‘Dancing with the Stars’ contestant Tori Spelling has spoken openly about her father and mother
With and for parents, had a unique childhood and introduction to Hollywood.
Her TV producer father and theater star mother were married for nearly 40 years before Aaron died in 2006. Throughout their union, they raised Tori and her younger brother, , in Holmby Hills, a wealthy neighborhood in Los Angeles. When Tori was in her late teens, her family moved into Spelling Manor, a 56,500-square-foot mansion.
“[My dad] really built that because it was my mom’s dream, and he wanted her to be happy,” she said during a February 2022 episode of her podcast, . “He was so in love with her.”
Aaron encouraged Tori to follow in his footsteps in the TV industry, and by the time she was 17, he landed her a role in , the hit Fox show he produced in the ‘90s. Decades later, the Dancing with the Stars contestant paid tribute to her father in an April 2018 , sharing an old photo of them embracing and smiling. In her caption, Tori called him her “hero,” a “creative genius” and “.”
Although Tori and Candy have previously been estranged, they have a close relationship today. On Mother’s Day in 2024, the actress shared throwback pictures in a series of Instagram Stories and wrote, “ mommy — and how to set a proper dinner party table and always how to spot a fake purse.”
Here’s everything to know about Tori Spelling’s parents, Candy and Aaron Spelling.
Aaron and Candy met in 1965
In September 2015, Candy recalled the night she met Aaron during a chat with . The Tony Award-winning producer revealed she first encountered her late husband at a Beverly Hills, Calif., nightclub in 1965.
“We were both on dates with different people, and he asked me to dance,” she shared. “I knew that he was divorced and a bachelor around town who dated the flavor of the month.”
( was actress Carolyn Jones, whom he divorced in 1964.)
When Aaron told Candy, “I’m going to marry you,” she thought, “What a line.” Still, they danced for several more songs that evening.
Three years later, they married on Nov. 23, 1968.
Aaron and Candy shared two children
Within the first five years of their marriage, Aaron and Candy welcomed their daughter Tori on May 16, 1973, followed by their son Randy on Oct. 9, 1978.
While speaking to PEOPLE in September 2023, Randy shared that although he and Tori “disagreed on a lot of things” when they were kids, he still “looked up to her” during their childhood.
“I wanted to watch cartoons, she wanted to watch the news,” the Oldish podcast host recounted. “I’m sure I annoyed the heck out of her.”
Tori and Randy share a special bond to this day, with the former actor sometimes acting like he’s “big brotherly” or “still a little brother.”
“We remain close, and I’m proud of her,” he added. “I think she’s a very strong person. She is resilient.”
They gave their kids a celebrity-style childhood
Growing up with famous parents, Tori got accustomed to posing for photographers at a young age. to events like the 12th-anniversary party for The Rainbow Guild in 1984 and the in 1986.
The actress also spent a few memorable teenage years in her father’s famous mansion, Spelling Manor, also known as “Candyland.”
The sprawling L.A. abode, built in 1991, featured a bowling alley, an arcade, rooms for flower cutting and gift-wrapping, a wing for her mother’s staff and more. The family also hosted several famous guests there, including then-.
“I never saw every room, and I lived there for two years,” Tori admitted during an episode of 90210MG. “It didn’t feel like a hotel, I mean it was warm. Or as warm as a 56,000-square foot mansion can be.”
However, her family’s lifestyle and wealth were sometimes difficult for Tori. “I was so disconnected, especially when I was younger,” she said. “People would make fun of me for my dad having money, that was embarrassing to me. It was an embarrassment of riches.”
The Mystery Girls star explained that while living there, she thought, “No one should have this. This is crazy.” Spelling Manor was later sold for $85 million in 2011, per .
Aaron gave Tori her role in Beverly Hills, 90210
In March 2008, Tori admitted to that she got the part of Donna Martin in Beverly Hills, 90210 “from [her] dad,” who produced the show.
Still, she emphasized that she started as a supporting character and worked hard to become a lead.
Although Aaron gave Tori her start in Hollywood, it made for a tricky dynamic. According to the actress, he made sure that until the end of the series — something Tori didn’t know for sure until afterward.
However, Aaron was not aware of the fact that most of the cast had already been involved with one another, Tori later revealed in her 2008 memoir sTori Telling. “It was pretty intense,” she told GMA.
Tori also appeared in her father’s TV series, The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
Tori wrote about how her parents strongly impacted her
In her 2008 memoir, sTori Telling, Tori shed light on the complexities of her childhood and the highs and lows of her relationship with her parents.
“My life has been funnier and sadder and richer and poorer than any of the magazines know,” she wrote, per an excerpt from .
The actress recalled memories that deeply affected her, including when she asked her mom if she was pretty. “She looked at me and said, ‘You will be when we get your nose done,’ ” Tori wrote. She was “stunned” by the commentary and ended up getting a nose job when she turned 16.
The TV personality also detailed a field trip that her class took to Aaron’s studio, which made her feel more like an outcast among her peers.
“At the end of the day, the whole class stood for a photo,” Tori recalled. “Just before the shutter clicked, he picked me up and held me high above the class. My face in the photo says it all. I was beyond embarrassed that my father was lifting me up like that. I just wanted to fit in.”
Wealth and influence aside, Aaron and Candy’s smaller, private gestures stuck with Tori the most. She admitted, though, that she never quite knew how to express her gratitude for these things.
“My mother loved decorating for and with us, coloring Easter eggs, carving jack-o’-lanterns, setting up moving Santa scenes at Christmastime,” she shared. “The seashells, the holiday characters, the decorations, these were pure, sweet moments that weren’t about putting on a show, they were about making us happy.”
What she remembered “with the most affection” was having her father sit with her in their Jacuzzi and make up stories. “My father was a slight man with slouchy shoulders that made him appear even smaller,” Tori reflected. “For all his power in Hollywood, most of the time he’d appear in a jogging suit with a pipe.”
Aaron died in 2006
Aaron died at age 83 on June 23, 2006, after suffering complications from a stroke.
Two weeks before his death, Tori and her husband at the time, , had a special visit with Aaron.
“It was the best day, having my dad meet the love of my life,” she told PEOPLE in July 2006. “My dad gave me a big kiss on the lips and we said we loved each other.”
Tori continued, “In the end he hugged Dean and said, ‘Take care of my baby.’ It was a moment I’ll cherish forever.”
Candy helped Tori through her split
Candy was there for her daughter after in June 2023 after 17 years of marriage.
A source told PEOPLE the following month, “ that her and her kids would absolutely be taken care of and there should be no financial insecurity moving forward.”
They also revealed that Candy grew closer to Tori’s kids around that time. (: Liam, Stella, Hattie, Finn and Beau.)
“The children are Candy’s whole world, and she loves spending as much time with them as possible,” the insider said.
Tori and Candy have grown closer over the years
Over the years, Tori and her mother, Candy, have experienced ebbs and flows in their relationship. Still, they have always found their way back to each other.
During an appearance on in October 2022, Candy shared, “We’ve had a good relationship, but .”
The following summer, an insider told PEOPLE in July 2023 that their “.” They revealed that Tori “regretted” focusing on their differences because “they lost a lot of time.” Now, “she hopes to make up for it.”
For Candy’s 78th birthday in September 2023, Tori posted a featuring several throwback photos of her and her mom.
“Grateful to be your daughter,” she wrote. “Some of my happiest memories involve laughing so hard with you that we were happy crying uncontrollably and you doing your LOL wheeze.”
For more People news, make sure to
Read the original article on .
This article originally appeared on www.aol.com: www.aol.com https://www.aol.com/tori-spelling-famous-parents-dad-140046911.html