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Kimberly Shaw is a character on FOX drama soap Melrose Place. She is portrayed by Marcia Cross.

The affair[]

Kimberly began the series as a mild-mannered co-worker of the married Dr. Michael Mancini, though it soon became apparent that the two harbored an attraction to one another. After much resistance, Michael eventually began an affair with her, which led his wife Jane to divorce him.

The accident[]

Much like Michael, Kimberly changed radically throughout the course of the series. This was set in motion following a car accident caused by Michael's drunk driving, which appeared to cost Kimberly her life. It was revealed months later, however, that Kimberly had actually survived, having recovered after being transported out of L.A. During the time in which Kimberly was presumed dead, Michael's former sister-in-law, Sydney, discovered that he'd been drunk during the car accident, and blackmailed him into marrying her.

Reappearance[]

Kimberly's reappearance freed Michael from the marriage, as it was confirmed that his actions hadn't killed her, and the two soon resumed their relationship. However, it was later revealed that Kimberly was actually out for revenge, which she exacted by running Michael down with a car. Michael survived, but suffered from amnesia. His relationship with Kimberly then resumed. After regaining his memory, he confronted a shaken Kimberly and told her that she could either love him or kill him. Their life together then continued.

Deception[]

Kimberly later helped Jo Reynolds during a custody battle for her son, leading others to believe that baby Austin had died. When Jo came to claim her baby in secret, however, Kimberly—who was becoming mentally unstable—refused to release him to her. Ultimately, Michael handed Austin over to Jo after his hospital superior Peter Burns told him to do it and threatened to fire Michael and Kimberly if they didn’t obey his order.

Destruction[]

While growing increasingly unraveled, Kimberly began seeing visions of Henry, a voice inside her head which drove her to blow up the Melrose Place Apartment Complex. At first, he seemed to be just an imaginary voice inside Kimberly's head, but as she went through therapy, it was revealed that Henry had been an actual person. Kimberly revealed her visions of Henry to Peter and he decided to call Marion Shaw to see if she knew anything. Marion came to Los Angeles with plans to take Kimberly back to Cleveland once again but soon confessed she knew who Henry was. When Kimberly was seven years old, her father was away on business. Marion was in the kitchen making a cake for Kimberlys birthday. Henry, their gardner, came in and soon began to rape Marion. Kimberly saw this, picked up a knife, and killed Henry. With this breakthrough, Kimberly received treatment and was soon let out into Peter's custody.

She later planted and detonated explosives in Melrose Place. However, most of the tenants had become aware of her actions at the last minute, and had moved to life-saving positions. Kimberly was then institutionalized, and a struggle began between her original consciousness and the more dangerous ones that were arriving. It did not help that Michael and Sydney hired an actor named Mark Paul to impersonate Henry and drive her into further insanity.

Kimberly then briefly hosted a radio show, but it attracted the attention of a serial killer named Vic Munson, who torments her until he is captured, but later breaks out and is killed trying to kill her again.

After later being released and gaining control of a mental institution (while posing as her original self), she briefly held fellow doctors Michael and Peter captive, along with Peter's girlfriend Amanda. The three eventually escaped, however, and Michael's love for Kimberly restored her true consciousness and personality.

Recovery and exit[]

Kimberly then followed a path toward reformation. After later marrying Michael, she eventually reached a period in which she found herself needing to abstain from sex. As a result, she secretly hired a woman named Megan to sleep with her husband. Megan and Michael would eventually develop deeper feelings for one another, leading to a long and complex relationship between all three.

Kimberly later died after suffering an aneurysm, surrounded by those who were closest to her.

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