Kathy Hilton

**Kathleen Elizabeth Hilton** (née **Avanzino**; born March 13, 1959) is an American former actress, businesswoman, and television personality. She is known for appearing on the Bravo reality television series _The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills_.

## Early life

Kathleen Elizabeth Avanzino was born in New York City on March 13, 1959, as the only child of painter and decorator Laurence Avanzino and casting director Kathleen Avanzino. Her father's family comes from Italian ancestry while her mother's family comes from Ireland. Her parents divorced in 1963, her mother married businessman and retired lieutenant colonel Ken Richards and had Hilton's two maternal half-sisters; Kim and Kyle Richards, both of whom are actresses. She also has five paternal younger half-siblings. Hilton's father died on February 18, 1997. He was 61.

Hilton graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in Los Angeles, where she became best friends with Michael Jackson. The two remained close friends until his death in 2009.

### Acting and television career

Hilton began working as a child actress in 1968. She made her debut as an actress in April 1970, with the role of Melodie during an episode of the ABC sitcom _Nanny and the Professor_. She retired from acting in 1979.

Hilton hosted the NBC reality television series _I Want to Be a Hilton_. The series ran for eight episodes during the summer of 2005. The series was later cancelled.

Hilton appeared as an official "friend of the housewives" during seasons 11 and 12 of the Bravo reality television series _The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills_. She previously appeared in a guest capacity during seasons 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10.

Hilton made a guest appearance during an episode of the Netflix reality cooking show _Cooking with Paris_ in August 2021. Hilton appeared on the Peacock reality television series _Paris In Love_ in November 2021.

### Business ventures

Hilton operated her own gift and antiques store The Staircase on Sunset Plaza in Los Angeles during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Hilton debuted with 2002 merchandise sales on cable TV's QVC home shopping network. She began selling her signature skincare line on HSN. She launched a perfume, "My Secret", in 2008.

Hilton has designed the Kathy Hilton Collection of party dresses, sold in four hundred stores worldwide, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom.

Hilton and her daughters modeled the new Valentino 2021 resort collection in a photo series for _Vogue_, in December 2020.

## Personal life

Hilton resides in Bel Air, Los Angeles.

### Marriage and children

Hilton met Richard Hilton, a member of the Hilton family, at the age of 15. The couple wed on November 24, 1979, when he was 24 and she was 20 years old. They have four children together; Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Barron Hilton II, and Conrad Hilton III. She has seven grandchildren; three through Nicky, two through Barron, and two through Paris.

### Family

Barron Hilton was her father-in-law. James Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family - the only son of Amschel Rothschild and a grandson of Victor Rothschild, 3rd Baron Rothschild - is her son-in-law through his marriage to Nicky. Tessa von Walderdorff - a member of the Walderdorff family - is her daughter-in-law through her marriage to Barron.

Mauricio Umansky is her brother-in-law through his marriage to Kyle; her nieces are Farrah Brittany, Alexia Umansky, Sophia Umansky, and Portia Umansky. Her nieces and nephew through her sister Kim are Brooke Brinson, Whitney Davis, Chad Davis, and Kimberly Jackson.

Hilton's parents divorced when she was four years old. Her mother married Jack Catain Jr., a businessman and convicted criminal, on July 4, 1980. Catain Jr. was her stepfather, briefly. She gained two stepsiblings from her mother's third marriage; Michele Catain, a crew member and real estate agent, and Michael Catain, a businessman and convicted criminal. Her mother and stepfather were divorced on March 16, 1982.

### As an actress

|Year|Title|Role|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1970|_Nanny and the Professor_|Melodie|1 episode; credited as Kathleen Richards|
|1971|_Family Affairs_|Carol|1 episode; credited as Kathleen Richards|
|1971|_Marcus Welby, M.D._|Nicole|1 episode; credited as Kathleen Richards|
|1971|_Bewitched_|Robin Silverton|1 episode; credited as Kathleen Richards|
|1972|_Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol_|Virginia|Uncredited|
|1974|_Sigmund and the Sea Monsters_|Diane|1 episode; credited as Kathy Richards|
|1976|_No Deposit, No Return_|Girl at the Airport|Uncredited|
|1977|_Happy Days_|Gertie|1 episode; credited as Kathy Richards|
|1978|_The Rockford Files_|Judy|1 episode; credited as Kathie Richards|
|1979|_The Dark_|Shelly Warner|Credited as Kathy Richards|
|1979|_On the Air Live with Captain Midnight_|Corvette Girl|Credited as Kathleen Richards|
|1992|_Wishman_|Woman at Football Game|Uncredited|
|2020|_BSA Live_|A star||

### As herself

|Year|Show|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- |
|2003|_It's Good to Be..._|1 episode|
|2003–2007|_The Simple Life_|6 episodes|
|2005|_California Entertainment Weekly_||
|2005–2023|_Today_|3 episodes|
|2005|_The Tonight Show with Jay Leno_|1 episode|
|2005–2009|_Larry King Live_|2 episodes|
|2005|_The View_|1 episode|
|2005|_The Miss Teen USA Pageant_||
|2005|_I Want to Be a Hilton_|8 episodes|
|2007–2023|_Entertainment Tonight_|16 episodes|
|2008|_The Young and the Restless_|2 episodes|
|2008|_Paris, Not France_||
|2009|_The 35th Annual People's Choice Awards_||
|2009|_Paris Hilton's British Best Friend_|1 episode|
|2010|_The Ellen DeGeneres Show_|1 episode|
|2011–2022|_The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills_|47 episodes|
|2011|_The Talk_|1 episode|
|2011|_The World According to Paris_|4 episodes|
|2011|_Piers Morgan Tonight_|2 episodes|
|2012|_Home & Family_|1 episode|
|2013–2014|_Life with La Toya_|9 episodes|
|2013|_Mornings_|1 episode|
|2013|_Hollywood Today_|1 episode|
|2014|_Hi Society_|1 episode|
|2015|_Million Dollar Listing San Francisco_|1 episode|
|2018|_The American Meme_|Uncredited|
|2018|_Access Hollywood_|2 episodes|
|2020|_The Artists Report_|1 episode|
|2020|_This Is Paris_||
|2021|_Extra_|1 episode|
|2021|_Daily Blast Live_|1 episode|
|2021–2023|_Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen_|3 episodes|
|2021|_Robin & Company_|1 episode|
|2021|_Cooking with Paris_|1 episode|
|2021|_The Kelly Clarkson Show_|1 episode|
|2021–2022|_The Real_|Guest co-host; 6 episodes|
|2021|_Architectural Digest_|1 episode|
|2021|_Paris In Love_|13 episodes|
|2022|_The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon_|1 episode|
|2022|_Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen_|Podcast series; 1 episode|
|2022|_The Drew Barrymore Show_|1 episode|
|2022|_2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: Unscripted_||
|2022|_The Q Agenda_|1 episode|
|2022|_Dish Nation_|2 episodes|
|2022|_The 48th Annual People's Choice Awards_||

Source:

## Infobox (person)

- **name**: Kathy Hilton
- **image**: Kathy Hilton.jpg
- **caption**: Hilton in 2008
- **birth name**: Kathleen Elizabeth Avanzino
- **birth place**: New York City, U.S.
- **nationality**: Americans, American
- **education**: Montclair College Preparatory School
- **occupation**: Former actress • businesswoman • television personality
- **years active**: 1968–present
- **children**: Paris Hilton, Paris • Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Nicky • Barron Hilton II, Barron • Conrad Hilton III, Conrad
- **relatives**: Kim Richards, Kim and Kyle Richards (half-sisters); Brooke Brinson, Whitney Davis, Chad Davis, Kimberly Jackson, Farrah Brittany, Alexia Umansky, Sophia Umansky, and Portia Umansky (nieces and nephew); Barron Hilton (father-in-law); Stephen Hilton and Mauricio Umansky (brother-in-laws); Michele Catain, Michele and Michael Catain (former stepsiblings)
- **family**: Hilton family (through marriage)