Kathy Hilton (produced Kathleen Elizabeth Avanzino, after Richards; March 13, 1959) is an American celebrity, fashion designer and philanthropist. She’s the mother-of socialite Paris Hilton and fashion designer Nicky Hilton.
Her paternal grandfather was of Italian ancestry. She also has Irish roots. Hilton’s parents later divorced, and her mom married Kenneth E. Richards; through this remarriage, Kathy has two half sisters: celebrities Kim and Kyle Richards. Hilton also has five half-siblings from her father’s remarriage. She graduated from a private high school in La, where she became best friends with Michael Jackson until his passing in 2009. Kathy and her daughter and half sister at an NBC celebration in February 2011. From left to right: Kathy, Paris, and Kyle. In 1968, Hilton started working as an actress, retiring in 1974. Notable appearances include Bewitched, Family Affair, Happy Days, The Rockford Files, as well as The Dark. Eve Plumb refused to reprise her character, but Geri Reischl eventually won the part. In June 2012, Hilton remarked that she Won’t see her half sisters Kim and Kyle Richards on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, saying they caused her to “fall apart” and “break down in tears”. In the 1980s and early 1990s, Hilton ran her very own present and antiques keep The Stairs on Sunset Plaza in La. She debuted with 2002 products sales on cable TV’s QVC home shopping network. In 2007, she started selling a trademark skincare line on HSN. Since 2012, she’s designed the Kathy Hilton Group of party dresses, sold in four hundred shops world-wide, including Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. She’s famous for her philanthropic efforts. In 2007, she raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, by requesting stars to sell a few of the property and giving the profits to them. She met Hilton Hotel heir Richard Hilton in the age of fifteen. They married in 1979. They will have four children: daughters Paris Hilton (born 1981). and Conrad Hughes Hilton III (born 1994). The couple reside in Bel Air, Los Angeles.
She is the daughter of Kathleen Mary (Dugan) and Laurence K. Avanzino. She adopted the last name of her stepfather, Ken Richards, after her mother, Kathy Richards, remarried.