On May 16, 1973, the angels got together and decided to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled moondust in her hair and golden starlight... well, you probably know the rest.

Born in the humble log cabin her father built, Tori Spelling is the only surviving human child of actor/writer/producer Aaron Spelling and his lovely wife, Carol (known to Beverly Hills jewelry-store proprietors as "Candy").

Moments after Tori's birth, her parents were horrified to discover that her full name, Victoria Davy-Micky-Mike-Peter Spelling (Mom and Dad are big "Monkees" fans!) was just too darn long to fit on the birth certificate. So her Mom shortened Tori's middle name to just "Davey" (for Davy Jones -- "the cute one"). This helps to explain Tori's irrational obsession with pretty boys, as well as her fondness for the song "Cuddly Toy".

Growing up in Hollywood, surrounded by celebrities, and up to her ear-lobes in the glitter and glamor of show business, Tori never had any real doubts about her career objectives. As early as age 6, she knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up...

But then she learned that astronauts have to, y'know, like, study math and all that sciencey stuff...

So she became an actress instead.

That decision worked out pretty well, what with her Daddy being a multi-gazillionaire TV producer and everything. Tori worked hard every day, putting in long hours, polishing her skills, and perfecting her craft. In 1991, she put on a wig and dark sunglasses -- so her Dad's employees could pretend they didn't recognize her -- and auditioned (as "Tori Steele") for the role of "TEEN-AGE HIGH SCHOOL GIRL #4" (later re-named "Donna Martin") on her father's hit show, Beverly Hills 90210.

Securing the role of a 17-year-old high school student meant beating out some very serious competition; competition that included such veteran performers as Angela Landsbury, Joan Rivers, Don Knotts, and that big Jabba the Hut puppet from STAR WARS. Quite an accomplishment for a 17-year old girl!

90210 has been a mainstay of the Fox Network since it premiered, and, along with programs like The Simpsons, Married... with Children, Mad TV, Who Wants to Marry a Multi-millionaire? and When Animals Attack, has helped to earn for the Fox Network the coveted title of
"Network for the Lowest Common Denominator "
(a title only recently usurped by upstarts UPN and the WB).

90210 (currently in its ninth and -- allegedly -- final season) continues on and on like some undead monster from a 50's "B" movie, despite having long ago outlived it premise: The fish-out-of-water story of a family of Minnesotans searching for signs of intelligent life in Southern California. The Minnesotans are all gone now -- driven off by the horrors of L.A. -- but the show itself lingers on...

During its lengthy run, Tori's show has repeatedly demonstrated its relevance by tackling important social issues like drug abuse, teen abstinence, rape, AIDS prevention, and the hidden hazards of mermaid costumes. Each week, to the delight of millions of 90210 viewers, Tori and her merry band of spoiled, whining, rich kids stretch their acting talents to the limit by portraying a bunch of spoiled, whining, rich kids.

Despite the enormous disadvantages of wealth and privilege that Fate has cruelly heaped on her slender little frame, Tori Spelling's beauty, grace, intelligence, charm, and talent -- sharpened by years of toil and perserverance -- have helped her to become what she is today:

Daddy's Li'l Princess.

Tori's interests include roller-blading, wasting her valuable time with losers and pretty-boys who don't treat her right, working much too hard, and (Thank You, God!) running around town in outfits that might make a
Co-ed Call Girl
Awake to Danger.

The tabloids get plenty of mileage out of Tori's taste in clothes (there must be at least a dozen paparrazi tooling around in cars they could never afford if Tori were given to more conservative styles). They also profit greatly from exaggerated accounts of her sometimes eccentric antics. Even so, it has to be said: Tori Spelling is remarkably -- even astonishingly -- normal considering the environment that produced her. In a town whose human landfill overflows with the wreckage of those who couldn't resist the darker temptations offered by Money and Fame, Tori's most serious mis-steps consist of being overly candid with interviewers and flaunting perhaps a little too much of her sensational bod:   Good girl!

Tori's fondest wish -- and a gol-darned admirable one, at that -- is to someday get herself all liquored-up, put on a really good disguise (with a couple of fake tatoos, maybe) and go to work as a stripper, gyrating her little heart out (well, probably more than just her little heart, come to think of it!) for the entertainment of the lap-dance-consuming public:  Very Good girl!

Just LOOK at this angel face!


Between you and me, I think maybe I'm in love!

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All photographs incorporated into The Tori Spelling Zone were retrieved from the WWW and are (except where attribution of source has been made) believed by the author to exist in the Public Domain.
Text and original artwork Copyright © MIM John E. Morrell. All rights reserved.