Kim Richards Biography

Kimberly "Kim" Richards (born September 19, 1964) is an American actress. She is a former child actress, and currently a television personality on the TV series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Beginning her acting career at the age of four months in a diaper advertisement, Richards made her television debut in 1970 as Prudence on Nanny and the Professor. She then starred in films Escape to Witch Mountain; No Deposit, No Return; Assault on Precinct 13; The Car and Return from Witch Mountain, garnering the title of the "Disney Girl".

Richards has also appeared significantly in television films and in recurring roles in television series, including Police Woman, Little House on the Prairie, Dukes of Hazzard, Love Boat, Diff'rent Strokes, Magnum, P.I., and Medical Center. Richards took a hiatus from acting in 1990 to raise her children. Upon her return to acting Richards starred in films Black Snake Moan and Race to Witch Mountain. Since the series commenced in 2010, Richards has been a cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Early life

Kim Richards was born in Mineola, New York, the daughter of Kenneth E. Richards (1935-1998) and Sharon Kathleen Dugan (1938-2002). The couple separated in 1972 and Kathleen later remarried. Richards' sisters are the actresses Kathy Hilton (born 1959) and Kyle Richards (born 1969). She graduated from Imperial High School in Imperial, California in 1983. Socialites Nicky and Paris Hilton are her nieces, daughters of her half-sister, Kathy. She is of Welsh and Irish ancestry.

Career

Her career began during her childhood in the early 1970s. From 1970-1971, she starred as Prudence Everett in the television series Nanny and the Professor, with costars Juliet Mills, Richard Long, David Doremus and Trent Lehman. She also starred in several Disney films, including Escape to Witch Mountain, No Deposit, No Return and Return from Witch Mountain. She starred in an episode of Little House on the Prairie as Olga Nordstrom, Laura Ingalls' friend with one leg shorter than the other, whom her Pa fitted with a handmade wooden heel on her shoe that allowed her to run and play normally with the other children.

In 1974 and 1976, she appeared in Disney's Whiz Kid Capers series (The Whiz Kid and the Mystery at Riverton and The Whiz Kid and the Carnival Caper) two television movies which aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney anthology series. In 1977, she and her sister Kyle both appeared as the daughters of James Brolin in The Car. By 1978, she teamed up once again with Witch Mountain co-star Ike Eisenmann for the made-for-television movie Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell. In the John Carpenter film Assault on Precinct 13, she played a young girl who was brutally murdered when a gang member fired a round into her chest. She later starred in the short-lived series Hello, Larry and appeared as a guest on numerous episodes of popular American television shows including Diff'rent Strokes, Alice, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, CHiPs, Magnum, P.I., James at 16, The Dukes of Hazzard and The Rockford Files. As a young adult, she appeared in the films Meatballs Part II, Tuff Turf and Escape. In addition, she also co-produced Escape along with then-husband G. Monty Brinson. After 1990, she went into semi-retirement.

In 2006, she appeared in a supporting role as Christina Ricci's estranged mother in Black Snake Moan. She made a cameo appearance in 2009's Race to Witch Mountain, playing a waitress named "Tina," a minor variation from the character "Tia" she played in the 1975 and 1978 films. Since October 2010, she has starred as a full cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside her sister Kyle.

Personal life

In July 1985, Richards married supermarket-franchise heir G. Monty Brinson, who is now a professional poker player. Their daughter Brooke was born in February 1986. Richards and Brinson divorced, but they shared custody of Brooke and remain friends. Richards' second husband was oil heir Gregg Davis, son of oil tycoon and Dynasty inspiration Marvin Davis. Davis and Richards had two children together: daughter Whitney and son Chad.

In 1991, immediately after Richards" separation from Davis, Richards began dating commodities salesman John J. Collett. Collett was a central figure in a large scam, involving eight thousand elderly investors and nearly $150 million in losses. On October 28, 1991 Collett was murdered by a hit man outside of Brent"s Deli, located in the San Fernando Valley community of Northridge. Collett and Richards were speaking on the phone whilst the shooting occurred. The ordeal had a deep impact on Richards, who has opened up and spoken about Collett's murder on an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Richards went on to a longterm relationship with aircraft-parts supplier John Jackson, who became the father of her fourth child, Kimberly, in 1995.

Richards currently resides in Los Angeles.

In December 2011, she entered rehab, and left in early January 2012. Shortly after, she admitted to being an alcoholic. She admitted she had been to rehab twice before.

Filmography

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1970-1971	Nanny and the Professor	Prudence Everett	54 episodes
1971	The Strange Monster of Strawberry Cove	Girl	TV movie, uncredited
1971-1976	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	Girl, Daphne 'Daffy' Fernald, Sara, Leroy	5 episodes
1972	The F.B.I.	Barbie Ghormley	1 episode, "Dark Christmas"
1972	Nanny and the Professor	Prudence Everett
1973	Nanny and the Professor and the Phantom of the Circus	Prudence Everett
1973	The Picture of Dorian Gray	Beatrice (as a child)	TV movie
1973	Here We Go Again	Jan Standish	13 episodes
1973	Alvin the Magnificent		TV movie
1973-1977	ABC Afterschool Specials	Missey, Minnow	2 episodes
1974	Police Story	Melanie	1 episode, "The Wyatt Earp Syndrome"
1974	The New Temperatures Rising Show	Little Girl
1974	Little House on the Prairie	Olga Nordstrom	1 episode, "Town Party-Country Party"
1974	Benjamin Franklin		1 episode, "The Whirlwind"
1974	Emergency!	Melissa	1 episode, "How Green Was My Thumb?"
1975	The Streets of San Francisco	Julie Todd	1 episode, "River of Fear"
1975	Medical Story		1 episode, "Million Dollar Baby"
1975	Escape to Witch Mountain	Tia Malone	Major film
1976	Sara	Maude	1 episode, "Code of the West"
1976	The Rockford Files	Marin Rose Gaily	1 episode, "The Family Hour"
1976	Raid on Entebbe	Alice	TV movie
1976	No Deposit, No Return	Tracy
1976	Police Woman	Kerry McGuire	1 episode, "Father to the Man"
1976	Medical Center	Penny	1 episode, "If Wishes Were Horses"
1976	Family	Laura Richardson	1 episode, "Monday is Forever"
1976	Special Delivery	Juliette
1976	Assault on Precinct 13	Kathy	Independent film
1977	Police Story	Melanie	1 episode, "Stigma"
1977	The Car	Lynne Marie Parent	Major film
1977-1978	James at 15/16	Sandy Hunter	21 episodes
1978	Return from Witch Mountain	Tia Malone	Major film
1978	Project UFO	Amy Forman
1978	Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell	Bonnie Barry	TV movie
1979	Hizzonner	Jamie	1 episode, "Mizzonner"
1979	Fantasy Island	Rebecca	1 episode, "Cornelios and Alphonse/The Choice"
1979	Diff'rent Strokes	Ruthie Alder	3 episodes
1979-1980	Hello, Larry	Ruthie Alder	35 episodes
1980	Kraft Salutes Disneyland's 25th Anniversary	Herself	TV special
1981	Why Us?	Holly Sanborn	TV short
1982	The Love Boat	Gail, Lilian Gerbert	1 episode, "Command Performance/Hyde and Seek/Sketchy Love"
1982	CHiPs	Sheila	1 episode, "Tight Fit"
1982	Alice	Lisa	2 episodes
1982	Magnum P.I.	Carrie Reardon	1 episode, "Mixed Doubles"
1983	Lottery!	Valerie
1983	The Dukes of Hazard	Nancylou	1 episode, "Cooter's Girl"
1984	The Mississippi		1 episode, "Informed Consent"
1984	Meatballs Part II	Cheryl
1985	Tuff Turf	Frankie Croyden
1990	Escape	Brooke Howser
2002	The Blair Witch Mountain Project	Tia Malone	TV short
2006	Black Snake Moan	Sandy
2009	Race to Witch Mountain	Tina
2010-present	The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills	Herself	63 episodes
2013	Stars in Danger	Herself	TV special