Doug Emerson

Doug Emerson is not a household name. I guess some of you know him as Eddie Beckner from The Blob, but I know Emerson as Scott Scanlon. Who? David Silver’s nerdy friend in the first two seasons of Beverly Hills, 90210 was played by Doug Emerson.

Born in Glendale, California on October 4, 1974, it’s hard to believe that Douglas Emerson is now pushing 50. Emerson was only with us for a short time as an actor. He started acting in 1982 at the age of 8 with his first small role on CHiPs. He completed his nine year career in 1991 at the age of 17 on Beverly Hills, 90210.

50 Years

I loved Scott and David in the first season of 90210, but I did not like how David just cast him aside for his more popular friends in the second season. That hit a bit too close to home for me. (Best friend Norma became a cheerleader in junior high and that was it for us.) Doug Emerson’s final acting job was on the Beverly Hills, 90210 episode entitled The Next 50 Years.

In that episode, Scott Scanlon’s mom asks David to help invite guests to Scott’s surprise 16th birthday party. Being that Scott is kind of a dork, none of the cool kids want to go. David is put in a tough position because he wants to remain loyal to Scott but he also wants to be part of the cool kids club. Long story short, David gets some of the cool kids to attend the party, Scott finds a gun in his dad’s office, and then accidentally shoots himself and dies.

I read where Emerson’s character was killed off because he wanted to leave the show to attend college. I’m not sure that’s true and I haven’t been able to confirm that information. I think that was maybe just speculation on the writer’s part. My guess (aka speculation) is that the writers wanted to go a different direction, Scott Scanlon was killed off, Emerson decided to try something new, and then enrolled in junior college. My speculation is based on the fact that the Scott Scanlon character was a full-time character in the first season but only recurring status in the second.

After Acting

According to Wikipedia, Emerson attended a junior college after 90210. He transferred to Pepperdine in 1993 and then dropped out in 1996 to join the Air Force. No offense dude, but shouldn’t you have already had your degree at that time?  Anyway, Emerson became a pretty big deal in the Air Force and was quite successful. Yay!

Doug Emerson met his future wife, Emily Barth, while attending Pepperdine. The couple have two daughters who are now grown. Wikipedia states that Emerson left the Air Force in 2003 and was living in Denver at that time. I’m not sure if that’s still his place of residence, but I do know it’s much better than California. (I get to have that opinion.)

Last seen on August 30, 2019, Emerson attended a charity event for Luke Perry. How sweet! It was called The Peach Pit Experience and was attended by 90210 stars Ian Ziering, Brian Austin Green, and Joe E. Tata. I guess Emerson’s appearance was a surprise and I love the reaction by Brian Austin Green. Check out the article with the video of the two reuniting HERE.

I have written about some other child stars who left the business. I love these success stories. It makes me happy. Thanks for reading and be sure to check out my Doug Emerson and Beverly Hills, 90210 pinups at my eBay store.