Denise Richards

Denise Richards Headshot

Actress • Personality • Model

Birth Date: February 17, 1971

Age: 53 years old

Birth Place: Downers Grove, Illinois

Spouses: Charlie Sheen, Aaron Phypers

Denise Richards was born outside of Chicago in suburban Downer's Grove, IL, on February 17, 1971. She and her younger sister spent their early years in the area before her parents moved the family to San Diego when Richards was in her early teens. The future swimsuit model thrived in Southern California, where she was a high school cheerleader and was encouraged to pursue modeling. Following her graduation in 1989, Richards moved straight to New York City, where she shared an apartment with half a dozen other aspiring models and began finding work. Her fresh-faced look eventually landed a deal with Bonne Bell cosmetics, but she also traveled around the world on mainly swimsuit shoots. Her 5 '6'' height was short by modeling standards and runway work was not in the cards, so Richards decided to branch out into acting. She returned to Southern California and began appearing on such shows as "Saved by the Bell'' (NBC, 1989-1993) and "Beverly Hills, 90210" (Fox, 1990-2000). She received a bit of a profile boost after an appearance in an episode of "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998). Richards made her feature debut with a cameo in "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I" (1993) and resumed a busy schedule of forgettable guest spots on "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" (ABC, 1993-97) and short-lived nighttime soaps like "One West Waikiki" (1995) and "High Tide" (1995) before landing the recurring role of beauty contestant Brandy Carson on Fox's "Melrose Place" (Fox, 1992-99). At this point in her career, Richards had smaller roles, but it was enough of a pedigree for director Paul Verhoeven, who decided to cast relative unknowns in the leading roles of his sci-fi actioner "Starship Troopers" (1997). Richards' saving grace was the fact that Verhoeven was apparently going for a cheap, B-movie look where wooden acting was part of the package. The film was a surprising box office hit that even charmed a moderate number of critics, giving Richards the street cred for another leading role in John McNaughton's sexy cult thriller "Wild Things" (1998), co-starring established actors Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon. After "Wild Things,"Richards landed a shot at cheesecake infamy when she was tapped to be the next Bond girl, essaying munitions expert Dr. Christmas Jones in "The World Is Not Enough" (1999). Richards played a beauty pageant contestant in "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999), and was in the direct-to-video horror thriller "Valentine" (2001). Richards may have all but disappeared from the public eye, were it not for her romance with and subsequent 2002 marriage to actor Charlie Sheen after the two co-starred in the straight-to-cable film, "Good Advice" (2001). Richards returned to theaters as the White She-Devil of the modest hit comedy "Undercover Brother" (2002) and she and Sheen appeared together again in the broad comedy hit "Scary Movie 3" (2003). After making a brief cameo in the well-received romantic comedy "Love Actually" (2003), Richards appeared in a best-selling nude pictorial in the pages of Playboy magazine. She tackled a more dramatic role as a broke grad student tempted into prostitution by a hooker (Daryl Hannah) in the low-budget "Whore" (2004). The actor then had a starring role in the road comedy, "Elvis Has Left the Building" (2005), and was cast on the short-lived UPN soap drama, "Sex, Love and Secrets" (2005-6). In early 2009, Richards was announced as one of the contestants on season eight of "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ), and found herself eliminated in the second week of competition. In 2011, Richards released her memoirs, "The Real Girl Next Door," which detailed her life before, during and after Charlie Sheen, and was a New York Times bestseller. On the big screen, she co-starred with Leelee Sobieski and Matthew Davis in the porn-themed indie romantic comedy, "Finding Bliss" (2010), before appearing in the direct-to-DVD comedy "Cougars, Inc." (2011). Richards had a guest starring role on Sheen's new sitcom, "Anger Management" (FX, 2012-14), and appeared in Tyler Perry's "Madea's Witness Protection" (2012) and low-budget comedy "Freeloaders" (2012). Following a supporting role on the teen mystery drama "Twisted" (ABC Family 2013-14), Richards appeared in the thrillers "American Violence" (2017) and "American Satan" (2017), followed by supernatural horror film "The Toybox" (2018). After her ill-fated marriage to Charlie Sheen, Richards pieced her life back together while successfully balancing being a single mother and working actress before joining the cast of long-running reality staple "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" in 2018.

Credits

Hunting HousewivesStream

Actor
Karla Dodds
Movie
2024

Live with Kelly and MarkStream

Guest
Talk
2023

Wickensburg

Actor
Celine Lucas
Movie
2023

Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace

Actor
Deborah
Movie
2023

The Housekeeper

Actor
Kit Ash
Movie
2023

A Christmas FrequencyStream

Actor
Brooke Walkins
Movie
2023

Shanghai Deco

Director
Show
2022

The Guardians of Justice

Actor
Laura Lang
Show
2022

Junkyard Dogs

Actor
Monica Sullivan
Movie
2022

Love AccidentallyStream

Actor
Debra
Movie
2022
13%

Killer Cheer MomStream

Actor
Amanda
Movie
2021

The Story of Soaps

Actor
Show
2020

Money Plane

Actor
Sarah
Movie
2020

Switched

Actor
Victoria Sharp
Movie
2020

Timecrafters: The Treasure of Pirate's Cove

Actor
Victoria Dare
Movie
2020

Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life

Director
Movie
2020

Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life

Producer
Movie
2020

Send It

Actor
Movie
2020

Alpha Code

Actor
Johana
Movie
2020

The Kelly Clarkson ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2019

Access Daily

Guest
Show
2019

BH90210Stream

Guest Star
Denise Richards
Series
2019
69%

Strahan & Sara

Guest
Show
2019

Reality Queen!

Actor
Angelina Streisand
Movie
2019

Adventures of Dally & Spanky

Actor
Kelly Banks
Movie
2019

The Secret Lives of CheerleadersStream

Actor
Candice
Movie
2019

My Adventures with Santa

Actor
Valerie
Movie
2019

Destined to Ride

Actor
Aunt Glo
Movie
2018

The ToyBox

Actor
Jennifer
Movie
2018

The Prayer Box

Actor
Karen
Movie
2018

Christmas Break-In

Actor
Heather
Movie
2018

1st Born

Actor
Christine
Movie
2018

Access Live

Guest
Show
2017

A girl is a gun

Actor
Nenuphar
Show
2017

Battle of the Network Stars

Guest
Reality
2017

Live with Kelly and Ryan

Guest
Talk
2017

American Violence

Actor
Amanda Tyler
Movie
2017

AltitudeStream

Actor
Gretchen Blair
Movie
2017

American Satan

Actor
Kat Faust
Movie
2017

Tomboy

Actor
Shelley
Movie
2017

A Violent Man

Actor
Victoria
Movie
2017

To Tell the TruthStream

Guest
Game Show
2016

A Life Lived

Actor
Elizabeth
Movie
2016

Significant Mother

Guest Star
Series
2015
25%

Vanity

Actor
Show
2015

Christmas Trade

Actor
Chloe
Movie
2015

A Christmas Reunion

Actor
Amy
Movie
2015

Operation: Neighborhood Watch!

Actor
Denise Sorensen
Movie
2015

Girlfriends' Guide to DivorceStream

Guest Star
Series
2014

Jane The VirginStream

Guest Star
Series
2014
100%

Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: Family Edition

Guest Star
Show
2014

Fatal Acquittal

Actor
Nora Grant
Movie
2014

Bethenny

Guest
Show
2013

Kris

Guest
Talk
2013

The Real

Guest
Talk
2013

TwistedStream

Actor
Series
2013
73%

Oprah: Where Are They Now?Stream

Guest
Talk
2012

Anger ManagementStream

Guest Star
Lori
Series
2012

Tyler Perry’s Madea's Witness ProtectionStream

Actor
Kate
Movie
2012
19%

Blue Lagoon: The Awakening

Actor
Barbara Robinson
Movie
2012

The Chew

Guest
Talk
2011

Cougars, Inc.

Actor
Judy
Movie
2011

The Talk

Guest
Talk
2010

The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsStream

Actor
Reality
2010

The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsStream

Self
Reality
2010

Access Hollywood Live

Guest
Show
2010

The Marriage Ref

Guest
Show
2010

Blue Mountain StateStream

Actor
Series
2010

Blue Mountain StateStream

Guest Star
Series
2010

The Joy Behar Show

Guest
Show
2009

The Project

Guest
Show
2009

Watch What Happens Live With Andy CohenStream

Guest
Talk
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

Kambakkht Ishq

Self
Movie
2009

Deep in the Valley

Actor
Autumn Bliss
Movie
2009

Finding Bliss

Actor
Bliss/Laura
Movie
2009

The Doctors

Guest
Talk
2008

90210Stream

Guest Star
Gwen Thompson
Series
2008

The Wendy Williams Show

Guest
Talk
2008

Denise Richards: It's ComplicatedStream

Self
Reality
2008

The Millionaire MatchmakerStream

Self
Reality
2008

Jolene

Actor
Marin
Movie
2008

Chelsea Lately

Guest
Talk
2007

The Better Show

Guest
Show
2007

The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet

Guest
Show
2007

Blonde and Blonder

Actor
Dawn
Movie
2007

30 RockStream

Guest Star
Denise Richards
Series
2006
78%

Sex, Love & Secrets

Actor
Jolene Butler
Show
2005

2005 UPN Sneak Peek

Host
Show
2005

Dancing With the StarsStream

Contestant
Reality
2005

Edmond

Actor
B-Girl
Movie
2005

The Insider

Guest
Show
2004

The Life: What's Your Pleasure?

Actor
Rebecca Smith
Movie
2004

I Do (But I Don't)

Actor
Lauren Crandell
Movie
2004

Whore

Actor
Rebecca Smith
Movie
2004

Elvis Has Left the Building

Actor
Belinda
Movie
2004

Two and a Half MenStream

Guest Star
Lisa
Series
2003
65%

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

Guest
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Love ActuallyStream

Actor
Carla
Movie
2003
64%

Scary Movie 3Stream

Actor
Annie
Movie
2003
35%

Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway

Self
Show
2002

You Stupid Man

Actor
Chloe
Movie
2002

Undercover Brother

Actor
White She Devil
Movie
2002

Empire

Actor
Trish
Movie
2002

The Third Wheel

Actor
Diana Evans
Movie
2002

Live With Regis and Kelly

Guest
Show
2001

Valentine

Actor
Paige Prescott
Movie
2001

Good Advice

Actor
Cindy Styne
Movie
2001

The Early Show

Guest
Show
1999

The World Is Not EnoughStream

Actor
Dr. Christmas Jones
Movie
1999
51%

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Actor
Rebecca 'Becky' Ann Leeman
Movie
1999
47%

Tail Lights Fade

Actor
Wendy
Movie
1999

Feria Urbana

Actor
Movie
1998

Wild ThingsStream

Actor
Kelly Lanier Van Ryan
Movie
1998
64%

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Starship TroopersStream

Actor
Carmen Ibanez
Movie
1997
72%

Spin CityStream

Guest Star
Series
1996
69%

Access Hollywood

Guest
News
1996

Pier 66

Actor
Show
1996

In the Blink of an Eye

Actor
Tina Jacobs
Movie
1996

PCH

Actor
Jess
Movie
1996

919 Fifth Avenue

Actor
Cathy Damore
Movie
1995

FriendsStream

Guest Star
Cassie Geller
Series
1994
78%

High TideStream

Guest Star
Series
1994

Extra

Guest
News
1994

Weird ScienceStream

Guest Star
Valerie
Series
1994

Burke's Law

Guest Star
Jennifer
Show
1994

Tammy and the T-Rex

Actor
Tammy
Movie
1994

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of SupermanStream

Guest Star
Series
1993
86%

Melrose PlaceStream

Guest Star
Brandi Carson
Series
1992

Bodies of Evidence

Guest Star
Series
1992

SeinfeldStream

Guest Star
Molly
Series
1989
89%

Saved by the BellStream

Guest Star
Cynthia
Series
1988

Married ... With ChildrenStream

Guest Star
Girl 2
Series
1987

The Bold and the BeautifulStream

Actor
Shauna Fulton
Soap
1987

The Oprah Winfrey ShowStream

Guest
Talk
1986

Entertainment Tonight

Guest
News
1981

Entertainment Tonight

Host
News
1981

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

The Price Is RightStream

Guest
Game Show
1972

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutDenise Richards