Young Denise
Denise Richards came into the world on February 17th, 1971. Despite being a tiny girl, she was actually quite the tomboy and quite often played little league baseball. She was known as the only girl on the baseball team.
Young Denise
Moving Away
Her family wasn’t in any way wealthy, but they were content. In the early 1980’s her father decided to move the family from Illinois to California and although the move was difficult, Denise had her sister to share the experience with her. It was in Oceanside, California where her family started their own coffee shop business which flourished into a franchise.
Moving Away
Double Or Nothing
Her first appearance in front of the camera came when she was just 15 years old back in 1986. Although it’s quite difficult to recognize her, Denise appears in a music video for Double. The video, “The Captain of my Heart” shows a young and bleached-haired Denise Richards.
Double Or Nothing
Graduating
After Denise Richards graduated from high school she went after her passion, and that passion was acting. At first she quickly managed to seal a deal with an international modeling agency. This move enabled her to travel to the many fashion hot-spots across the globe. During this time she also worked for Bonne-Bell Cosmetics as a make-up artist and gave customers a fresh “face lift”.
Graduating
Not Quite The Dream
Things were moving fast for Denise in her modelling career, but not everything was working out. When she was sent to Tokyo to model, she was unpleasantly surprised by the shocking apartment her agency set up for her there. The apartment was filthy, and running rampant across the floor and the kitchen’s cabinets were cockroaches. “They were in the drawers and cabinets, too. Scared and sick to my stomach, I grabbed the key and my purse and dashed out of the apartment.”
Not Quite The Dream
Threats
Her experience in Japan didn’t seem to get much better with time. Her agency threatened to sue her if she didn’t pitch at work after the apartment fiasco which terrified her. Then her agency asked her to do something that the young 19-year-old was not prepared for. She had to say ‘no’.
Threats
Saying ‘No’
Denise knew that under contract she had to do most things the agency told her to, but she wasn’t ready for them to tell her to pose in lingerie. She said ‘no’ and that only infuriated them. She recalls the moment, “I wasn’t altogether uncomfortable with my body, but I didn’t have a figure that allowed me to brim with self-confidence in all departments and being photographed in my underwear bothered me.”
Saying ‘No’
Making It Onto The Screen
When the 90’s came around, Denise quickly jumped on the opportunities to play small roles in shows like, “Friends”, “Seinfeld”, “Melrose Place”, “Saved by the Bell” “Married With Children” and “Beverly Hills: 90210”. Denise Richards’ name was quickly spreading and gaining fame.
Making It Onto The Screen
Denise Richards In Friends
Are you an avid Friends fan? Well if you are then I don’t need to remind you of the time when Denise Richards made a guest appearance as Ross and Monica Geller’s cousin? All the boys (including Phoebe for that matter) couldn’t keep their eyes off of her. No surprise about that.
Denise Richards In Friends
His Word Against Hers
Many people know that Scott Baio has had his lion’s share of gorgeous women on the Hollywood scene, but did he ever have Denise Richards? While he claims to have been with her, she outright denied any such allegations. She said that not only did they never have a relationship, she said that they never even touched. We’ll take her side on this one, although we know that she had a thing for bad-boys who happened to be bachelors.
His Word Against Hers
Celebrity Love
What many people don’t know, is that Denise actually dated Paul Walker in 1993 after they met on set. Their relationship didn’t make headlines since they were both still young and upcoming stars. They also happened to be each-other’s first celebrity partners, how cute?
Celebrity Love
Starship Troopers
1997 showed some great progress for Denise Richards. She starred in a low-budget movie called “Starship Troopers” and the movie then raked in $121 million! The same year she received a nomination for Blockbuster Entertainment’s Favorite Female Newcomer.
Starship Troopers
Wild Things
Most of us will remember Denise Richards from this 1998 movie since it was her own Hollywood face lift. It was the controversial character of Kelly that had everyone in a spin. The dramatic change from the good girl to the bad… very bad girl really made her one of the most alluring actresses in Hollywood.
Wild Things
Baring It All
This was the first time that Denise Richards bared it all, but it wasn’t without a fortune of back-and-forth between the movie’s producers and Richard’s lawyers. The scenes she would play out were not regular or simple, especially seeing as it would be the first time she would engage with another woman in this way. Moments before shooting the memorable scene of Richards and Neve Campbell, the two stars drank a pitcher of margaritas together to get themselves to calm down.
Baring It All
Off Set
On the set of “Wild Things” there was a lot of steamy action going on between Denise Richards and her co-star Matt Dillon. But what really gathered people’s attention were the rumors of the two stars’ fling off-screen. Neither of them ever admitted to anything, and just explained that co-stars spent time together on and off screen.
Off Set
Bond Girl
Despite some bad reviews regarding her role in “James Bond: The World Is Not Enough”, there was a lot of positive feedback too. The attractive Bond girl received two nominations that year – one for Favorite Actress by the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, and the other a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actress.
Bond Girl
Bonding With 007
Richards loved her part in the 1999 James Bond movie and she recalls it with great fondness, “It was ‘brainy’, ‘athletic’, and had depth of character, in contrast to Bond girls from previous decades.” She even joked about how she looked as a scientist, saying, “These Bond girls are so outrageous and if I did really look like a scientist, the Bond fans would have been disappointed.”
Bonding With 007
Meeting Charlie
Denise met her future husband, Charlie Sheen on the set of “Loaded Weapon”, although they didn’t appear on screen at the same time. At the time, Denise hadn’t spent much time talking to Sheen and neither of them thought about keeping in contact following the movie’s launch.
Meeting Charlie
The First Date
Charlie Sheen made the first move by asking Denise out for dinner. But at the last minute, Sheen changed his tactic and invited Denise over to watch the World Series. Richards recalls the moment before she made the first move on him – “It was spectacular. Definitely butterflies.”
The First Date
Getting Married
The two got engaged and since Sheen was sober then, things seemed to be looking positive for them. Charlie and Denise decided to tie the knot in 2002 at a gorgeous estate belonging to the creator of “Spin City”, Gary David Goldberg. By this time Charlie had been sober for four years and their Roman Catholic ceremony seemed to be the pinnacle of both of their lives.
Getting Married
Panic Room
Things got a little bit weird for Richards when she moved into Sheen’s house after they got married. He seemed to be quite anxious about something she wasn’t aware of. His bedroom door was bullet-proofed, he had a fireman’s pole down to the bottom floor and he also had a “panic room”. She wasn’t sure what to make of all of these things, but they made her nervous.
Panic Room
Their First Baby
Although these things were unsettling, she was happy that Charlie wasn’t doing drugs and their lives continued. In March 2004, they shared the news of their firstborn with the world. Their daughter, Sam brought new energy into their lives and they seemed to be as happy as ever.
Their First Baby
Posing For Playboy
Only five months after giving birth, Denise Richards braved and bared it all for Playboy in 2004. It wasn’t the only nude shoot she did. In fact she posed without her clothes in 2006 for Jane magazine, only this time it was to raise money for a foundation called “Clothes Off Our Backs”.
Posing For Playboy
On His Show
Although Charlie missed the opportunity to accompany his wife on her first nude shoot, he had her appear as a guest star on his show, Two And A Half Men. Richards starred as Lisa and she will always be remembered as one of the most memorable guests on the show.
On His Show
Getting Divorced
In 2005, when Denise was carrying their second child, she filed for divorce. The reasons that she provided for her move were that Charlie had changed and had become unstable. “He’s not the man I fell in love with…” she solemnly expressed. Rumors were telling of a drug relapse, but nothing came out as fact at the time. Nearing the end of the year Charlie announced that he was trying to make the marriage work again, but in the end they went through with the divorce.
Getting Divorced
Getting Heated Up
We can’t imagine it being easy to deal with nosy journalists and pushy paparazzi, but it’s something that celebrities have to deal with on a daily basis. In November 2006, Richards was filming a movie in Canada when two photographers sneaked a could of photographs of her from a nearby balcony. She got really mad and stormed up to the two of them and then threw their laptops off the balcony. After police intervened, everything cooled down and no charges were laid.
Getting Heated Up
Keeping A Distance
Things really took a turn when in 2006 Denise requested a restraining order against Charlie. She told the press and police that she didn’t feel she or her children were safe. The restraining order meant that Charlie wasn’t allowed within 100 yards of any of them. She also requested to remove any custody Charlie and his wife (then) had since they were both abusing drugs.
Keeping A Distance
Her Own Show
Between 2008 and 2009, Denise was the star of her own reality TV show called Denise Richards: It’s Complicated which was aired by E!. The show managed to pull off two seasons, consisting of 17 episodes, but not more than that.
Her Own Show
No Right Turn
Charlie had a lot to say about her reality TV show, and it was hardly friendly. He accused Richards of being exploitative by having the kids in the show. Denise felt cornered and answered against his accusations, stating, “I’m in a no-win situation. If I have my kids on the show, I’m exploiting them. If I don’t, people will think I’m not a hands-on mom.”
No Right Turn
Moving On
In 2011, she wrote a best-selling book called “The Real Girl Next Door” which gave insight into the life that she had never fully divulged. Later in the year she made headlines again when she adopted a baby girl whom she named Eloise Joni. The baby’s middle name was given in memory of her mother who died of cancer.
Moving On
Still Connected
At this time Charlie Sheen was going through a very rough patch, both with his wife Brooke Meuller and with his drug addiction. Denise Richards stepped up to the plate to help out his family and especially his two young sons, Bob and Max. When in an interview she was asked why she stepped into Sheen’s life, she explained that, “He was 3 years sober and he was working and doing really really well.”
Still Connected
Short Lived Love Interest
In 2012 Richards entered a relationship with Richie Sambora from Jon Bon Jovi. Their relationship didn’t last long, but they appeared together many times after they officially broke up which only sparked rumors about their relationship. There was someone who was especially unhappy about the two of them getting together.
Short Lived Love Interest
Ex Rivalry
Heather Locklear, who was Sambora’s ex wife was infuriated by her good friend getting together with her ex, and she even suspected the two of starting a relationship when they were still together. Richards defended herself by saying, “When I got together with Richie, Richie was single. Heather had filed for divorce.”
Ex Rivalry
Sharing The Love
When Richards attended an interview with Howard Stern, Stern asked her questions about the numerous relationships she had been in. He didn’t stop there though, he pushed on and asked her about any relationships with other women. Denise Richards had more to share than everyone was ready for, but she still kept everyone wondering. “It happened a long time ago,” she said, “I just met her through friends and work and stuff… I was just curious, we were curious. She was a girly-girl. She’s beautiful. You would know who she is.”
Sharing The Love
Out Of House
In 2016, Denise and Charlie hit another difficult time, one that threw Denise off completely. Charlie decided to evict his ex-wife and daughters from the house he had bought them, and then even took money for himself from his daughters’ trust fund. Denise Richards was not ready for this extreme turn of events and she did what she thought was right.
Out Of House
Not The Same Man
Denise decided to sue her ex-husband for $1.6 million, but not without the press pushing her for a statement. “I’ve been asked how I am handling this all lately, but the reality is I’ve been handling this on and off for seven years. The truth is: This is not the man I married; this is the man that I divorced.”
Not The Same Man
A True Mom
With all the difficulties that Denise faced, she has always kept her kids’ interests at the front. Unlike Charlie who used the media attention to his benefit, she preferred to keep herself out of the limelight and stay focused on her children.
A True Mom
The Mystery Man
It had been a while since the media focused their attention on Denise Richards, but in 2017, the paparazzi spotted her at the Malibu Chili Cook-off with a new man. It had been quite a while since she was seen with a man, and everyone wanted to know who he was. But Denise wasn’t ready to spill the beans.
The Mystery Man
FHM And More
Throughout Denise’s career, she was rated for her beauty and less for her acting skills. FHM magazine rated her the 2nd sexiest woman in America and 5th sexiest in the world in 2001. The same year she was ranked as one of the “100 Hottest Women of All-Time” by Men’s Health magazine.
FHM And More
Dancing With The Stars
Like many celebrities, Richards took to the floor of Dancing with the Stars to strut her stuff. She paired up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy on the 8th season of the show but they were eliminated second on the 24th of March 2009.
Dancing With The Stars
Puppy Lover
Denise Richards is all about puppy love. She dedicates her time to work with an organization called the Best Friends Animal Society. The organization takes small dogs that are kept in “high kill” shelters and moves them to other cities in the U.S. where people want smaller dogs. Richards doesn’t only donate her time to these dogs, she has adopted one for her family too.
Puppy Lover
Into The Future
It’s not just the cute puppies who get her attention, Denise dedicates her time to caring for those most important to her – her daughters. Denise Richards has an estimated $12 million and is still a public figure. Despite having faced some of life’s most difficult challenges, she has come out on top and promotes as best she can what it’s like to be a dedicated mom.
Into The Future
