Denise Richards

Denise Lee Richards (born February 17, 1971) is an American actress and television personality.

In 1989, she graduated from El Camino High School.

She was voted best looking in her high school yearbook.

Richards was raised Catholic.

After her high school graduation, she began working as a model and traveled to cities such as Paris, New York, and Tokyo to do photo shoots and commercials.

In the 1990s, Richards appeared in several films and television shows such as Loaded Weapon 1 (1993), Tammy and the T-Rex (1994), Lookin' Italian (1994), and guest starring in episodes of Saved by the Bell, Married... with Children and Doogie Howser, M.D. In 1993, she portrayed Ben Affleck's character's girlfriend named Jodi Collins, in the short-lived drama series Against the Grain. Richards made guest appearances in several television shows, including Beverly Hills, 90210 (1992), Seinfeld (1993), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1994), and a guest-arc in Melrose Place (1996).

Richards began her career as a teenager in modeling and appeared in print ads for Bonne Bell cosmetics in 1991.

She also appeared on the cover of Teen magazine, instructional video "Modeling: What It Takes" and later went on to appear in Max Factor's Premiere 2K advertising campaign.

In 1995, Richards appeared in a made-for-TV movie In the Blink of an Eye, alongside Veronica Hamel and Mimi Rogers.

Her most recognized roles are Carmen Ibanez in Starship Troopers (1997), Kelly Van Ryan in Wild Things (1998) and Bond girl Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Her first starring role in a wide theatrical release was Starship Troopers in 1997 for which Richards was nominated for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Female Newcomer.

The film grossed a total of $121.2 million worldwide.

She followed this with a role in the erotic thriller film Wild Things (1998) alongside Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell.

Variety praised Richards's transition from good-girl-type roles to manipulative villainess and the review continued to include her as part of "an ensemble that appears to be enjoying the challenge of offbeat roles and unusual material. There's not a wrong note struck by the game group of players."

She has also appeared in films Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Valentine (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Love Actually (2003), and Madea's Witness Protection (2012).

Richards was cast as the nuclear physicist Christmas Jones in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Though she considered her role "brainy", "athletic", and having depth of character, she was criticized as not credible in the role.

Her outfit, which often comprised a low-cut tank top and tight shorts, elicited unfavorable comments.

Richards stated that a lot of viewers "made fun of" the character's attire but that "These Bond girls are so outrageous and if I did really look like a scientist, the Bond fans would have been disappointed."

Richards was nominated for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favourite Actress – Action, for the film.

Later that year, Richards starred alongside Kirsten Dunst in the beauty pageant satire, Drop Dead Gorgeous.

The film has gained new fans with time and is regarded as a cult film.

Richards, playing a spoiled princess, was praised for her performance by Los Angeles Times for being "as rightly nasty as she is pretty".

In 2001, she guest-starred in Friends as Ross and Monica Geller's cousin, Cassie Geller in the episode "The One with Ross and Monica's Cousin".

Later that year, she appeared in four episodes of Spin City as Jennifer Duncan, a love interest of Charlie Sheen's character.

She starred as Sheen's character's ex-girlfriend two years later in two episodes of Two and a Half Men.

Richards appeared in numerous films such as Valentine (2001), Good Advice (2001), Undercover Brother (2002), The Third Wheel (2002) and You Stupid Man (2002).

She played Annie Logan in the horror comedy film Scary Movie 3 (2003), which was a commercial success and grossed $220 million worldwide.

Her mother died of cancer in November 2007.

She is of German and French descent.

Richards has a younger sister, Michelle.

She grew up in both Downers Grove and Mokena, Illinois.

As a child, she was the "only girl on the baseball team".

When Richards was 15 years old, her family moved to Oceanside, California.

Richards starred on the E! reality show Denise Richards: It's Complicated (2008–2009) and Bravo's reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (2019–2020, 2023–24).

Her television roles include Paramount Network's sitcom Blue Mountain State (2010–2011), ABC Family's mystery-thriller series Twisted (2013–2014) and CBS' soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful (2019–present).

In 2011, Richards published a memoir, The Real Girl Next Door, which became a New York Times Best Seller.

Richards was born in Downers Grove, Illinois, to Joni (née Braden), a coffee shop owner, and Irv Richards, a telephone engineer, whose father's surname was Reichert.

In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked the film at number 20 on its list of the 100 Best Films of the 1990s.

In 2016, Glamour praised the film's female characters by describing Richards and Neve Campbell as "two of the most well-rounded, fascinating, and exciting characters to ever grace the screen."