Kyle Richards' Movie and TV Career, from Halloween to American Woman & Beyond

Long before she was a Real Housewife, Kyle Richards had already made a name for herself as a film and TV actress.

"I love acting, it's what I've done all my life and to me, it's a lot easier than doing reality television because you get into a character, you remember your lines and you go home and leave it all behind at the end of the day,” The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast member told The Daily Dish in 2012. “Reality television, it's your life and you can't walk away from it. You're being exposed and the audience is weighing in on your lives and your relationships with your friends and family.”

But even after entering the realm of reality television, Kyle has continued acting in movies and TV shows, executive produced a TV series, and even recently starred in a music video with country singer Morgan Wade.

Here are the highlights of Kyle’s illustrious career in Hollywood.

Kyle Richards' Movie and TV Roles as a Child

Bette Davis and Kyle Richards looks at a music box in a scene for the Walt Disney movie "The Watcher in the Woods" circa 1979. Photo: Getty Images

Kyle's very first acting role was a one-episode stint on Police Woman as Julie Faulkner in 1974. She then played Debbie Parent in The Car (1977) and Ellie Curtis in The Watcher in the Woods (1980). Her notable guest roles include three episodes on Police Story between 1976 and 1978, a four-episode stint as Gerry on Carter County in 1979, as well a one-episode appearance as Jodi on CHIPs in 1982.

Kyle Richards' in Little House on the Prairie (1975-1982)

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE -- "Remember Me: Part 2" -- Pictured: Bonnie Bartlett as Grace Snider, Radames Pera as John Sanderson, (front row l-r) Brian Part as Carl Sanderson, Victor French as Isaiah Edwards, Kyle Richards as Alicia Sanderson Photo: Getty Images

Kyle had a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie, appearing in 18 episodes between 1975 and 1982. She first appeared in Season 2 and played Alicia Sanderson Edwards. She played a different character, Samantha Harper, in Season 5.

Kyle’s first major acting role was playing the younger version of her sister Kim Richards’ character Tia in the 1975 Walt Disney classic Escape to Witch Mountain.

One of Kyle’s most significant childhood roles was playing Lindsey Wallace in the 1978 horror classic, Halloween, in which Jamie Lee Curtis also starred.  In 2022, Kyle reflected on filming the movie as a child and told Fox News she wasn’t scared to act in the movie, however, once she actually watched the film, she “had nightmares and had to sleep with [her] mom until [she] was 15 years old.”

Kyle Richards' role on Down to Earth

She appeared in 106 episodes as Lissy Preston in the TV series Down to Earth between 1984 and 1987. The show was about a flapper who was fatally struck by a trolley and waiting in heaven for a chance to help a family and earn her wings. That family was the Prestons, and Kyle played the opinionated teenage daughter. 

Kyle Richards' Later Television Roles

Kyle took an almost 10-year break from Hollywood after having with her first child, Farrah, who was born in 1988. She returned to acting in the late 1990s with an appearance as the Scheming Woman on Love Boat: The Next Wave (1998) and a guest role on Beverly Hills, 90210 as Anna Murphy in 1999.

Kyle Richards on ER

She appeared in 21 episodes of ER, the NBC medical drama that took place in a Chicago hospital emergency room, as Nurse Dori Kerns between 1998 and 2006. 

Other TV roles

She had one-episode stints on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2012) and How I Met Your Father (2023). She appeared in two episodes of Days of Our Lives in 2013. She also appeared in a guest spot on Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce.

Kyle Richards on Reality Television

Kyle was an original cast member on Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip. She also briefly appeared on The Simple Life with her niece Paris Hilton. According to People, she is set to appear on Season 2 of Netflix's Buying Beverly Hills alongside her husband, Mauricio Umansky, and her daughters. 

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Cast Season 1

Kyle was an original Beverly Hills Housewife, starring in Season 1 — which premiered in 2010 —  alongside her sister Kim. She has been a cast member on all 12 seasons of the show. 

The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip

Peacock's Real Housewives spin-off series, The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, had Kyle as a Season 1 cast member. The show features Housewives from various cities coming together for an epic vacation. 

Kyle Richards and Kathy Hilton Finally Talk About the American Woman TV Show

American Woman was a one-season sitcom inspired by Kyle’s childhood. She served as executive producer for the series. Alicia Silverstone played Bonnie Nolan, the character inspired by Kyle’s mother.

Kyle Richards' Recent Roles

In 2021, Kyle reprised her role as Lindsey for Halloween Kills. The film followed the surviving victims of Michael Myers, who formed a vigilante mob and vowed to end his reign of terror.

Kyle Richards in Housewives of the North Pole (2021)

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF THE NORTH POLE -- Pictured: Kyle Richards as Trish, Betsy Brandt as Diana Photo: Getty Images

Kyle had a lead role in Peacock’s first original holiday movie, The Housewives of the North Pole, which was released in 2021. She played Trish and starred alongside actress Betsy Brandt.

The duo played two close friends who have been dubbed "The Christmas Queens of North Pole, Vermont," after winning the Best Holiday House decorating competition every year for the past nine years — until their friendship is put into jeopardy when the two get into an argument just days before Christmas. 

Kyle Richards attends Universal Pictures World Premiere of "Halloween Ends" on October 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Photo: Getty Images

Kyle returned to the iconic movie franchise and reprised her legendary role as the now grown-up Lindsey Wallace from the original Halloween movie for the final installment of the horror series, Halloween Ends, which dropped on Peacock and in theaters on October 14, 2022. The movie also saw Kyle and Jamie Lee Curtis reunite.

“So excited & grateful to be teaming up again with Jamie Lee Curtis, [producer] Jason Blum, [and director] David Gordon Green for Halloween Ends,” Kyle shared in an Instagram post when news of the film was announced.

Currently, Kyle is getting ready to appear in the LGBTQ holiday romance film The Holiday Exchange. She confirmed the news on Instagram.

According to Variety, the film also stars Taylor Frey and Rick Cosnett, as well as Camila Banus, Nick Adams, Ashley Fink, and Kyle Dean Massey. Per the publication, Kyle plays the protagonist’s “lively and involved mother, Lola.”

Kyle starred in the music video for her friend Morgan Wade’s new single, “Fall in Love with Me,” which premiered on August 10. Kyle and Morgan shared a joint Instagram post to celebrate the release, in which they called the video “campy and fun.”

In the video, Kyle plays someone whose interest is piqued when her new neighbor, portrayed by Morgan, moves in next door. Kyle and Morgan’s joint Instagram post stated that it is “also important and representative of all kinds of love, even in the country space, in any space.”