Ian Ziering
Born in Newark, New Jersey on March 30th, 1964, Ian Ziering grew up in New Jersey’s West Orange with two brothers. Although both brothers are more than 10 years older than Ziering, the family has shared a close relationship since the death of Ziering’s mother around 9 years ago.
Ziering’s first role came at the age of 8, when his part in a school production of Yankee Doodle Dandy sparked his love of acting. Although he struggled from dyslexia during his childhood, he dedicated himself to overcoming the troublesome learning disorder, eventually landing parts in television and radio commercials during his teen years. Ziering actually appeared in over 100 commercials between the ages of 12 and 22!
When he was 14, he landed a role in a theatre production of Peter Pan, which gave him an edge toward earning a speaking role in a film with Brooke Shields. At the age of 15, Ziering was also privileged to hold a role in the final musical of Richard Rogers, before his death, titled I Remember Mama. He also took several small speaking parts in soap operas.
After completing high school, and even while still acting in commercials and small film roles, Ziering earned a BA in dramatic arts from William Patterson University in New Jersey.
Ziering is well known for his portrayal of the character Steve Sanders on the television show Beverly Hills, 90210, which aired from October 1990 to May 2000. The show centered on the lives of a group of fictional high school students living in Beverly Hills, California, and would later follow that group of students to a fictional University.
In 1997, Ziering married his girlfriend Nikki Schieler, but Ziering filed for divorce in 2002 due to irreconcilable differences.
Ziering has had a substantial acting career since the end of Beverly Hills. He had guest roles in popular series such as JAG, Guiding Light, and What I Like About You. In 2006, he produced and directed a short film entitled Man vs. Monday, in which he also starred – and subsequently received an Audience Choice Award at the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival in 2006. At the 2006 Monaco Film Festival, Ziering won the award for Best Actor, for his role of Francis in an independent film entitled Stripped Down.
In 2007, Ziering accepted a spot as a celebrity dancer for Season 4 of the reality tv show Dancing with the Stars, dancing with previous winner and competition partner Cheryl Burke.
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