"I do have odd habits. I check under my bed every night for the bogeyman. That's just a little thing, though." -- Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for appearing in the Beverly Hills, 90210 as Donna Martin. 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?. She later appeared in several independent films such as Trick and The House of Yes. She reprised her prominent role in the spinoff, 90210 in 2009. Her autobiographical book sTORI Telling debuted on top of the New York Times Best Seller list and was named the best celebrity autobiography of 2009.
"I look at Liv Tyler and think 'It's not fair', because I can't find a flaw on her. And on top of that she seems nice, so it's really not fair.""Sometimes, when I'm alone, I put on six inch heels and wear nothing else and dance around in front of the mirror and do my little stripper dance."
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling (Davey after Aaron Spelling's father) was born in Los Angeles, California and is the daughter of Candy Spelling and famed TV producer Aaron Spelling. A Look at Tori Spelling's Family Tree Both of Spelling's parents were Jewish (her paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia and Poland), JewishJournal.com though her family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah while she was growing up. She attended Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, California but graduated from Harvard-Westlake School. Her brother, Randy Spelling, is also an actor.
As a child, Spelling had guest spots on such shows as The Love Boat, T. J. Hooker, Hotel, Fantasy Island, Vega$, and Saved by the Bell.
In 1990, she landed the role of Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210, a series co-produced by her father, Aaron Spelling and Spelling Television. She played the role for its entire run, from 1990 to 2000, and was nominated for two Young Artist Awards for her role. Spelling's character remained a virgin until the finale of the seventh season and endured a stalker, attempted rape, and addiction.
In the 1990s, while starring on 90210, Spelling became well-known for a string of made-for-television films, such as Co-Ed Call Girl, A Friend to Die For, Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? and A Carol Christmas.
After Beverly Hills, 90210 ended, Spelling appeared in several independent films including Trick and The House of Yes.
Spelling has been the star of two reality-based shows. In 2006, she starred as herself in the VH1 sitcom So NoTORIous, which parodied her public image. In January 2007, she and her second husband, the actor Dean McDermott, decided to buy and operate a bed & breakfast in Fallbrook, California. This became the basis of a new reality show, Inn Love, which premiered on the Oxygen network on March 20, 2007. In June 2008, the show returned for a third season under the new name Home Sweet Hollywood. In the new season, Spelling and McDermott no longer run the inn, and they have returned to Los Angeles where they struggle to balance buying a new home, her second pregnancy, and her book tour. In May 2009 Home Sweet Hollywood returned for a fourth season.
On January 7, 2009, it was reported that Spelling would reprise her role as Donna Martin on the new CW show 90210. She appeared in two episodes (19 and 20) as a special guest star.
Aside from her acting career, Spelling designs and markets her own line of fashion jewelry on HSN. She released an autobiography entitled sTori Telling on March 11, 2008. Her second book titled Mommywood was released on April 14, 2009.
In 2010, Spelling announced that she is due to release her third book tentatively titled unchartered terriTORI and scheduled to hit stores in June. Spelling tells People Magazine that "I love sharing my stories and experiences with people and connecting to them on both a humorous and emotional level" and that "The response to my first two books has been so amazing that I wanted to write a third one for my fans."
On July 3, 2004, Spelling married Charlie Shanian, an actor and playwright. They separated in December 2005, after Spelling fell in love with Dean McDermott, and were legally divorced on April 20, 2006. Spelling married McDermott less than a month later, on May 7, 2006, in a private ceremony in Wakaya, Fiji. The two met when they co-starred in the TV movie Mind Over Murder. McDermott was married at the time to Mary Jo Eustace, whom he divorced to marry Spelling. Eustace has since written about the experience as part of the anthology The Other Woman. Amazon.com: The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal: Victoria Zackheim: Books McDermott and Eustace have two children together, Jack Montgomery and Lola.
After her father's death on June 23, 2006, Spelling was anticipated to inherit a sizable portion of her father's $500 million estate. The estate was to be divided primarily between Spelling, her brother Randy and her mother Candy. Spelling's mother was the estate executor. At the time, Spelling and her mother were estranged and it was reported that Spelling inherited just $800,000. Her brother, who was not estranged from his mother, also received $800,000.
Spelling gave birth to her first child, Liam Aaron McDermott ("Aaron" after her late father) on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital via emergency caesarean section. Reportedly, her mother was in the delivery room when Spelling gave birth. It has been reported that Candy Spelling established a $10 million trust fund for her first grandchild. On Monday, June 9, 2008, Spelling and her husband welcomed their second child together, by caesarean section, a daughter named Stella Doreen McDermott ("Doreen" after Dean's late mother).
In July 2007, Spelling became a minister to marry a gay couple at Chateau La Rue. A tape of the ceremony was shown on Home Sweet Hollywood.
Amid rumors that there was trouble in their marriage Tori and Dean remarried. They renewed their vows on May 8, 2010 in Beverly Hills among their friends and family. Dean gave her a custom designed Darkened Diamond Eternity Band by Neil Lane and she wore a white wedding dress.
