Early work At age six, Spelling was given acting lessons from an acting coach hired by her father, and was subsequently given guest spots on television series such as
The Love Boat,
T. J. Hooker,
Hotel,
Fantasy Island,
Vega$ and
Saved by the Bell. At the age of 17, she was given the role of
Donna Martin on
Beverly Hills, 90210, co-produced by Aaron Spelling's company
Spelling Television. Tori Spelling portrayed Donna for the show's entire run and was nominated for two
Young Artist Awards. While starring on
Beverly Hills, 90210, Spelling was cast in a number of
made-for-television films, including
Co-ed Call Girl (1996),
A Friend to Die For (1994), and
Mother, May I Sleep with Danger? (1996), and several
independent films, including
The House of Yes (1997) and
Trick (1999).
2006–2009 In 2006, Spelling starred as herself in the
VH1 sitcom So Notorious, which parodied her public image. In January 2007, she and her second husband
Dean McDermott pretended to purchase and operate a
bed and breakfast hotel, Chateau La Rue in
Fallbrook, California for their reality series,
Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood, originally
Tori & Dean: Inn Love, which aired on
Oxygen from 2007 to 2012. In July 2007, Spelling became a minister to marry a gay couple at Chateau La Rue. A tape of the wedding ceremony was shown on
Inn Love. Spelling's fashion and jewelry line premiered on
HSN. She released her autobiography,
sTori TELLING, on March 11, 2008. Her second book,
Mommywood, was released on April 14, 2009. On January 7, 2009, it was reported that Spelling would reprise her role as Donna Martin on
Beverly Hills, 90210 spin-off
90210. She appeared in the nineteenth and twentieth episodes of the first season as a special guest star.
2010–present In 2010, Spelling released her third book,
Uncharted TerriTORI. Spelling told
People: "I love sharing my stories and experiences with people and connecting to them on both a humorous and emotional level. The response to my first two books has been so amazing that I wanted to write a third one for my fans."
Home Sweet Hollywood's spin-off series,
Tori & Dean: sTORIbook Weddings premiered on April 6, 2011. Writers, who claimed they came up with the idea of a similar series starring Spelling and husband Dean McDermott, filed a $60 million lawsuit against the series, citing breach of
implied-in-fact contract, breach of
fiduciary duty,
slander of title,
false advertising, and
unfair business practices among other charges. Later in 2011, Spelling voiced the Pirate Princess in
Jake and the Never Land Pirates. She played a role in the comedy short film
Hoarders: Untold sTori which premiered at the
Outfest Film Festival in July 2011. On September 4, 2011, Spelling made an appearance on
Big Brother 13. On April 21, 2012, Spelling hosted
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic 'Royal Wedding' special, celebrating the series' second-season finale, called
A Canterlot Wedding. She also hosted the series premiere of
Craft Wars, where three new contestants each episode battle against each other crafting for a chance to earn $10,000. On December 18, 2012, Spelling appeared on
Nick Jr.'s
Yo Gabba Gabba! and performed a
skit where she baked cookies for the characters on the show. This was part of a Christmas special for the series. The special included other famous guests such as
Tony Hawk and
My Chemical Romance. It was announced on August 26, 2013, that production had started on a reality television series titled
Tori & Dean: Cabin Fever. The series chronicles Spelling, McDermott, and their four children as they move to a lakeside cabin in Ontario, Canada while renovating it into their vacation home. In 2016, Spelling voiced April in the animated movie ''
Izzie's Way Home. The same year, she co-starred in the TV movie Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?'' alongside
James Franco. Since June 24, 2018, Spelling is hosting the TV series
The Look: All Stars. In the same time, she appears in the successful TV movie ''
The Last Sharknado: It's About Time''. On January 30, 2019, Spelling competed in the
first season of
The Masked Singer as "Unicorn". In November 2020, Spelling began a podcast with
Beverly Hills 90210 co-star
Jennie Garth titled
9021OMG, where the two re-watch and share memories from their time on the show and chat about their experiences, along with TV and radio personality Sisanie Villaclara. In 2022, Spelling appeared as a guest on the
Australian and
French versions of
The Masked Singer. In 2023, she competed in the
Spanish version of
The Masked Singer as "Harlequin". In September 2024, Spelling was announced as one of the celebrities competing on
season 33 of
Dancing with the Stars. She is partnered with
Pasha Pashkov. ==Personal life==