Spelling, Aaron 1923(?)–2006

PERSONAL

Born April 22, c. 1923, in Oak Cliff, TX; died of complications from a stroke, June 23, 2006, in Los Angeles, CA; buried in Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, CA. Producer. Prolific television producer, Spelling was the king of entertainment fluff. Best known for producing such popular television series as The Love Boat, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty, and Beverly Hills, 90210, Spelling enjoyed a long and prosperous career that spanned five decades and included the creation of more than 200 television shows. Spelling's entertainment career began as an actor in the 1950s. He had small roles in episodes of I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, and Dragnet and appeared in the motion picture Kismet. Spelling then transitioned into writing, directing, and producing. He wrote episodes of Dick Powell's "Zane Grey Theatre," Playhouse 90, and Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. Johnny Ringo, the first television series Spelling produced, was followed by Burke's Law, Honey West, and his first big success, The Mod Squad, which aired from 1968 to 1973. The 1970s and 1980s were tremendously successful decades for Spelling, with many of his series dominating the ABC schedule. Among these shows were The Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, S.W.A.T, Family, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Vega$, T. J. Hooker, Hart to Hart, and Dynasty. Following the cancellation of Dynasty in 1989, Spelling's presence from the ABC schedule dropped, and the media declared that Spelling's successful run had come to a close. In 1990 Spelling proved his naysayers wrong with the introduction of Beverly Hills, 90210, which starred his daughter Tori along with a cadre of attractive young actors. The popular show ran for a decade. Also in the 1990s Spelling produced Melrose Place, 7th Heaven, and Charmed, which aired from 1998 to 2006. In addition to television series, Spelling produced hundreds of television movies, including Satan's School for Girls, Death Sentence, The Best Little Girl in the World, The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, and And the Band Played On. Spelling's autobiography, Aaron Spelling: A Prime Time Life, was published in 1996.

PERIODICALS

Newsweek, July 3, 2006.

New York Times, June 24, 2006.

Washington Post, June 24, 2006.

USA Today, June 25, 2006.