Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 – June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor.[1] His productions included the TV series Family (1976–1980), Charlie's Angels (1976–1981), The Love Boat (1977–1986), Hart to Hart (1979–1984), Dynasty (1981–1989), Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000), Melrose Place (1992–1999), 7th Heaven (1996–2007), and Charmed (1998–2006). He also served as producer of The Mod Squad (1968–1973), The Rookies (1972–1976), and Sunset Beach (1997–1999).
Aaron Spelling
April 22, 1923
June 23, 2006 (aged 83)
- Film producer
- television producer
Through his production company Spelling Television, Spelling holds the record as the most prolific television producer in US television history, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.[2][3] Forbes ranked him the 11th-highest-earning deceased celebrity in 2009.[4]
Early life[edit]
Spelling was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the son of Pearl (née Wald) and David Spelling, Russian Jewish immigrants.[5] His father worked as a tailor and changed his surname from Spurling to Spelling after emigrating to the United States.[6] Spelling was the youngest of five children. He had three older brothers: Maxwell "Max" Seltzer (circa 1909–?), Sam Spelling (1916–2001) and Daniel Spelling (1921–2009)[7] and an older half-sister, Becky Seltzer Giller (1910–1978).[8][9]
At the age of eight, Spelling psychosomatically lost the use of his legs due to trauma caused by constant anti-semitic bullying from his schoolmates, and was confined to bed for a year. He made a full recovery.[10]
After attending Forest Avenue High School in Dallas, he served in the United States Army Air Corps as a pilot during World War II.
Spelling later graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1949, where he was a cheerleader.[11]
Personal life[edit]
Spelling married actress Carolyn Jones in 1953, in California when he was 30 and she was 23. They divorced in 1964.[28] He briefly dated actress Jill Haworth when he was 42 and she was 19.[29] Spelling married Candy Gene (née Marer) in 1968 when he was 45 and she was 23. The couple had daughter Tori in 1973 and son Randy in 1978.[30]
In 1988, Spelling bought the 6-acre (2.4 ha) property of Bing Crosby's former Los Angeles house.[31] He demolished the property and built a 123-room home on the lot in 1991. Known as "The Manor", it has 56,500 square feet (5,250 m2) of floor space and as of 2006 was the largest single-family home in Los Angeles.[32][33] Spelling's widow Candy listed the home for sale in 2008 for $150 million.[33] Heiress Petra Ecclestone ultimately purchased the property for $85 million in 2011 through a brokered agreement that was developed by Brandon Davis, the brother of Jason Davis and grandson of wealthy industrialist Marvin Davis.[34][35][36]
In 1992, Candy, Spelling's second wife, commissioned pinball manufacturer Data East to produce a personalized table as a gift to Spelling. The game, a modified version of Data East's Lethal Weapon 3 table, has since appeared publicly at collector's expos.[37]
Legacy and death[edit]
On September 15, 1978, Spelling was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. In 1996, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
In 1983, he was accorded the NAACP Humanitarian Award for his monetary donation that permitted a 21-year-old's heart transplant operation.[38]
In 2001, Spelling was diagnosed with oral cancer.[39]
On June 23, 2006, Spelling died at The Manor, his estate in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, from complications of a stroke he suffered five days prior.[40][41] He also suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[42] 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 posthumously honored at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards by former employees Joan Collins, Stephen Collins, Heather Locklear, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith.
7th Heaven's May 13, 2007, episode, the last before the series finale, was dedicated to Spelling.[43] 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" in American television history.[44]