For Laura, Melrose Place was more than just a career starter – it changed her life. She would go on to marry fellow Melrose Place star, Doug Savant, during the show’s seven-year run. After her character, Sydney, was killed in a car accident, Laura left the show and joined a short run on Beverly Hills 90210.
The creators brought Sydney back in the short-lived Melrose revival, but the show was canceled after one season. Leighton would begin acting in Pretty Little Liars in 2010 until the show ended in 2017.
Josie Bissett - Now
Although she may still be best known for her career in Melrose Place - Bissett kept busy. From acting on primetime drama series, she shifted towards a younger audience, and in 2008 she signed on to Secret Life of the American Teenager.
The ABC Family show wrapped in 2013, she appeared in several television movies, before she was cast as AJ in the Canadian-American television drama series, When Calls the Heart.
Laura Leighton as Sydney Andrews - Then
Sydney Andrews, Jane Andrews's younger sister, was an interesting character who would experience one of the shows most significant transformations. The changes in Sydney's behavior that kept the audience on edge - it was hard to know what her next move would be.
She went from being one of the show's most "victimized" characters to a source of comedy on the series's later seasons. At the end of the day, Sydney's storylines were all about her often scandalous romances.
Courtney Thorne-Smith as Alison Parker - Then
Courtney's character, Alison Parker, was introduced to the show from the start. She was looking to move into Melrose Place but needed a roommate, which is when she found Billy Campbell.
Not long after Billy went out of his way to protect Alison, the roommates platonic escalated into a romance. Although the two eventually break up, Billy is always there for Alison in times of need.
Courtney Thorne-Smith - Now
Courtney left the cast in 1997, and unlike most of her costars, she was interested in pursuing an acting career in sitcoms, rather than remaining in the soap opera realm. She made her dream a reality and has been in various sitcoms throughout the years.
From 1997 to 2002, she portrayed Georgia Thomas in Ally McBeal and eventually moved on to According to Jim, which aired in 2001. She had regular appearances on Two and a Half Men, portraying Lindsey Mackelroy and was most recently in Fresh Off the Boat.