting career, Grimes appeared in several commercial spots including one in 2006 for Coffee Crisp, and became a recurring character on "Naturally, Sadie" (Disney Channel, 2005- ) as Arden Allcott. Grimes' girl-next-door charm and cover girl smile helped her nab a supporting role in Shania Twain's 2005 "Biography" (A&E, 1987- ) episode, playing the country star during her teen years.
The half-Irish star appeared in an unaired pilot for Nickelodeon that was produced by Whoopi Goldberg before getting cast as Darcy Edwards in "Degrassi: The Next Generation." After a year appearing on the show in a supporting role, Grimes moved up in ranks in 2006 and got cast as a main player in the primetime teen soap. Her character started off as a good girl in Season four, yet by Season seven, Grimes had to portray a teen with a wild streak - one who posted provocative photos of herself on the Internet in the episode titled "Eyes without a Face, Part Two" that aired in 2006.
The success of "Degrassi" gave the actress plenty of buzz stateside. Acting projects came fast for Grimes in 2008, when she starred as Marissa Dahl in "True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet" (Lifetime), and acted alongside Ashley Tisdale in "Picture This!" (ABC Family). Her mainstream breakthrough, however, came when she got cast as Annie Wilson on "90210;" a role that was rumored to have been turned down by pop star Hilary Duff. But it was Grimes who got cast as Annie, a Kansas City-raised teen who relocates to Beverly Hills with her parents (Rob Estes and Lori Loughlin) and her adopted brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds) in the CW drama. After settling into their new home, the siblings attend the famed West Beverly Hills High and befriend a slew of teen soap clichés: spoiled Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord), dreamy Ethan (Dustin Milligan), and rebellious Silver (Jessica Stroup).
The "90210" fish-out-of-water plotline was similar to the one experienced by the original series' twins, Brandon (Priestley) and Brenda (Doherty) Walsh. Grimes found a mentor in Doherty, the TV darling-turned-bad girl, who starred in the original series. Grimes' "90210" role was similar to Doherty's Walsh - spunky, smart, and constantly searching for the perfect party dress. "I was like a kid on Christmas the day Shannen came up on the set," Grimes said. "She has stayed so strong and so open-minded and easygoing." The day after its two-hour premiere, it was reported that "90210" was the highest-rated debut episode in The CW's three year history.