Born on Oct. 9, 1978, in Los Angeles, CA, Randall Gene Spelling was the second child and only son of legendary television producer Aaron Spelling and his wife, Candy. Born severely premature, Spelling weighed less than four pounds at birth and was confined to the hospital for the first several weeks of his life. Proving himself a fighter, however, Spelling beat the odds and survived to become a healthy child. Growing up in a sprawling 123 room mansion in L.A.’s exclusive Holmby Hills – at one time, one of the largest private residences in California – Spelling received an early education in show business thanks to his father, who would often take his son in to work with him at the studios. Not surprisingly, the younger Spelling gravitated toward a career in entertainment.
Following in his older sister’s footsteps, Spelling decided to become an actor. Conveniently kicking off his career on one of his father’s shows, Randy made his screen debut in 1992 as a guest star on "Beverly Hills, 90210." Returning in a different role in 1996, Spelling began a 14-episode run as recurring character Ryan Sanders, the trouble-making stepbrother of Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering). From there, Spelling graduated to his first regular role on his father's short-lived daytime drama, "Malibu Shores" (NBC, 1996-97). After that show’s cancellation, Spelling joined the cast of "Sunset Beach" (NBC, 1997-99) as rebellious rich kid, Sean Richards. Another creation of his father, “Sunset Beach” had a more light-hearted tone than “Malibu Shores” and developed into something of a cult hit during its brief run.
Dipping his toe into features, Spelling landed the role of Dexter, one of five high school students on a hijacked bus in the thriller, "Held for Ransom" (2000). He also appeared in two direct-to-video comedies, “Dorm Daze” (2003) and “Pledge This” (2006) – both released under the banner of National Lampoon.
But it was Spelling’s real-life exploits – not so much his on-screen adventures – that garnered him the most attention. A self-professed party animal, Spelling got as much publicity for the trouble he got into off-camera as he did for his acting. To wit: on July 23, 2001, Spelling was arrested in West Hollywood, CA for driving under the influence after he allegedly drove his car into two other vehicles. Years later, Spelling set off another tabloid feeding frenzy with his claim that he took Paris Hilton’s virginity. And then there was the whole family feud between his mother and sister, putting Spelling squarely in the middle, following his father’s death in June, 2006.
Not surprisingly, some astute television execs recognized the potential for a reality-TV show based around Spelling’s life. In 2007, Spelling teamed up with friend Sean Stewart – the son of beloved rocker, Rod Stewart – to star in “Sons of Hollywood,” a candid, behind-the-scenes look into their privileged lives. Described as a real-life “Entourage” (HBO, 2004- ), “Sons of Hollywood” premiered in April to adequate ratings, but less-than-kind reviews.