Bravo has made big stars out of some ordinary people, like the original cast members of Vanderpump Rules who went from SURvers, bartenders, and DJs to being influencers, podcast hosts, and reality TV stars. But, there have also been some people who came to Bravo already hugely famous -- especially when it comes to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars.
But of all the famous names that have joined the cast of RHOBH, who was the most famous before coming to Bravo?
1. Denise Richards
When it comes to pre-existing fame, it's hard to beat Denise Richards. This model, actress, and TV personality got her start in Hollywood as a model in the early 90s and became well-known for her marriage to Charlie Sheen and her roles in projects like Wild Things and Starship Troopers. She has appeared as both a guest star and main cast member in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in seasons 9, 10, and 13.
2. Jennifer Tilly
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills newcomer Jennifer Tilly joined the cast of the Bravo reality series in 2024, but she's been acting since the 1980s -- plus, she's seriously rich from The Simpsons royalties. Before joining RHOBH, Jennifer Tilly was best known for voicing Tiffany Valentine in the Child's Play franchise and being a poker pro.
3. Kim Richards
Unlike other RHOBH cast members who became famous as adults, Kim Richards has been working in Hollywood since she was young. She was only a few months old when she landed her first modeling gig and became famous as a child actress in movies like Escape to Witch Mountain and TV shows like James at 15/16 and Hello, Larry before she joined the cast of RHOBH in the first season and appeared intermittently alongside her sisters through season 13.
4. Garcelle Beauvais
Garcelle Beauvais was an actress before she joined season 10 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She started acting in the mid-1980s and became known for roles on shows like The Jamie Foxx Show, NPYD Blue, and Models Inc., along with guest roles on a wide variety of other shows and roles in movies.
5. Kathy Hilton
Like her sisters, Kim and Kyle Richards, Kathy Hilton started in Hollywood at a young age as a child actress. But, unlike Kim Richards, Kathy Hilton is definitely known best for the fact that she married into the Hilton family and is the mother to socialite and reality star Paris Hilton. She retired from acting in 1979 after 11 years in the spotlight as a child actress and married Richard Hilton the same year.
6. Lisa Rinna
Lisa Rinna began acting in the early 1990s and rose to fame on the soap opera Days of Our Lives as Billie Reed in 1992. She went on to continue acting in shows like Melrose Place and as the host of the show Soap Talk and bounced around Real Housewives franchises before she landed on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as a guest star and then main cast member from 2014 through 2022.
7. Honorable mention: Kyle Richards
Even though Kyle Richards is definitely best known for being an OG member of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills now, there's no denying that she was famous before she was cast on the series. Like her sisters and RHOBH co-stars, Kathy Hilton and Kim Richards, Kyle Richards began as a child actress in the 1970s. Before RHOBH, she was best known for her roles in Little House on the Prairie and the slasher film series Halloween.