Denise Richards — A Biography
Denise Richards was born in Downers Grove, Illinois, growing up in the Chicago area until her family moved to Oceanside, CA, when she was 15. She took up modeling after realizing it paid more than waitressing.
After graduating from high school, Richards moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and modeling career. She quickly began adding television credits to her resume for such shows as Saved by the Bell, Married…with Children, Doogie Howser M.D., Beverly Hills 90210, Seinfeld, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and Melrose Place.
In 1997, She made her big-screen debut in Starship Troopers, which quickly became a cult classic. Other film roles include Wild Things, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Scary Movie 3, Love Actually, and Undercover Brother. Her role as Dr. Christmas Jones, opposite Pierce Brosnan, in The World is Not Enough in 1999 sealed her place in history as a Bond Girl.
Denise Richards continued to add to her resume with guest appearances on television shows including Friends, 30 Rock, Anger Management, Blue Mountain State, Twisted, Jane the Virgin, Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce, and the television remake of the movie Blue Lagoon.
Recent film roles include American Violence, American Satan, The Toy Box, Destined to Ride, Christmas Break-In, Saturday at the Starlight, Amazon Lost, The First Key, 1st Born, Send it!, Killer Cheer Mom, Love Accidentally, Wickensburg, Junkyard Dogs, and The Line.
She joined the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful in 2019 as a hard-working single mother and Quinn’s bestie, Shauna Fulton. Richards balances her daytime schedule with her primetime stint on the hit reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She is an accomplished actress, businesswoman, philanthropist, and bestselling author with the memoir The Real Girl Next Door.
Richards stays grounded in midst of the Hollywood glamour through business partnerships such as her collaboration with Shoedazzle on a shoe design with the “Eloise” heel that raised money for the Kidney Cancer Association after losing her mother to kidney cancer in 2007. She teamed up with the Belgian-American Beverly Hills stylist Christophe to develop Volume Extend, an integrated hair care system.
Staying true to her midwestern roots, Richards includes her children in her philanthropy, volunteering to feed the homeless, and raising awareness of animal rescues with the Best Friends Animal Society. Her willingness to lend a hand to worthy causes has only increased her popularity.
Richards is married to The Bold and the Beautiful’s ex-Ridge body double (during COVID restrictions), Aaron Phyphers, and they reside in Los Angeles with three daughters, Sam, Lola, and Eloise.
Follow her on Instagram @deniserichards and Twitter @denise_richards.
The Bold and the Beautiful (BB) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. To find out what her character is currently up to on The Bold and the Beautiful, click here.
Fast Facts
- Denise Richards was born on February 17.
- Ranked #82 in FHM Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women of the World in 2005 and #89 in 2006.
- Her parents managed Jitters Coffee Pub in Oceanside, CA.
- Is of Dutch, English, French-Canadian, German, Irish and Welsh ancestry.
- Her grandfather’s name was Irving Reichert and was later changed to Richards.
- Was a spokesperson for the Will Rogers Motion Pictures Pioneers Association.
- Volunteered to help after Hurricane Sandy in New York, helping the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, and ended up adopting a puppy there.
