Aaron Spelling (April 221923 – June 232006) was an American film and television producer. As of 2007, Spelling holds the record for most prolific television producer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits.

Spelling was born in Dallas, Texas, to Polish Jewish immigrant parents.

At the age of eight, 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.

Spelling attended Forest Avenue High School. After serving with the United States Army Air Forces, he attended Southern Methodist University, graduating in 1949. He married actress Carolyn Jones in 1953, and they moved to California.

Spelling sold his first script to Jane Wyman Theater in 1954. He went on to write for Dick Powell, Playhouse 90, and Last Man, amongst others. Later, he also found work as an actor. In total he played screen parts in 22 programs (in several shows, a few episodes, yet none of his flagships) and perhaps the best known being Gunsmoke between 1956 and 1997. During the 1950s, Spelling joined Powell's Four Star Productions.

After Powell's death, Spelling formed Thomas-Spelling Productions with Danny Thomas. Their first success was with the television show The Mod Squad. In total he wrote for 14 television productions between 1957 and 1974, including several series with multiple episodes to his credit. He also began a collaboration at this time with associate producer Shelley Hull, who, aside from "The Mod Squad", worked with Spelling on "The Rookies" and "Charlie's Angels." Hull also worked with Spelling in 1976 on the hit ABC movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble", starring a young John Travolta. Spelling directed only once, on "The Conchita Vasquez Story", a 1959 TV Episode of "Wagon Train".

Spelling divorced Jones in 1965 and in 1968 he married Carole Gene Marer, who took his name as Candy Spelling. He was father of Victoria Davey Spelling and Randall Gene Spelling, both of whom became actors as teenagers, as Tori Spelling and Randy Spelling. They appeared in several of their father's productions, most notably in "Beverly Hills, 90210".

In 1991, Spelling bought the home and six acre lot of Bing Crosby's former Los Angeles house. He demolished the property, and built a 123-room home for the cost of USD $47,000,000, named "The Manor", which occupies 56,500 square feet (on a five-acre site) and is the largest single-family dwelling in Hollywood (34°4'23"N 118°25'41"W).

In 1972, he created Aaron Spelling Productions, and formed another co-production company with Leonard Goldberg. Spelling took his own company public in 1986 as Spelling Entertainment. Spelling also produced the NBC daytime soap opera Sunset Beach from 1997 to 1999, and in one of his few acting roles since the 1960s, played one of Bette's (Kathleen Noone) ex-husbands for one day in 1997. He also appeared as himself on 27 programs between 1992 and 2005. After 2000, Spelling rarely gave serious interviews, and control of the Spelling Television company has been directed by his business partner E. Duke Vincent and the company's president, Jonathan Levin.

In 2004, Spelling was portrayed by Dan Castellaneta in the NBC film "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels".

On January 152006 "Charmed" became the longest running show with all female leads, surpassing "Laverne and Shirley".

On April 42007 it was announced that "7th Heaven's" series finale on May 132007 would be dedicated to Aaron Spelling. Already every single episode from Season 11, read these words at the beginning of the closing credits: "In memory of Aaron Spelling".

Spelling worked in some capacity on almost 200 productions beginning with the Zane Grey Theatre in 1956. His most recognizable contributions to television include Beverly Hills 90210 and its adult spin-off Melrose Place with Heather Locklear, Starsky and Hutch, Family, Hotel, The Rookies, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Vega$, Hart to Hart, Dynasty, The Colbys, T.J. Hooker, Nightingales, Kindred: The Embraced, 7th Heaven, Charmed, Burke's Law, Honey West, The Mod Squad, and S.W.A.T.. 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 NBC TV series Titans with Yasmine Bleeth in 2000 and Summerland in 2005. For all his golden touches, he also had a miss or two, most notable among them was The San Pedro Beach Bums in 1977.

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. This is regarded as proof that Spelling could please critics as well as viewers.

In 2001, Spelling was diagnosed with oral cancer.

On January 282006, Spelling was sued by his former nurse who sought unspecified damages for 10 claims, including sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, sexual battery, assault, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

On June 182006, Spelling suffered a severe stroke at his estate in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California. He died there five days later on June 232006, from complications of the stroke, at the age of 83. A private funeral was held several days later, and Spelling was interred in a mausoleum in Hillside Memorial Park in Culver City, California.

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* *Aaron Spelling Obituary and Public Tributes