Ian Ziering
Ian Ziering is an American actor, best known for his roles as Steve Sanders on Beverly Hills, 90210, and as Fin Shepard in the Sharknado film series. Ziering has also appeared on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars and Donald Trump’s reality TV show, Celebrity Apprentice where he placed sixth.
Ian Andrew Ziering was born on March 30, 1965 (now age 59) in Newark, New Jersey, to Muriel “Mickie” and Paul M. Ziering. His father was a teacher and saxophonist. He grew up in a Jewish household in West Orange, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, alongside his older brothers Jeff and Barry. Ziering has admitted that he had bedwetting problems as a child, a key source of inspiration behind his recent collaboration with Goodnites diapers. Acting at an early age, he began to book national commercials and radio spots at age twelve, soon transitioning to soap operas and stage plays. His most notable role early in his career was as Cameron Stewart on The Guiding Light, but he also made appearances in the Broadway production of I Remember Mama and in a national tour with Peter Pan. An early notable film appearance for Ziering was in 1981 as Brook Shields’ little brother in Endless Love.
Ziering graduated from West Orange High School in 1982. He later attended William Patterson University in 1988.
His break came in 1990 when Ziering booked the role of Steve Sanders in Beverly Hills, 90210. Playing a high school student and friend to main character Brendan Walsh, he was one of four series regulars to remain throughout the duration of the entire series. The series was eventually nominated for a slew of Emmys and Golden Globes nominations and ran for eleven seasons.
Ziering continued his stint on television in 1998 when he was cast as the voice for Dr. Niko Tatopoulos in Godzilla: The Series, an animated series based on the 1998 Godzilla remake starring Matthew Broderick. This would not be the last time he would lend his voice to an animated series, as Ziering played a mutant, anthropomorphic mouse named Vinnie in Biker Mice From Space. Future voice-over roles include parts in Spiderman, The Mighty Ducks and Batman Beyond. Concurrently with his TV roles, Ziering appeared in the 1995 action/western Savate. The title refers to a French variation on kickboxing.
Ziering continued to act in small projects post-2000, and consistently returned to television for appearances in shows like CSI: NY, JAG and Fran Drescher’s Happily Divorced. In 2006, he produced, directed and starred in the short film Man vs. Monday, which earned an Audience Choice Award at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. That same year, he won Best Actor at the Monaco Film Festival for his portrayal of Francis, an IRS agent after a former stripper and club manager.
Ziering soon found himself in the world of reality television, first as dancer Cheryl Burke‘s partner on season four of Dancing With The Stars. Following the celebrity dance competition, he began to pursue roles as a television host. His most current hosting gig is for HGTV’s A-List Pets. In 2007, he auditioned for the hosting role for on The Price Is Right; the job eventually went to Drew Carey.
After a gap of a few years, Ziering started to make a comeback with he booked a headliner role in the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas as a Chippendales performer, at 49 years old. Wanting to look the part, Ziering hit the gym and dropped over thirty pounds. “I had to get my body composition down to the right proportions that would enable me not to embarrass myself,” he laughingly told uSports. “I was only doing it to put my kids through school…and I had a lot of fun.” Ziering performed to a sold-out audience, and his success on stage made him a major Las Vegas draw, prompting the hotel to rehire him for a show in 2014.
At the same time as his soon-to-be-majorly-successful run with Chippendales, the first iteration of the sci-fi comedy TV movie Sharknado was released. Playing Fin Shepard, a bar owner and surfer who must rescue his wife when a water spout drops man-eating sharks into a flooded Los Angeles. Ziering was initially very reluctant to take the part, he exclusively told uInterview. “I think the craziest thing was when I first saw the script, and I read the scene where I had to climb up a rope and there was a shark jumping out the water trying to bite me, and I looked at my wife and I said, ‘I can’t do this movie, it’ll be the end of my career,” he recounted. “And my wife, with our daughter Mia in her arms and Penna still in her belly, she quickly reminded me that I needed to go to work, I needed to make my insurance quota.” Faced with the prospect of not having the health care he wanted for his growing family, Ziering acquiesced. Luckily, while he hoped that the micro-budget film would quickly fade from memory, it did quite the opposite, becoming a cult classic that averages 5,000 tweets-per-minute during its premiere, the largest number of impressions ever for a television show. It was so popular that the film was released theatrically to satiate fans. Since then, the original Sharknado film has spawned five sequels, the most recent release in 2018; Ziering has been a leader throughout the entire franchise and has become somewhat iconographic himself, an image of Fin Shepard wielding a chainsaw one of the most memorable images in the series.
Looking back on Sharknado’s enormous success, Ziering confesses to it all being a little mind-boggling. “Sharknado is a global phenomenon, in 190 countries around the world… this is one of, if not the, most successful television movie in the history of television… It’s astonishing to me,” he told uInterview.
Ziering returned to reality television in 2015, appearing on season seven of Celebrity Apprentice. As all celebrities on the show compete for charity, Ziering was able to raise $320,000 for the EB Medical Research Foundation, the fourth-highest celebrity fundraiser in the history of the show. When asked about his experience working with Trump and the 2016 election, Ziering told uInterview that, “Donald Trump is a very polarizing man, you either love him or you hate him, very dynamic individual,” he said. “I’m not sure who I’m going to vote for, it’s still up the air, there are so many variables to consider, but anything’s possible.”
Beyond his acting and television pursuits, Ziering also recently launched a new clothing line, Chainsaw Brands and CelebrityHideaways.com, a luxury travel site dedicated to helping travels book similar vacations to the rich and famous.
Ziering is currently married to his second wife, Erin Kristine Ludwig, a nurse. They have been together since February 3, 2010. Ziering split from his previous wife, Playboy Playmate Nikki Ziering (Natalie Schieler) in November 2002, after being together since July 1997. He has two young daughters, Penna Mae and Mia Loren. A present father, he is often seen spending time with them, he was named DaddyScrubs “Daddy of the Year 2013,” an award that recognizes fathers who are extremely proactive in raising their children.
Recently, Ziering and Ludwig have created an online resource blog for other families, called AtHomeWithTheZierings
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