He is best known for his portrayal of Steve Sanders on the hit teen drama, Beverly Hills 90210, which helped catapult him into worldwide fame. “I was very fortunate to work on a TV show that touched so many people in a positive way all over the world. For ten years, I got to play a character, Steve Sanders, that was like a jungle gym for me. Steve Sanders had a tremendous arc from a spoiled rich kid to loving, successful family man. Nobody saw that coming,” he said.
In 2007, he was a celebrity dancer on the fourth season of the hit ABC series, Dancing with the Stars, where he collaborated with professional partner Cheryl Burke, where they were able to make it all the way to the semi-finals. “That show was one of the toughest things that I have ever done. It was grueling and very challenging to learn a new dance in just five days, and do it well enough to be judged on it. I had a fantastic experience and loved every minute of it,” he said.
In 2013, he became a Las Vegas headliner when he starred as the celebrity guest host of the award-winning production of Chippendales. As a result of this new role, Ziering hit the gym and dropped 30 pounds, transforming himself into a fit and muscled man, where he was able to thrill sold-out audiences. His Chippendales engagement brought him a new wave of fans and international acclaim, and it was a huge success, where he was asked to return to the show in summer of 2014 for another sold-out run. “That was a whole different kind of dancing,” he said, with a loud guffaw. “I worked with them for two summers, two six-week engagements, and had a blast. Who doesn’t love Las Vegas?”
His small-budget film Sharknado had aired in 2013 on the SyFy channel, where it instantly became a social media phenomenon and a cult classic. The latest film in the hit franchise, Sharknado 4: The Fourth Awakens, will debut on July 31, 2016, on SyFy. “It has turned into a summer TV series that only airs once a year. It airs on July 31, and it will be the biggest storm that we’ve ever had,” he said.
A true philanthropist, Ziering has created a new clothing line, Chainsaw Brands, which features items to help one look good and feel good, in any environment. In keeping with his philanthropic nature, a portion of all proceeds from the sale of all items will benefit the less fortunate. “It’s a clothing line that I started about two years ago. It is a classic American style and at leisure wear. There’s actually a Chainsaw shirt that my character, Fin Shepard, wears in Sharknado 4, and they made 100 of them. It is a very limited supply and it is available online, and it has a handtag on it that I personally autographed. It is a collector’s piece,” he said.
In February of 2016, the actor launched Celebrity Hideaways, a source for news, information, travel tips, exclusives, specials and first class experiences for the discerning traveler. “I traveled all over the world. I’ve been so fortunate being on 90210 in the 90’s and did a lot of travel because of that. People are always asking me what’s the coolest place I’ve ever been to. Last year, I realized that there is such a curiosity where all these celebrities travel and there is no website that highlights these all of these places for everyone. They seem to be so exclusive and so hard to find. I put this website together and built this business with another woman, and we came up with Celebrity Hideaways, for people that are looking for the rare and unique hideaways that are typically frequented by the rich and famous, or people of profile,” he said.
In his personal life, he is a loving husband to his wife, Erin Ludwig Ziering, who is a nurse, and together, they have two daughters, both of which were born on the same day two years apart. DaddyScrubs named Ziering “Daddy of the Year” in 2013, which is an award that recognizes fathers who are extremely proactive in raising their children. “That was a nice surprise, and very flattering to be recognized,” he admitted.
In June of 2016, the Ziering family launched their blog, At Home With The Zierings, which is a creative resource for other families. “This is a website, spearheaded by my wife, where we share all of our passions from food, recipes, cooking to fashion and photography. There is also a tremendous amount of creativity and display through all of the activities our kids get involved,” he said. “We get to share some of the adventures I go through and there is a place where I blog about my experiences as a dad. We started it a months ago, and we have been shocked by its response. I look at it like a time capsule for my kids. We are just ordinary people that are passionate about being parents.”
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