Kathy Hilton
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Elizabeth "Kathy" Hilton (née Avanzino, later Richards; born March 13, 1959) is an American actress. She is the mother of Paris Hilton
and Nicky Hilton
.
to Laurence K. Avanzino and Kathleen Dugan (1933–2002). Her parents later divorced, and her mother remarried Kenneth E. Richards. Her maternal half-siblings are the actresses Kim
and Kyle Richards
. She has five half-siblings from her mother's marriage.
She met Hilton Hotel heir Richard Hilton
at the age of 15. The couple married in 1979. Rick and Kathy Hilton have four children: daughters Paris Hilton
(b. 1981) and Nicholai "Nicky" Hilton
(b. 1983), and sons Barron Hilton II (b. 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton III (b. 1994).
Hilton was very close friends with American pop star Michael Jackson
since her school days. She attended his funeral in 2009.
, Family Affair
, Happy Days
, The Rockford Files
, and The Dark. At the age of 17, she was one of two final candidates to play the role of Jan for The Brady Bunch Hour
; Geri Reischl
eventually won the role.
She debuted with 2002 merchandise sales on cable TV
's QVC
home shopping network, followed by her hosting of the 2005 reality show
, I Want To Be a Hilton
on NBC
.
In 2007, Hilton began selling a signature skincare line on HSN.
On the May 13, 2008 episode of The Young and the Restless
, she made a guest appearance as herself.
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
and Nicky Hilton
Nicky Hilton
Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton is an American businesswoman, fashion model, socialite, celebutante, heiress and fashion designer. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton and younger sister of Paris Hilton....
.
Personal life and family
Hilton was born in Whittier, CaliforniaWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
to Laurence K. Avanzino and Kathleen Dugan (1933–2002). Her parents later divorced, and her mother remarried Kenneth E. Richards. Her maternal half-siblings are the actresses Kim
Kim Richards
Kimberly "Kim" Richards is an American actress, former child actress, and television personality. She had roles in several Disney movies in the 1970s and later TV shows in the late 1970s and early 80s before returning to the screen with her sister Kyle Richards on Bravo's The Real Housewives of...
and Kyle Richards
Kyle Richards
Kyle Egan Richards is an American actress and television personality. She is known for returning to television with her sister, Kim Richards, on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.-Early life:...
. She has five half-siblings from her mother's marriage.
She met Hilton Hotel heir Richard Hilton
Richard Hilton
Richard Howard "Rick" Hilton is an American entrepreneur and hotelier. He is the Chairman and co-founder of Hilton & Hyland, a real estate brokerages firm based in Beverly Hills that specializes in homes and estates in Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, Bel-Air, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and...
at the age of 15. The couple married in 1979. Rick and Kathy Hilton have four children: daughters Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
(b. 1981) and Nicholai "Nicky" Hilton
Nicky Hilton
Nicholai Olivia "Nicky" Hilton is an American businesswoman, fashion model, socialite, celebutante, heiress and fashion designer. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton and younger sister of Paris Hilton....
(b. 1983), and sons Barron Hilton II (b. 1989) and Conrad Hughes Hilton III (b. 1994).
Hilton was very close friends with American pop star Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
since her school days. She attended his funeral in 2009.
Career
In 1968, she began her career as an actress, a position which she eventually retired from in 1974. Notable appearances include BewitchedBewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, Family Affair
Family Affair
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, and The Dark. At the age of 17, she was one of two final candidates to play the role of Jan for The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
; Geri Reischl
Geri Reischl
Geri Lee Reischl is an American actress and singer, known for her work as a child actor in the 1970s, most notably on the variety show The Brady Bunch Hour and various television commercials.-Acting:...
eventually won the role.
She debuted with 2002 merchandise sales on cable TV
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
's QVC
QVC
QVC is a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, QVC broadcasts in five countries as QVC US, QVC UK, QVC Germany, QVC Japan and – QVC Italy to 200 million households...
home shopping network, followed by her hosting of the 2005 reality show
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, I Want To Be a Hilton
I Want To Be a Hilton
I Want To Be a Hilton is a 2005 weekly NBC reality television series that was hosted by Kathy Hilton.The show featured people who "Wanted to be like a Hilton." The finalist of the competition receives a prize package that includes a $200,000 trust fund, a new apartment, wardrobe and the opportunity...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
In 2007, Hilton began selling a signature skincare line on HSN.
On the May 13, 2008 episode of The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
, she made a guest appearance as herself.