Aaron Spelling
Encyclopedia
Aaron Spelling was an American
film
and television producer
. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television
holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits. Forbes
ranked him the 11th top-earning dead celebrity in 2009.
, to Pearl (née Wald) and David Spelling (originally Spurling), a tailor, who were Jewish immigrants from Russia
and Poland
, respectively. Spelling had a brother, Daniel Spelling (died 2009), who lived in San Francisco, and who appeared on daughter Tori Spelling
's television show Tori And Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
.
At the age of 8, Spelling lost the use of his legs psychosomatically, due to trauma
caused by constant bullying from his schoolmates, and was confined to bed for a year. During this time, he read a vast number of books, which stimulated his imagination.
Spelling attended Forest Avenue High School, served in the United States Armed Forces
, and later attended Southern Methodist University
, graduating in 1949, where he was a cheerleader. He married actress Carolyn Jones
in 1953, and they moved to California. They divorced in 1964. With his second wife, Candy Gene
(née Marer), whom he married in 1968, he had two children, Randy Spelling
and Tori Spelling
.
situation comedy
, Willy
, starring June Havoc
as a young lawyer in New Hampshire
, who later relocates to New York City
to represent a vaudeville
troupe.
Spelling went on to write for Dick Powell
, Playhouse 90
, and Last Man, among others. Later, he also found work as an actor. Between 1956 and 1997 he played screen parts in twenty-two programs, including the first Brian Keith
series, Crusader
, a Cold War
drama, as well as I Love Lucy
and Gunsmoke
. During the 1950s, Spelling joined Powell's Four Star Productions
, through which he created Lloyd Bridges
's anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show
.
After Powell's death, Spelling left Four Star Television
in 1966, forming Thomas-Spelling Productions with Danny Thomas
. Their first success was with the television show The Mod Squad
. In total, he wrote for fourteen television productions between 1957 and 1974, including several series with multiple episodes to his credit. Spelling and Thomas produced two 1960s series for Walter Brennan
, both on ABC: The Tycoon
; and The Guns of Will Sonnett
. He also began a collaboration at that time with associate producer Shelley Hull, who, aside from Mod Squad, worked with Spelling on The Rookies
and Charlie's Angels
. Hull also worked with Spelling in 1976 on the successful ABC movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
, starring a young John Travolta
. Spelling directed only once, on "The Conchita Vasquez Story," a 1959 episode of Wagon Train
.
Spelling divorced Jones in 1965. In 1968, he married Carole Gene Marer, who took his name as Candy Spelling
. He fathered Victoria Davey Spelling and Randall Gene Spelling, both of whom became actors as teenagers, as Tori
and Randy Spelling
, respectively. They appeared in several of their father's works, most notably on Beverly Hills, 90210
.
In 1969, Spelling created Spelling Television
(then called Aaron Spelling Productions), and, three years later, formed another co-production company with Leonard Goldberg
. Spelling took his own company public in 1986 as Spelling Entertainment, later buying the Taft Entertainment Company from Taft Broadcasting
(except for the two animation studios part of the group), and George A. Romero
's Laurel Entertainment. Spelling also produced the NBC
daytime soap opera
Sunset Beach
from 1997 to 1999, and in one of his few acting roles after the 1960s, played one of Bette's (Kathleen Noone
) ex-husbands for one day in 1997.
Spelling continued expanding his entertainment holdings, buying Republic Pictures
in 1994 - by the time his company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom
, it had five main operating units: Republic Pictures served as the home video arm (though distribution was actually farmed out to other companies worldwide) and copyright holder for all the feature films in the Spelling library, TV production companies Spelling Television and Big Ticket Entertainment
(the latter created in 1994 primarily to expand Spelling's output from just dramas), TV syndication distributor Worldvision Enterprises, and film production company Spelling Films.
Spelling also appeared as himself on 27 programs between 1992 and 2005. After 2000, Spelling rarely gave interviews, although he remained active as CEO and continued to give notes on productions. Daily control of the Spelling Television
company was handled by his longtime producing and business partner E. Duke Vincent and company president Jonathan Levin.
In the late 1980s, Spelling bought the home and 6 acres (2.4 ha) lot of Bing Crosby
's former Los Angeles
house. He demolished the property, and built a 123-room home, known as "The Manor
", for the cost of US$
11,000,000, which has 56500 square feet (5,249 m²) of floor space and is the largest single-family dwelling
in Hollywood (34°4'23"N 118°25'41"W). Spelling's widow listed the home in 2004 for $150,000,000. As of June 2011, the house is in contract to be sold to 22-year-old heiress Petra Ecclestone
.
In 2004, Spelling was portrayed by Dan Castellaneta
in the NBC TV movie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels. The following year, he was portrayed by Nicholas Hammond
in the ABC TV movie Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure.
On April 4, 2007, it was announced that 7th Heaven
s series finale on May 13, 2007 would be dedicated to Aaron Spelling. Every episode from Season 11 displayed these words at the beginning of the closing credits: "In memory of Aaron Spelling".
When 7th Heaven ended its run, it was touted by the network as being Spelling's longest-running series and the longest-running "family drama" (i.e., suitable for family viewing) in US television history.
in 1956. His most recognizable contributions to television include Charlie's Angels
, Dynasty
, Starsky and Hutch
, Family
, Hotel
, The Rookies
, Beverly Hills, 90210
, Melrose Place, The Love Boat
, Fantasy Island
, Vega$
, Hart to Hart
, The Colbys
, T.J. Hooker, Nightingales
, Kindred: The Embraced
, Sunset Beach
, 7th Heaven
, Burke's Law
, Honey West
, The Mod Squad
, S.W.A.T.
and Charmed
. His company also co-produced the David Lynch
series Twin Peaks
(although Spelling himself was not directly involved in its production).
He also produced the HBO miniseries And the Band Played On
, based on Randy Shilts
's bestseller. The miniseries won an Emmy Award
, Spelling's first.
.
On June 18, 2006, Spelling suffered a severe stroke
at The Manor
, his estate in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
. He died there on June 23, 2006, from complications of the stroke, at the age of 83. A private funeral was held several days later, and Spelling was entombed in a mausoleum in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
.
On August 27, 2006, Spelling was honored at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards by former employees Joan Collins
, Stephen Collins, Heather Locklear
, Farrah Fawcett
, Kate Jackson
and Jaclyn Smith
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television
Spelling Television
Spelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits. Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
ranked him the 11th top-earning dead celebrity in 2009.
Early life
Spelling was born in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, to Pearl (née Wald) and David Spelling (originally Spurling), a tailor, who were Jewish immigrants from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, respectively. Spelling had a brother, Daniel Spelling (died 2009), who lived in San Francisco, and who appeared on daughter Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
's television show Tori And Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
Tori & Dean: Inn Love
Tori & Dean is a reality show on the Oxygen Network starring actress Tori Spelling and her second husband, actor Dean McDermott. The first and second seasons of the show were titled Tori & Dean: Inn Love. The show was renamed Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood as of the third season...
.
At the age of 8, Spelling lost the use of his legs psychosomatically, due to trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
caused by constant bullying from his schoolmates, and was confined to bed for a year. During this time, he read a vast number of books, which stimulated his imagination.
Spelling attended Forest Avenue High School, served in the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
, and later attended Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, graduating in 1949, where he was a cheerleader. He married actress Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
in 1953, and they moved to California. They divorced in 1964. With his second wife, Candy Gene
Candy Spelling
Carole Gene "Candy" Spelling is an American author and socialite. She is the widow of Aaron Spelling.-Life and career:...
(née Marer), whom he married in 1968, he had two children, Randy Spelling
Randy Spelling
Randall Gene "Randy" Spelling is an American actor. He is the brother of Tori Spelling and the son of Candy and Aaron Spelling.He is now a life coach in Los Angeles.-Career:...
and Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
.
Hollywood career and life
Spelling sold his first script to Jane Wyman Presents in 1954. That same year, he guest starred as a dogcatcher in the premiere episode of the CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
situation comedy
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, Willy
Willy (TV series)
Not to be confused with Free Willy Willy is a 1954-1955 situation comedy which aired on CBS with June Havoc in the role of Wilma "Willy" Dodger, an unlikely name for a lawyer from rural New Hampshire who because of the lack of clientele relocates to New York City to represent a vaudeville troupe...
, starring June Havoc
June Havoc
June Havoc was a Canadian-born American actress, dancer, writer, and theater director. Havoc was a child Vaudeville performer under the tutelage of her mother. She later acted on Broadway and in Hollywood and stage directed . She last appeared on television in 1990 on General Hospital...
as a young lawyer in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, who later relocates to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to represent a vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
troupe.
Spelling went on to write for Dick Powell
Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss.Despite the same last name he was not related to William Powell, Eleanor Powell or Jane Powell.-Biography:...
, Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90
Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California...
, and Last Man, among others. Later, he also found work as an actor. Between 1956 and 1997 he played screen parts in twenty-two programs, including the first Brian Keith
Brian Keith
Brian Keith was an American film, television, and stage actor who in his four decade-long career gained recognition for his work in movies such as the 1961 Disney family film The Parent Trap, the 1966 comedy The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, and the 1975 adventure saga The Wind and...
series, Crusader
Crusader (TV series)
Crusader is a half-hour black-and-white American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS for two seasons from October 7, 1955 to December 28, 1956.-Synopsis:...
, a Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
drama, as well as I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy
I Love Lucy is an American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on the Columbia Broadcasting System...
and Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
. During the 1950s, Spelling joined Powell's Four Star Productions
Four Star Television
Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Ida Lupino, and Charles Boyer, the company produced many well-known shows of the early days of...
, through which he created Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges, Jr. was an American actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. Bridges is best known for his role of Mike Nelson in Sea Hunt, the most-popular syndicated American TV series in 1958...
's anthology series, The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show
The Lloyd Bridges Show is an American anthology drama series produced by Aaron Spelling, which aired on CBS from September 11, 1962 to May 28, 1963, starring and hosted by Lloyd Bridges.-Synopsis:...
.
After Powell's death, Spelling left Four Star Television
Four Star Television
Four Star Television, also called Four Star International, was an American television production company. Founded in 1952 as Four Star Productions by prominent Hollywood actors Dick Powell, David Niven, Ida Lupino, and Charles Boyer, the company produced many well-known shows of the early days of...
in 1966, forming Thomas-Spelling Productions with Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas
Danny Thomas was an American nightclub comedian and television and film actor, best known for starring in the television sitcom Make Room for Daddy . He was also the founder of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...
. Their first success was with the television show The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
. In total, he wrote for fourteen television productions between 1957 and 1974, including several series with multiple episodes to his credit. Spelling and Thomas produced two 1960s series for Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan
Walter Brennan was an American actor. Brennan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on three separate occasions, which is currently the record for most wins.-Early life:...
, both on ABC: The Tycoon
The Tycoon (TV series)
The Tycoon is a 32-episode American situation comedy television series broadcast by ABC. It starred Walter Brennan as the fictitious businessman Walter Andrews...
; and The Guns of Will Sonnett
The Guns of Will Sonnett
The Guns of Will Sonnett is a Western television series set in the 1870s which ran on the ABC television network from 1967 to 1969. The series was the first production collaboration between Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas, who would later go on to produce one of ABC's most-memorable hits, The Mod...
. He also began a collaboration at that time with associate producer Shelley Hull, who, aside from Mod Squad, worked with Spelling on The Rookies
The Rookies
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
and Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
. Hull also worked with Spelling in 1976 on the successful ABC movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble
The Boy in the Plastic Bubble is a 1976 made-for-TV movie inspired by the lives of David Vetter and Ted DeVita, who lacked effective immune systems. It stars John Travolta, Glynnis O'Connor, Diana Hyland, Robert Reed, and P.J. Soles...
, starring a young John Travolta
John Travolta
John Joseph Travolta is an American actor, dancer and singer. Travolta first became known in the 1970s, after appearing on the television series Welcome Back, Kotter and starring in the box office successes Saturday Night Fever and Grease...
. Spelling directed only once, on "The Conchita Vasquez Story," a 1959 episode of Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
.
Spelling divorced Jones in 1965. In 1968, he married Carole Gene Marer, who took his name as Candy Spelling
Candy Spelling
Carole Gene "Candy" Spelling is an American author and socialite. She is the widow of Aaron Spelling.-Life and career:...
. He fathered Victoria Davey Spelling and Randall Gene Spelling, both of whom became actors as teenagers, as Tori
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
and Randy Spelling
Randy Spelling
Randall Gene "Randy" Spelling is an American actor. He is the brother of Tori Spelling and the son of Candy and Aaron Spelling.He is now a life coach in Los Angeles.-Career:...
, respectively. They appeared in several of their father's works, most notably on Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
.
In 1969, Spelling created Spelling Television
Spelling Television
Spelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
(then called Aaron Spelling Productions), and, three years later, formed another co-production company with Leonard Goldberg
Leonard Goldberg
Leonard J. Goldberg is an American film producer and television producer. He has his own production company, Mandy Films. He served as head of programming for ABC, and was president of 20th Century Fox...
. Spelling took his own company public in 1986 as Spelling Entertainment, later buying the Taft Entertainment Company from Taft Broadcasting
Taft Broadcasting
The Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
(except for the two animation studios part of the group), and George A. Romero
George A. Romero
George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...
's Laurel Entertainment. Spelling also produced the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
from 1997 to 1999, and in one of his few acting roles after the 1960s, played one of Bette's (Kathleen Noone
Kathleen Noone
Kathleen Noone is an Emmy Award winning American film, stage and television actress , best known roles for Ellen Shepherd Dalton on the daytime drama All My Children , Claudia Whittaker on the primetime drama Knots Landing and Bette Katzenkazrahi on the daytime drama Sunset Beach .-Life and...
) ex-husbands for one day in 1997.
Spelling continued expanding his entertainment holdings, buying Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
in 1994 - by the time his company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, it had five main operating units: Republic Pictures served as the home video arm (though distribution was actually farmed out to other companies worldwide) and copyright holder for all the feature films in the Spelling library, TV production companies Spelling Television and Big Ticket Entertainment
Big Ticket Entertainment
Big Ticket Television, Inc. is a production company that is a unit of CBS Television Studios , a division of CBS Corporation since the split of Viacom at the end of 2005.The company was launched in 1994 under the Spelling Entertainment Group, which was acquired by Viacom Big Ticket Television,...
(the latter created in 1994 primarily to expand Spelling's output from just dramas), TV syndication distributor Worldvision Enterprises, and film production company Spelling Films.
Spelling also appeared as himself on 27 programs between 1992 and 2005. After 2000, Spelling rarely gave interviews, although he remained active as CEO and continued to give notes on productions. Daily control of the Spelling Television
Spelling Television
Spelling Television Inc. was a television production company that produced popular shows such as Charmed, Beverly Hills, 90210, 7th Heaven, Dynasty and Melrose Place. The company was founded by television producer Aaron Spelling in 1969...
company was handled by his longtime producing and business partner E. Duke Vincent and company president Jonathan Levin.
In the late 1980s, Spelling bought the home and 6 acres (2.4 ha) lot of Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
's former Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
house. He demolished the property, and built a 123-room home, known as "The Manor
The Manor (Los Angeles, California)
The Manor, also known as Spelling Manor is a mansion located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was the home of television producer Aaron Spelling. Built in 1988, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County. It is currently owned by heiress Petra Ecclestone, daughter...
", for the cost of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
11,000,000, which has 56500 square feet (5,249 m²) of floor space and is the largest single-family dwelling
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
in Hollywood (34°4'23"N 118°25'41"W). Spelling's widow listed the home in 2004 for $150,000,000. As of June 2011, the house is in contract to be sold to 22-year-old heiress Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone is a British-Croatian heiress, model, fashion designer and socialite, the younger daughter of Croatian former Armani model Slavica and Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone. She has an older sister, Tamara and an older paternal half-sister, Deborah...
.
In 2004, Spelling was portrayed by Dan Castellaneta
Dan Castellaneta
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Noted for his long-running role as Homer Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, he voices many other characters on The Simpsons, including Abraham "Grampa" Simpson, Barney Gumble,...
in the NBC TV movie Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels. The following year, he was portrayed by Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond
Nicholas Hammond is an American actor best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film The Sound of Music, and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man on the CBS television series The Amazing Spider-Man...
in the ABC TV movie Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure.
On April 4, 2007, it was announced that 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
s series finale on May 13, 2007 would be dedicated to Aaron Spelling. Every episode from Season 11 displayed these words at the beginning of the closing credits: "In memory of Aaron Spelling".
When 7th Heaven ended its run, it was touted by the network as being Spelling's longest-running series and the longest-running "family drama" (i.e., suitable for family viewing) in US television history.
Notable works
Spelling worked in some capacity on almost 200 productions beginning with the Zane Grey TheatreZane Grey
Zane Grey was an American author best known for his popular adventure novels and stories that presented an idealized image of the Old West. Riders of the Purple Sage was his bestselling book. In addition to the success of his printed works, they later had second lives and continuing influence...
in 1956. His most recognizable contributions to television include Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch
Starsky and Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series that consisted of a 90-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 60 minutes each; created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC...
, Family
Family (TV series)
Family is an American television drama series that aired on ABC from 1976 to 1980. Creative control of the show was split between executive producers Leonard Goldberg, Aaron Spelling and Mike Nichols...
, Hotel
Hotel (TV series)
Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May 5, 1988 in the timeslot following Dynasty....
, The Rookies
The Rookies
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, Melrose Place, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Vega$
Vega$
Vega$ is an American detective television drama series that aired on ABC between 1978 and 1981. It was produced by Aaron Spelling. The series, was filmed in its entirety in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is believed to be the first television series produced entirely in Las Vegas...
, Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart
Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who also moonlighted as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg...
, The Colbys
The Colbys
The Colbys is an American prime time soap opera, which originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985 to March 26, 1987. The Aaron Spelling-produced series was a spin-off of Dynasty, which had been the highest rated series for the 1984-1985 U.S. television season...
, T.J. Hooker, Nightingales
Nightingales
Nightingales is a British situation comedy set around the antics of three security guards working the night shift. It was produced by Alomo Productions for Channel 4 in 1990.-Outline:...
, Kindred: The Embraced
Kindred: The Embraced
Kindred: The Embraced is an American television series produced by John Leekley Productions and Spelling Television. Loosely based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, the series premiered on Fox on April 2, 1996, and ran for eight episodes before it was canceled on May 9, 1996. The...
, Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach (TV series)
Sunset Beach was an American television soap opera, first broadcast in the United States on NBC on January 6, 1997, and last airing on December 31, 1999. The show followed the loves and lives of the people living in a fictional coastal city named Sunset Beach, on the coast of California...
, 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
, Burke's Law
Burke's Law
Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
, Honey West
Honey West (TV series)
Honey West is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC during the 1965-1966 television season. The series stars Anne Francis as female private detective Honey West and John Ericson as her partner Sam Bolt....
, The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad
The Mod Squad is a television series that ran on ABC from September 24, 1968, until August 23, 1973. This series starred Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III, and Tige Andrews...
, S.W.A.T.
S.W.A.T. (TV series)
----S.W.A.T. is a 1970s American television series about the adventures of the WCPD's Olympic Division Special Weapons And Tactics team operating in an unidentified California city....
and Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
. His company also co-produced the David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
series Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
(although Spelling himself was not directly involved in its production).
He also produced the HBO miniseries And the Band Played On
And the Band Played On (film)
And the Band Played On is a 1993 American television film docudrama directed by Roger Spottiswoode. The teleplay by Arnold Schulman is based on the best-selling 1987 non-fiction book And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts.The film premiered at the Montreal...
, based on Randy Shilts
Randy Shilts
Randy Shilts was a pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a freelance reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations....
's bestseller. The miniseries won an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, Spelling's first.
Illness and death
In 2001, Spelling was diagnosed with oral cancerOral cancer
Oral cancer is a subtype of head and neck cancer, is any cancerous tissue growth located in the oral cavity. It may arise as a primary lesion originating in any of the oral tissues, by metastasis from a distant site of origin, or by extension from a neighboring anatomic structure, such as the...
.
On June 18, 2006, Spelling suffered a severe stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
at The Manor
The Manor (Los Angeles, California)
The Manor, also known as Spelling Manor is a mansion located in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was the home of television producer Aaron Spelling. Built in 1988, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County. It is currently owned by heiress Petra Ecclestone, daughter...
, his estate in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
Holmby Hills is an affluent neighborhood in the district of Westwood in western Los Angeles. It is bordered by the city of Beverly Hills on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, Westwood on the west, and Bel Air on the north. Sunset Boulevard is the area's principal thoroughfare which divides...
. He died there on June 23, 2006, from complications of the stroke, at the age of 83. A private funeral was held several days later, and Spelling was entombed in a mausoleum in Culver City's Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California, USA. Many Jewish people from the entertainment industry are buried here.-Notable interments:*Irving Aaronson, composer...
.
On August 27, 2006, Spelling was honored at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards by former employees Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
, Stephen Collins, Heather Locklear
Heather Locklear
Heather Deen Locklear is an American actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J...
, Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
, Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson is an American actress, director, and producer, perhaps best known for her role as Sabrina Duncan in the popular 1970s television series Charlie's Angels...
and Jaclyn Smith
Jaclyn Smith
Jacquelyn Ellen "Jaclyn" Smith is an American actress and businesswoman. She is best-known for the role of Kelly Garrett in the television series Charlie's Angels, and was the only original female lead to remain with the series for its complete run...
.