All About Kyle Richards' Mom Kathleen Richards

Kyle Richards said her late mother, Kathleen Richards, was her “biggest cheerleader.”

The New York-born casting director was the proud mother of three entrepreneurs, socialites and actresses: Kathy Hilton (née Avanzino), Kim Richards and Kyle — all of whom starred in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Kyle has been a regular guest on the show since the series began in 2010.

Speaking to PEOPLE in 2018, Kyle said it’s no secret where she and her sisters got their fiery side.

“My mom was a strong woman, stubborn and open,” she said, adding that they had a very “unconventional” childhood. Kyle continued, “She made me feel like I was the greatest thing in the world.”

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Kyle, Kathy and Kim have had their fair share of family drama on and off screen, but the love they share for their late mother has been the main draw. After Kathleen died in 2002 of breast cancer, the sisters spoke openly about her lasting impact on their lives.

Here’s everything you need to know about Kyle Richards’ late mother, Kathleen Richards.

She was married four times

Kathleen Richards.

Kyle Richards Instagram

Coming from an Irish Catholic family, Kathleen grew up in Manhasset, Long Island. She was married four times to Laurence Avanzino, Kenneth “Ken” Richards, Jack Catain and Richard Fenton.

She welcomed her oldest daughter, Kathy, whom she shares with Avanzina, on March 13, 1959. Passing on her namesake to her daughter, Kathleen became known as “Big Kathy” while her daughter went by “Little Kathy”.

After their split, Kathleen met Ken. The couple had two daughters, Kim and Kyle, five years apart.

She had dreams of becoming an actress

Kathleen Richards.

Kyle Richards Instagram

Long before her daughters became famous, Kathleen dreamed of becoming an actress herself. When she was young, Kathleen moved to New York and enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but dropped out when she discovered she was pregnant with her first daughter, Kathy.

In an interview with San Diego Entertainer Magazine, Kyle said Kathy was the first of her sisters to be noticed by model scouts. Then Kim came on the scene, and both sisters began appearing in TV commercials. The move to Los Angeles brought the Richards to Hollywood, opening up even more acting opportunities.

Kim and Kyle were both child stars in the 70s, appearing in Nanny and professor and Little House on the Prairie, that is. Kathleen negotiated with the scouts and managed their finances in those early days of their careers.

She raised Kathy, Kim and Kyle in Bel Air

Kyle Richards and mother Kathleen Richards on September 28, 1985 in West Hollywood, California..

Ron Gallela, Ltd. / Getty

In the mid-60s, the Richardses moved to California. Although Kathleen and Ken later divorced, she kept their property in Bel Air and became the primary caretaker of their daughters.

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On RHOBH, the house of the Richards family was both a source of nostalgia and a quarrel between the sisters. However, one of Kyle’s fondest childhood memories was growing up in her own version of a “big sorority house.”

“I grew up in a house full of women. My mom, my grandma, my sisters, my mom’s friends… and my sister Kathy had two best friends who actually lived in our house,” Kyle said in his San Diego Entertainer Magazine feature. “It was a lot of fun at our house.”

She taught her daughters to be financially independent

Kyle Richards, Kathleen Richards and Kim Richards at the wedding of Kim Richards and Mr. Monty Brinson on August 3, 1985.

Ron Gallela, Ltd. / Getty

Kathleen divorced Ken after his relationship with another woman – she was unemployed at the time, devoting all her time and energy to managing her daughters’ burgeoning acting careers.

“She didn’t know about the money or what they had. She didn’t even have a checkbook,” Kyle revealed about her mother’s finances during a 2018 appearance on the show. Megyn Kelly today.

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As a result, Kathleen strove to teach her daughters how to be financially independent at a very young age, so that they could always take care of themselves.

In honor of Kyle’s 10th birthday, Kathleen took her to the bank to open her own checking account. “My mom got me a checkbook and I was allowed to get ‘unemployment checks’ from my TV shows,” Kyle recalled on the show. “She wanted me to take control and learn how to take care of myself from a young age, because she didn’t like being in that position in the 70s.”

She was strict with her daughters

Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards attend the DIRECTV Celebrates Christmas At Kathy’s event on November 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

Amanda Edwards/Getty

According to Kyle, Kathleen was not an indulgent parent.

“Even though we had this nice house in Bel Air, my mom was very strict,” he said Halloween said the star San Diego Entertainer Magazine. The Richards’ daughters were expected to make their beds, and when they became car owners, Kathleen forbade them from going to the car wash. Instead, they were instructed to wash the vehicles themselves at home.

“My kids are going to get their nails done now. I wasn’t allowed to do my nails. I did my own nails,” added Kyle.

She inspired Kyle’s drama series American woman

Kyle Richards and her mom Kathleen.

Kyle Richards Instagram

American woman premiered on Paramount Network in 2018. The drama series, co-produced by Kyle, is largely inspired by Kathleen’s story: a newly single mother trying to make ends meet while raising her daughters in the 70s. The fictional portrait of Kathleen was played by Alicia Silverstone.

“I didn’t lead a conventional life at all growing up. When my mom died, I thought about her and I like to write, so I would write stories about her and growing up. I thought, ‘I really want to make this into a TV show one day.’ And here we are,” Kyle continued Megyn Kelly today of the origin of the emission.

Kyle added that she felt her mom was paving the way for feminists during that period.

“My mom was a very strong, open woman, and at that time women weren’t supposed to be like that,” she continued. “Now it’s like ‘boss’ — it’s an expression now. But in the 70s, if you were strong, stubborn and outspoken, it was looked down upon. And my mom was that woman – very strong.”

Despite Kyle’s intention to tell an inspiring story, American woman caused a major rift between her and Kathy, who was against the project because she feared it would be too autobiographical.

“I felt bad because she thought it was something that it wasn’t. My mom inspired me [Kathleen], being a single mother in the 70s. It was a crazy, fun, reckless time. But it’s not based on my real life,” Kyle explained to PEOPLE at the time. Kim, on the other hand, was in favor of releasing the series.

She died in 2002 from breast cancer

Kathleen Richards.

Instagram Kim Richards

In 2002, Kathleen died after being diagnosed with breast cancer. On the 15th anniversary of her death, Kim paid heartfelt tribute to her late mother, whom she described as “the most wonderful person” and “a loving and caring woman”.

“She loved her girls and granddaughters more than anything in the world…she always took people under her wing,” she wrote on Instagram in 2017. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my mom and wish she was still here. But I know that she is watching over all of us…and it gives me peace knowing that she can see all the good that is happening in our lives.”

Kyle, for her part, echoed a similar sentiment about Kathleen in her 2020 tribute. “18 years ago today, I lost my mom. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her. I wonder what she thinks looking down on our family. I wish he was here to be a part of everything in person,” she wrote on Instagram.

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