Kim Richards

Early life

Richards was born September 19, 1964 in Mineola, New York, the daughter of Kathleen Mary (née Dugan) and Kenneth Edwin Richards. They separated in 1972 and her mother later remarried.

Her sisters are the actresses Kathy Hilton (from her mother's first marriage) and Kyle Richards (born 1969). Kyle is married to Mauricio Umansky, son of Estella Sneider. 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 when she was months old and appeared in a TV commercial for Firth Carpet. From 1970-71, 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.

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 appeared as the daughters of James Brolin in the thriller film 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 Emergency!, 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 Meatballs Part II and Tuff Turf. She co-produced Escape, along with then-husband G. Monty Brinson.

In 2006, she appeared in a supporting role as Christina Ricci's estranged mother in Black Snake Moan. She made a cameo appearance in Race to Witch Mountain (2009), playing a waitress named "Tina", a minor variation from the character "Tia" she played in the 1975 and 1978 films.

Beginning in 2010, Richards appeared as a regular cast member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside her sister Kyle. After five seasons, Kim was let go as a full-time cast member following her personal struggles. However, she returned as a guest star in the show's sixth season.

Personal life

In 1985 she married Monty Brinson, a supermarket-franchise heir who later became a professional poker player. In 1986, the couple had a daughter, Brooke. Brinson and Richards divorced in 1988. Later that year Richards married Gregg Davis, son of petroleum mogul Marvin Davis. The couple have two children: a daughter, Whitney Davis, and a son, Chad Davis. Richards and Davis divorced in 1991. First husband Brinson died of cancer on January 25, 2016, at age 58.

Richards was engaged to commodities salesman John J. Collett, a central figure in a criminal scheme involving 8,000 elderly investors and nearly $150 million in losses. On October 28, 1991, he was murdered outside Brent's Deli in Northridge. He was shot twice in the head at point-blank range by a hit man who had been paid $30,000. The two were speaking on the phone when the shooting occurred. Richards spoke about Collett's murder on an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Later, she was in a long-term relationship with aircraft-parts supplier John Jackson. She gave birth to their daughter, Kimberly Jackson, in 1995.

On April 15, 2015, Richards was arrested and charged with trespassing, public intoxication, resisting an officer, and battery on a police officer at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

She spent the night at the Los Angeles County Jail and was released the next morning on a $20,000 bail. She was arrested again on August 2, 2015, for allegedly shoplifting at a San Fernando Valley Target department store. She was booked into the Van Nuys jail and released on August 3 after posting a $5,000 bail.