Denise Richards Biography And Filmography:

Most people have seen the tabloid stories about Denise Richards and her doomed marriage to Charlie Sheen, which included a restraining order and accusations of drug and pornography addictions. The couple fought publicly after their divorce and Richards successfully won the right to use the couple’s children in her own reality television show. Aside from that, many people don't know much about the model-turned-actress, and the numerous movies she has been in.

Denise Richards was born near Chicago in suburban Downer’s Grove on Feb. 17, 1971. Denise and her younger sister spent their early years in the area before her parents relocated the family to San Diego California while Richards was a young teens. The future swimsuit model blossomed in Southern California, where she was a high school cheerleader and started to seek modeling jobs. After her graduation in 1989, Denise Richards moved to New York City, where she shared an apartment with five other hopeful models and started looking for work. Her clean and beautiful look ultimately landed a deal with 'Bonne Bell' cosmetics, but Richards also traveled the world on swimsuit photo shoots. She was considered too short by modeling standards and runway work was not happening, so Richards decided to try her skill at acting.

Denise Richards relocated again to Southern California and began flaunting her sexy good looks and charismatic personality in film and television projects where acting skills were not a necessity, appearing on such shows as “Saved by the Bell”, "Life Goes On", "Married with Children" with Christina Applegate, "Doogie Howser, M.D.", "Eerie, Indiana", "The Ben Stiller Show", "Burke's Law" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" with Tiffani Thiessen. Richards got a small career boost for her guest appearance on an episode of “Seinfeld”, where her distracting cleavage led to the end of a probable television deal for Jerry and George.

Richards made her feature debut with a cameo in "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon I" (1993) with Samuel L. Jackson, and then began a run of forgettable guest roles on “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” and  evening soap operas like “One West Waikiki” and “High Tide” before winning the returning role of beauty contestant Brandy Carson on Fox's "Melrose Place" with Heather Locklear. Her next small movie role helped draw attention to her when she appeared in the sci-fi comedy "Nowhere" (1997) with Christina Applegate and Ryan Phillippe, the third film in a trilogy by writer-director Gregg Araki. Described as "90210 on acid", the film tells the story of a day in the lives of a group of high school kids Los Angeles and the strange lives they lead. 

Denise Richard's next big break was when director Paul Verhoeven decided to cast virtual unknown actors in the leading roles of his sci-fi action movie "Starship Troopers" (1997) about the humans of a repressive, militaristic future who do battle with giant alien bugs in a fight for survival. The movie was a surprising box office smash hit and gave Denise Richards the credibility for another starring role in the sexy cult thriller "Wild Things" (1998), working next to hot celebrities Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon. It was this project, with help from her nude topless threesome sex scene, that put Richards on the radar screen as a sex symbol and hot celebrity.

After “Wild Things” was released, Richards was cast as the next James Bond girl, portraying munitions expert Dr. Christmas Jones in "The World Is Not Enough" (1999) starring Pierce Brosnan, where James Bond uncovers a nuclear plot when he protects an oil heiress from her former kidnapper, an international terrorist who can't feel pain. 

While the movie did well, critics laughed at Richards and her recital and moved Entertainment Weekly to label her the “Worst Bond Girl of All Time.” Richards returned to the familiar projects of low-acting expectations, portraying a beauty pageant contestant in the movie "Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999) with Kirstie Alley and Kirsten Dunst, and then the little-seen horror thriller "Valentine" (2001) with Katherine Heigl.

Richards might have faded into the darkness of Hollywood it not for her romance and  marriage to infamous playboy Charlie Sheen after the two appeared in the film, "Good Advice" (2001). Richards returned to the movie screen in the hit comedy "Undercover Brother" (2002), and then teamed with Sheen again in the comedy smash hit "Scary Movie 3" (2003) starring Jenny McCarthy and Pamela Anderson. After making a small guest appearance in the romantic comedy “Love Actually” (2003) with Colin Firth and Keira Knightley, Richards appeared in a best-selling nude photo centerfold pictorial in the pages of Playboy magazine. This changed everything for Richards, as it seemed the entire world wanted to see her naked. In fact, that months issue of Playboy Magazine was one of the fastest selling issues in Playboy's history, all thanks to a naked Denise Richards as the months Playmate.

During this same period Richards had several projects released that drew added attention to her celebrity status. First was the romantic comedy "The Third Wheel" (2002) with Luke Wilson and Ben Affleck, about a man who accidentally hits a homeless person with his car and then can't seem to get rid of him the rest of the night. Next was the little-seen crime drama "Empire" (2002), and finally the romantic comedy "You Stupid Man" (2003), where after a man finally gets over his former girlfriend who has moved to Los Angeles and becomes a television star, falls in love with another woman - the former girlfriend's show is canceled and she wants him back. 

Fresh off the attention of her nude Playboy photo spread, Richards was cast in the lead in the made for television movie "I Do (But I Don't)" (2004) opposite Dean Cain and had a starring role as the poor graduate student driven to prostitution by a hooker (Daryl Hannah) in the movie “Whore” (2004). 

Richards then turned heads with her highly publicized, dirty-laundry airing divorce with Charlie Sheen in 2005 while Richards was five months pregnant with their second child. The couple would go on to reconcile, but later split up for good in 2006 when Richards slapped Sheen with accusations of emotional abuse and threatening behavior toward her, and an ongoing addiction to porn photos and pornography movies, as well as prostitutes and drugs. 

Within days of the disgraceful filing, photos of the paperwork appeared on the internet – at first making her the sympathetic figure. But then she began appearing in public with Richie Sambora, lead guitarist of the rock band Bon Jovi and husband of Heather Locklear. It was this open and public relationship that caused an immediate change in public attitude toward her. Suddenly, Richards was labeled as the villain, even shifting sympathy toward her infamously troubled husband after the Sambora relationship leaked.

Denise Richards tried to move on with a starring role in the comedy, “Elvis Has Left the Building” (2005) working with top names like Kim Basinger and Tom Hanks, about a fugitive sales rep who hooks up with a bored advertising executive as she's trying to avoid going down for the murder of several Elvis impersonators. The actress was then cast in the UPN soap drama, “Sex, Love and Secrets” (2005- ), and then in the Canadian comedy “Blonde and Blonder” (2008) with Pamela Anderson. The movie was a complete disaster with a box office take of only $43,000 on an $9 million dollar production budget. Denise also had a small part working with Bai Ling in the dramatic thriller "Edmond" (2005) 

Denise Richards was anxious to get her life and career back on track and tried to do so as the star of her own reality show. She found herself in a court battle with ex-husband Sheen, who objected to the idea of his two and three year-old children being forced into the spotlight. Richards defended that by saying the children had already expressed an interest in show business. The show titled, "Denise Richards: It's Complicated", debuted in 2008 to mixed reviews, with most critics counting down the days before its cancellation.

Richards continued to appear in big-screen films like the dramatic "Jolene" (2008), where a teenage orphan spends ten years traveling cross-country experiencing life, love and heartbreak. Based on E.L. Doctorow's story, "Jolene: A Life." She then returned to a comedic role in "Deep In The Valley" (2008), about best friends, Carl and Lester, who find themselves magically transported into an alternate universe straight out of a real-life porno movie. They embark upon a journey of adult-themed mayhem while Carl ultimately finds true love in the most unlikely of places. 

Richards wrapped in her in yet another comedy with the role of Laura in "Finding Bliss" (2008), a story about an aspiring filmmaker who takes a job at a porn studio, planning to use the company's lush facilities to secretly film her own movie after hours. When Jody's ruse is discovered, she's forced to collaborate with infamous porn director, Jeff Drake, an initially bad relationship that turns into an unexpected romance.