Credited by The Guinness Book of World Records as being the most prolific producer in Television history, Aaron Spelling has been the driving force behind such hits as The Mod Squad, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Dynasty, Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place, to name but a few. Spelling's resume, stretching from the 1950s to present, could easily go on for several pages. Often dismissed by critics as the "King of Schlock," Spelling produced shows which have been some of the most highly rated programs in television history and many survive today in syndication. In his 70s, Spelling shows no sign of resting on his laurels, with new shows coming out practically every season.

He was born in Dallas, Texas on April 22, 1923. The son of an immigrant Russian tailor, Aaron Spelling grew up in a small frame house in the Jewish ghetto in Dallas "on the wrong side of the tracks," as he wrote in his 1996 autobiography. He was the fourth son of immigrant Jews, his father from Poland, mother from Russia. The father's name, Spurling, was simplified to Spelling by an Ellis Island official. Traumatized by constant bullying from his WASP schoolmates, Spelling psychosomatically lost the use of his legs at age eight and was confined to bed for a year. He spent his solitude with the written works of Mark Twain, O. Henry, and other masters, developing his own storytelling skills in the process. After wartime service with the Army Air Force, Spelling attended Southern Methodist University, then headed to New York, hoping to find work as an actor and writer.

No one was interested in his writing, though he did eventually secure a few good film and TV roles (he was the squirrelly murderer in Vicki, the 1952 remake of 1941's I Wake Up Screaming). In 1953 he married actress Carolyn Jones and they moved to California where he sold his first written script to Jane Wyman Theater, breaking Spelling into the world of screenwriting. While her career flourished, his dreams of becoming a great writer dwindled, and he reluctantly returned to acting. Spelling's writing skills finally came to the attention of actor/production executive Dick Powell, who hired Spelling as a scripter and producer for Powell's Four Star Productions, where he began to write for television programs Playhouse 90 and Last Man. Spelling's strong suit during this period was the ability to woo TV-shy film actors into the Four Star fold by writing the sort of parts they'd like to play, but had never been permitted to by the Hollywood typecasting system. After Dick Powell died in 1963, Aaron Spelling and comedian/TV mogul Danny Thomas formed Thomas-Spelling Productions. The Mod Squad was their first major hit in 1968. Between 1957 and 1974, Aaron Spelling screen wrote for fourteen productions and programs.

Aaron Spelling and Carolyn Jones divorced in 1965 with no children, and three years later he married Carol Jean Marer, or Candy Spelling. The couple had two children together: Tori Spelling (born Victoria in 1973) and Randy Spelling (born Randall in 1978). Their home in Los Angeles, California is the biggest one-family home in the state.

Aaron Spelling created Aaron Spelling Productions in 1974, as well as another company with producer Leonard Goldberg. In 1986 his company went public as Spelling Entertainment. Aaron Spelling has produced a plethora of productions in both film and television, and has worked on almost two hundred, ranging widely in variation.

Whenever accused of merely turning out "schlock," Spelling could point with pride to his highly regarded weekly drama Family, and, much later, to his Emmy win for Day One, a 1989 TV movie about the wartime Manhattan Project. He also produced more than 140 television movies. Among the most notable: "Death Sentence" (1974), Nick Nolte's first starring role; "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (1976), John Travolta's first dramatic role; and "The Best Little Girl in the World" (1981), which starred Jennifer Jason Leigh. After several years of various projects, Aaron Spelling once more became the king of youth-oriented television with his 1990 series Beverly Hills 90210 (which co-starred his daughter, Tori) and the equally popular follow-up, Melrose Place. Spelling's name continued to grace the credits of numerous youth-oriented soaps on the fledgling WB and UPN networks right up until his death in June of 2006.

In early 2006, Spelling was sued by his former nurse for claims of sexual harassment, battery, discrimination, assault, retaliation, and wrongful termination. Later in the year, on June 18, he had a severe stroke at home in California and died five days later on June 23, 2006, at the age of eighty-three from stroke complications.

In a special tribute at the 58 Emmy Awards (August 27, 2006), stars of "Dynasty" and "Charlie's Angels" recalled the mastermind of those and other hit shows as a star-maker with a sense for what audiences wanted.

"Aaron made TV that simply tasted good," said Stephen Collins, who stars on the critically praised Spelling show "7th Heaven." "He had his share of serious projects, but no one did guilty pleasure better than Aaron."

The emotional tribute to the late Aaron Spelling was perhaps the most emotionally charged moment of Sunday night's Emmy Awards. Original Charlie's Angels stars Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith reunited at the Emmy Awards on Sunday night to remember producing legend Aaron Spelling. After a host of clips highlighting some of the producer's hit shows, the Angels then appeared on stage to the delight of the crowd. Jackson gave a moving tribute to Spelling, which brought a number of people to tears, including Spelling's widow Candy. "I can still smell the pipe and the cologne he wore every day," said Kate Jackson. "I can feel his arm around my shoulder and the thrill I first felt when he looked at me and said 'Baby, you have stardust in your eyes.' " “Miracles do happen,” said Jaclyn Smith, the third member of the hit 1970s show. “I’m sure that he is looking down and smiling on us right now knowing that he brought us together again. Aaron loved actors, and we loved him right back.” Aaron Spelling will always be remembered as an exceptional American film and television producer, holding the title of the world’s most prolific television producer.

THE LIST GOES ON   Among producer Aaron Spelling's many other series and movies:   Burke's Law (1963-66) Honey West (1965-66) The Mod Squad (1968-73) The Rookies (1972-76) S.W.A.T. (1975-76) Charlie's Angels (1976-81) Starsky and Hutch (1975-79) The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976) The Love Boat (1977-86) Vega$ (1978-81) Hart to Hart (1979-84) The Best Little Girl in the World (1981) Dynasty (1981-89) T.J. Hooker (1982-87) Mr. Mom (1983) Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000) Melrose Place (1992-99) And the Band Played On (1993) 7th Heaven (1996-present) Charmed (1998-2006)

Aaron Spelling Fast Facts:

• Served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II.
• Was a cheerleader in college.
• He and his second wife, Candy, bought Bing Crosby's house in L.A.'s Holmby Hills and knocked it down to build a 123-room estate.
• Earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• In 1999, he was awarded the Guinness World Record for Most Prolific TV Drama Producer, mounting 3,842 hours of television since 1956.

Aaron Spelling Relationships:

• Candy Spelling - Wife
• Carolyn Jones - Ex-wife
• David Spelling - Father
• Pearl Spelling - Mother
• Randall Gene Spelling - Son
• Victoria Davey Spelling - Daughter

Aaron Spelling Awards:

• 1970 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee "The Mod Squad"
• 1977 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee "Family"
• 1978 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee "Family"
• 1980 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee "Family"
• 1982 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee "Dynasty"
• 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Single Program--Drama or Comedy - Winner "Day One"
• 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Made for Television Movie - Winner "And The Band Played On"