Denise Lee Richards was born on February 17, 1971 in Downers Grove, Illinois,
the elder of 2 daughters born to Irv and Joni Richards. Denise attended Herrick
Junior High School and then Tinley Park Highschool for her freshman year. The
family relocated to Oceanside, CA when Denise was 15. Her father used to work
for a phone company, but now her parents own a chain of coffeehouses in San
Diego called 'Jitters'.
Denise graduated from El Camino High School in 1989 and then moved to Los
Angeles to begin her modeling career. After modeling in Paris, Tokyo, and New
York, she set her sights on an acting career. Her first appearances were on
weekly television shows, most notably Seinfeld (1993). Denise also began
a recurring role on Melrose Place (1992), and then eventually landed
parts in a couple of made for tv movies. In 1996, Denise began another recurring
role on Spin City. Finally in 1997, she co-starred in the popular film,
Starship Troopers. Her true breakthrough roles were in Wild Things
(1998) and The World Is Not Enough (1999), in which she played the
latest Bond Girl. In 2003, Denise appeared with a long list of top name actors
in Love, Actually. Denise can also be seen in the December 2004 issue of
Playboy.
Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen became engaged in January
2002, and they were soon married on June 15, 2002. Their first child, daughter
Sam Sheen, was born on March 9, 2004 in Los Angeles. The couple is expecting
their second child due in June 2005.
