Kim Erica Richards is an American actress, socialite and television personality. She began her career as a child actress and rose to prominence from her roles in Nanny and the Professor, Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain. In 2010, Richards appeared as a main cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside her sister Kyle Richards. She was part of the main cast for the first five seasons and has returned for guest appearances in subsequent seasons.
Early life
Richards was born September 19, 1964, in Mineola, New York, the daughter of Kathleen Mary and her second husband, Kenneth Edwin Richards. They separated in 1972 and her mother later remarried. Her sisters are Kathy Hilton and Kyle Richards. Socialites Nicky and Paris Hilton are her nieces, daughters of her half-sister, Kathy. Richards is of Welsh and Irish ancestry.
Career
Richards' 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. She also starred in several Disney films, including Escape to Witch Mountain, No Deposit, No Return, and Return from Witch Mountain. In 1974 and 1976, Richards appeared in Disney's Whiz Kid Capers series, two television movies which aired as part of The Wonderful World of Disney anthology series. Richards and her sister Kyle played sisters in the thriller filmThe Car. She teamed up once again with Witch Mountain co-star Ike Eisenmann in the made-for-television movie . In the 1976 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 television series Hello, Larry and appeared as a guest on numerous episodes of 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, The Rockford Files and in an episode of Little House on the Prairie as Olga Nordstrom. As a young adult, she appeared in Meatballs Part II and Tuff Turf. She co-produced Escape, along with then-husband G. Monty Brinson. Richards 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, playing a waitress named "Tina", a minor variation from the character "Tia" she played in the franchise's 1975 and 1978 films. In 2010, Richards began appearing 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, seventh, ninth and tenth seasons.
Personal life
In 1985, Richards 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, the son of petroleum mogul Marvin Davis and his wife Barbara Davis. The couple have two children: a daughter, Whitney Davis, and a son, Chad Davis. Richards and Davis divorced in 1991. Richards' first husband Brinson died of cancer on January 25, 2016, aged 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. He was speaking with Kim 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 in 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 ValleyTargetdepartment store, was booked into the Van Nuys jail, and was released on August 3 after posting a $5,000 bail.
