All About Tori Spelling’s Famous Parents, Dad Aaron and Mom Candy

Mar. 15, 2025

Tori Spelling, Aaron Spelling and Candy Spelling during The 15th Carousel Of Hope Ball - Arrivals at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.Photo:Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

WithCandyandAaron Spellingfor parents,Tori Spellinghad a unique childhood and introduction to Hollywood.

“[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,90210MG. “He was so in love with her."

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, “Thank you for teaching me strength and resiliencemommy —  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

Aaron Spelling and Candy Spelling attend a pre-victory party for George McGovern at Marlo Thomas’s house in Beverly Hills, California, on June 5, 1972.Fairchild Archive/Getty

Fairchild Archive/Getty

In September 2015, Candy recalled the night she met Aaron during a chat withThe Hollywood Reporter.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.”

(Aaron’s first wifewas 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

Aaron Spelling and his family pose for a portrait in Los Angeles, California in 1997.Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

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,” theOldishpodcast 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

Left to right: Tori Spelling, Candy Spelling, Aaron Spelling and Randy Spelling.Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Growing up with famous parents, Tori got accustomed to posing for photographers at a young age.She accompanied Aaron and Candyto events like the 12th-anniversary party for The Rainbow Guild in 1984 and thePeople’s Choice Awardsin 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-Prince Charles.

“I never saw every room, and I lived there for two years,” Tori admitted during an episode of90210MG.“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.”

TheMystery Girlsstar 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, perThe Hollywood Reporter.

Aaron gave Tori her role inBeverly Hills, 90210

Tori Spelling, Aaron Spelling and Candy Spelling during “House of Yes” premiere in Los Angeles, California.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

In March 2008, Tori admitted toGood Morning Americathat she got the part of Donna Martin inBeverly 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 thather character remained a virginuntil 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 memoirsTori Telling. “It was pretty intense,” she toldGMA.

Tori wrote about how her parents strongly impacted her

Aaron Spelling and Candy Spelling with daughter Tori Spelling in the 1980s.Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty

Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty

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 fromCNBC.

“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

Tori Spelling with her dad Aaron Spelling.SGranitz/WireImage

SGranitz/WireImage

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,Dean McDermott, 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."

Candy helped Tori through her split

Tori Spelling and mother Candy Spelling attend LA’s Best annual family dinner 2015 at Skirball Cultural Center on June 27, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Candy was there for her daughter afterTori and Dean separatedin June 2023 after 17 years of marriage.

A source told PEOPLE the following month, “She has given Tori assurancesthat 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. (Tori and Dean share five children: ​​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

Tori Spelling and mom Candy Spelling attend Alex Hitz’s “Occasions To Celebrate” Book Party on October 6, 2022 at Dennis Basso in New York City.Patrick McMullan/Getty

Patrick McMullan/Getty

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 onSiriusXM’sJeff Lewis Livein October 2022,Candy shared, “We’ve had a good relationship, butit’s like next-level right now.”

The following summer, an insider told PEOPLE in July 2023 that their “relationship is the best it’s ever been.” 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 atouching Instagram tributefeaturing 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.”

source: people.com