What Was Kyle Richards Doing Before 'RHOBH'?

I love watching every series in the Real Housewives franchise. I cannot help being addicted to these shows and the lives of the cast members. Still, I always wonder: Where does Bravo find these women? What makes one person Real Housewives material over another. Sure, each series gets even better over time because the Housewives become more famous and they get more opportunities for drama, but still, there has to be a reason, or several, that these women get cast in the first place. To look at one woman in particular, what was Kyle Richards doing before Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ? What was life like before the reality TV cameras took over?

If you've ever watched RHOBH, you have definitely noticed how many times Kyle and her sister Kim Richards have referenced their acting careers back when they were child stars. (It's almost as much as they name check their niece Paris Hilton.) But I always wondered how legitimate these careers were. I mean, I don't really remember watching anything with a young actress named Kyle Richards. I always wanted to know how much of Kyle's Hollywood past was exaggerated and how much of what she said was true. So let's delve into Kyle Richards' life pre-Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and find out.

Little House On The Prairie

Kyle was born into Hollywood life — literally. She was born January 11, 1969 in Hollywood, Calif. and was really was meant for this lifestyle. She had her first acting gig in 1975 on the television show Little House on the Prairie . She played Alicia Sanderson Edwards and even shared screen time with her sister Kim. Kyle appeared in 19 episodes during the show's run.

Down To Earth

Kyle had a staring role in the 1980s series Down to Earth . The show was about an angel trying to get her wings by helping out a family. Kylie played the role of Lissy Preston. Flash forward to the 1:07 mark in the video to see a close up of Kyle Richards in the show's introduction.

Her First Marriage

Even as a faithful viewer of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I forgot that Mauricio Umansky is not Kyle's first husband. When Kyle was 18, she was pregnant and decided to marry her boyfriend Guraish Aldjufrie. The marriage only lasted four years and the couple divorced in 1990.

Marrying Mauricio

Kyle was engaged to news anchor Michael Tuck when she met Mauricio in 1994. The two hit it off and married in January 1996 when Kyle was four months pregnant with their daughter Alexia. Two more kids and a reality show later, they are just as happy as ever. And in my opinion, they are one of the best Real Housewives couples.

Paris Hilton's Aunt

Before she appeared on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, I knew who Kyle was from watching specials about Paris Hilton and her sister Nicky on television. Because yes, that was a thing back in the day when Paris Hilton was the most talked about celebutante. Richards even appeared on Hilton's short-lived reality TV series Paris Hilton's My New BFF .

ER

Kyle Richards' next regular TV role was in the series ER. She played Nurse Dori in 20 episodes from 1998 to 2006. So yes, that includes some overlap with George Clooney who was on the show until 1999. I wonder if these two kept in touch after his departure from the show. I sort of doubt it since she hasn't mentioned him on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but you never know.

It looks to me like if even if Real Housewives didn't come along that Kyle Richards would have kept her presence in pop culture. Now I just wonder if she will ever get back into acting or if she will just stick with the Real Housewives lifestyle from now on.