About this user
Ian Ziering got the acting bug at age 8 when he played George M. Cohan in his fourth grade production of Yankee Doodle Dandy. After being rejected by a prominent talent agent for bombing in his cold reading, Ian's drive surfaced. He spent the next five years diligently learning to overcome his dyslexia one hour every day in a program that other kids referred to as meeting in the "retard room." Ian's mother, Micki, took Ian back to meet with that same talent agent five years later and she agreed to work with Ian. His career had begun!
Ian landed parts in radio and TV commercials throughout his young adult years. Ian can still recite the Fruit of the Loom commercial where he discovers the talking fruits in his lunch box! From ages 12 to 22, Ian appeared in over 100 commercials.
Born to Micki and Paul Ziering, Ian is the youngest of three sons. Ian is extremely close to his family and sadly, lost his Mother, whom he adored, nine years ago. His brother's are 10 years+ older than him as his Dad jokes, "Ian's the best mistake I ever made." Ian credits his success to the inspiration and dedication of his Mother, Micki.
At age 14, Ian joined a theater tour of Peter Pan, playing in the role of John. This led to a small role in his first feature, Endless Love starring Brooke Shields. He also played in some minor roles on a few soap operas, and later played Nils in Richard Rogers' last Broadway musical, I Remember Mama, at age 15. It ran for 8 months.
Ian finished high school and attended William Patterson University in New Jersey. He continued to act during college and while on school breaks.
Shortly after college, Ian landed the role of Steve Sanders in a "new" series known at the time as Class of Beverly Hills. The show changed its name after the first episode to Beverly Hills 90210. The success of the show helped to define and shape a decade of TV viewers during its popular run from 1990 to 2000.
After Beverly Hills 90210, Ian appeared in several independent movies, including Domino, Savate, No Way Back, and Stripped Down. He also appeared in guest roles on TV shows including JAG and What I Like About You, among others.
In 2006, Ian wrote, directed and produced a comedic short film titled, Man vs. Monday. Also, in 2006, Ian won a Best Actor Award at the Monaco Film Festival for his portrayal of "Francis" in Stripped Down.
Ian's latest and greatest challenge is Dancing with the Stars. He was reluctant to cross over from scripted work into the world of reality television but Ian sees Dancing in a class of its own. Dancing is art. Dancing is the expression of talent and emotion. It gives Ian great pleasure to participate in the show, and to express himself through the art of dance -- something very new for him.
Ian has never had professional dance lessons, aside from a few classes when he preparing for theater auditions as a teen. But in the words of Ian's 86 year old Dad, "Ian always was a good dancer; a terrible singer, but a good dancer."
It also gives Ian great satisfaction to perform honoring the memory of his Mother, Micki Ziering. "I know she's looking down on me with a big smile on her face, watching her boy learn these dances," says Ian. "I can still picture her at the edge of her seat and smiling at me from the audience at the Majestic Theater on Broadway, back when I was 15, performing in I Remember Mama."
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Don't miss Ian Ziering and Cheryl Burke on Dancing with the Stars every Monday night at 8pm (7pm Central) on ABC, and don't forget to vote for them either by telephone or online at the homepage of this website. Ian and Cheryl need your votes to continue on each week!
