Early life
Richards was born in Joliet, Illinois to Joni, a coffee shop owner, and Irv Richards, a telephone engineer, and she has one sister, named Michelle. She grew up in both Mokena Illinois and Downers Grove Illinois. She graduated from El Camino High School in 1989, Oceanside, California, where she was a cheerleader.
Career
Before she was an actress, Richards was a fashion model. Richards spent the majority of the 1990s appearing in lower-budget films and TV shows like Saved by the Bell, television movies, and guest starring in episodes of several television shows. Her first starring role in a wide theatrical release was Starship Troopers in 1997, which was followed by her role in the moderately successful cult film Wild Things in 1998. Richards was subsequently cast as Dr. Christmas Jones in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), which had a high box office gross and contributed to Richards' renown. In addition to her film work, Richards has made regular appearances in the situation comedies Spin City, Two and a Half Men, Friends and Seinfeld. She also starred in the short-lived UPN series Sex, Love & Secrets in 2005. Throughout the early 2000s, Richards appeared in several film roles which both parodied and utilized her image as a sex symbol, including Valentine, Undercover Brother, Scary Movie 3 and Love Actually. In December 2004, she posed for a nude pictorial in Playboy magazine. Richards also posed semi-nude for the July 2006 issue of Jane magazine to raise money for the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation. In 1999 she ranked 9 in Maxim's 50 Sexiest Women and in 2001 she was voted 2nd in FHM's USA 100 Sexiest Women, 5th in FHM 100 Sexiest Women and 19 in AskMen.com 50 Most Beautiful Women.