American actor Ian Ziering was born on March 30, 1964 in Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in the nearby town of West Orange, and eventually graduated from William Patterson College in Wayne, New Jersey. He began acting when he was 12 years old, initially appearing in television and radio commercials. He made his acting debut in 1981, appearing in the Oscar-nominated drama Endless Love. That same year, he starred in the daytime soap The Doctors. He played occasional roles in other shows, including Guiding Light, Married… with Children and several television films.
Ziering got his big break in 1990, when he joined the cast of the drama series Beverly Hills 90210. He was part of the show’s cast in its entire ten-year run, playing the role of Steve Sanders. Son of a successful businessman and a famous actress, he was originally a more laid-back person who often sought thrills and didn’t mind taking the easy way out to get ahead of everybody. As the series passed, however, he matured and became a more responsible individual, while still retaining his humorous streak. Ziering also appeared in early episodes of its spin-off series, Melrose Place.
Ziering also has an established film career. After his debut, in the 1995 release No Way Back, he has starred in several other films such as Six Months Later, Baby on Board and Stripped Down, for which he won the Best Actor award from the Monaco Film Festival in 2006. He also directed a comedy short, Man vs. Monday, which was shown in 2006. He is also an accomplished voice talent, providing his voice to characters in animated series such as Mighty Ducks, Spider-Man and both version of Biker Mice from Mars.
Ziering was also a regular in the reality show circuit. He competed in the fourth season, of Dancing with the Stars, and was paired up with professional dancer Cheryl Burke. They made the semi-final round and, despite well-received performances, did not reach the finals. He was also the host of another dance-based reality series, Your Mama Don’t Dance.