Spencer Pratt

Throughout its history, Hollywood witnessed its share of great leading men, from Humphrey Bogart to Marlon Brando to Denzel Washington. Spencer Pratt, however, was not one of them. But the notorious tabloid personality managed to capture America's attention by shamelessly promoting his personal life and commercial exploits with girlfriend/fiancée/protégé Heidi Montag, to whom he proposed marriage in May 2007 on their reality show, "The Hills" (MTV, 2006-10). Despite insisting that their "candid" photos in magazines like US Weekly and In Touch or turbulent relationship on "The Hills" was real, few really bought it. Then again, because of their ubiquitous presence throughout the media landscape, both he and Montag carved out lucrative careers without anyone really knowing just why they were famous in the first place.

Born Aug. 14, 1983, the son of a Los Angeles-based dentist and raised in Malibu, CA, Pratt studied business at the University of Southern California before he weaseled his way to becoming a series regular on "The Hills," MTV's docudrama that centered around former Teen Vogue magazine intern and aspiring fashion designer, Lauren Conrad, and her friends.

Almost from the start, the show was criticized in all quarters for being faked, despite its pretentions to being an unscripted reality series. Some critics even pointed out that both Montag and Conrad only shot scenes at their places of employment without doing any actual work when the cameras were gone. Meanwhile, Pratt and Montag were caught filming a departure scene at Los Angeles International Airport, only to film the subsequent arrival home only an hour later. Throughout its run, Pratt and his fellow "Hills" castmates were routinely forced to defend the reality myth.

As ubiquitous a presence online as he was on television and at the checkout stand, Pratt boasted in his "About Me" section on his MySpace.com profile that he created and executive-produced "The Princes of Malibu" (Fox, 2005), a short-lived reality series that starred notorious Hollywood playboy Brody Jenner. Pratt and Jenner were inseparable best friends and business partners, until the bitter feud between Montag and "Hills" queen bee Conrad took its toll on their friendship. The main cause of the friction was a rumor reportedly started by Pratt and Montag about a sex tape that featured Conrad. Jenner went on to befriend and later date Conrad, ending his friendship with Pratt. It was also reported that Pratt made rude comments about Nicole Richie, another one of Jenner's girlfriends, in a Details magazine article.

But darker days loomed on the horizon. The third season of "The Hills" saw "Speidi" - a nickname given to the couple - beginning to see their relationship suffer. They broke off their engagement, yet managed to stay an item. In 2007, Pratt and Montag - who apparently discovered she could sing - began work on her debut album. After premiering their first song, "Body Language," on Ryan Seacrest's radio show - which featured Pratt trying to rap - Montag's first single, "Higher," was released on Top 40 radio to a lukewarm reaction. Pratt shot the accompanying music video, which consisted of Montag frolicking on a beach wearing nothing but a neon pink bikini. Bloggers criticized the bargain bin quality of the video, calling the pair desperate for attention. Montag released a second single titled "No More" in 2008 that was available on iTunes, which was also produced by Pratt.

In what may or may not have been a real wedding, Pratt and Montag finally married in Los Angeles on April 25, 2009 after their first nuptials in Mexico months before were deemed invalid upon their return to the U.S. Meanwhile, their long, desperate cry for attention continued when the newlyweds joined the cast of NBC's newly revamped reality competition show, "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" in the winter of 2009. Though initial attention went to the comically disgraced Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois who was briefly considered for the cast before his wife filled in, it was the Pratts who emerged as the happy recipients of everyone's ire.

Pratt earned particular scorn for his childish behavior when he and the wife quit the show in a huff after four days and claimed that NBC subjected them to torture. Not to outdo themselves, the couple changed their minds and returned, only to leave once again when Heidi was diagnosed with a gastric ulcer - the presumed result of being put in the Lost Chamber challenge - punishment for their abrupt departure, where both were confined in a dark room for 24 hours and given only rice, beans and water for nourishment. After Montag left the hospital a-okay, the couple denied being tortured, though the same could not be said for the audience who endured their two week stint on the show. By the time Heidi's sister Holly Montag showed up to replace her, the audience and even the contestants themselves breathed a sigh of relief that the drama was over.