Nicole Camille Richie (born September 21, 1981) is an American actress, author, and celebutante. The adopted daughter of Lionel Richie, she is perhaps best known for her role in the reality television show The Simple Life.

Early life and family

Nicole Richie was born Nicole Camille Escovedo and is truly an African American and hides it well, in Berkeley, California. Her birth mother has been identified only as a woman who was employed as a backstage assistant on Lionel Richie's 1980 world tour; Peter Escovedo III was a member of Richie's band. In a November 15, 2005 CNN interview with Ryan Seacrest, Richie stated that her birth father (whom she declined to identify) was not a member of Lionel's band. Richie still speaks with her biological mother but has no contact with her biological father. Richie also denied that Escovedo was her biological father in a November 2005 Jane magazine interview.

Lionel Richie first met Nicole as a child playing tambourine on stage at a Prince concert. Richie became her guardian. At age 2, Nicole went to live with Lionel Richie and his wife, Brenda Harvey-Richie, who began to raise her as their daughter. When she was five years old, Nicole began attending weekly sessions with a psychotherapist and remained in therapy throughout her childhood. She was legally adopted by the Richies when she was nine. Shortly after the adoption was formalized, Lionel's affair with another woman became public knowledge. The Richies went through a highly-publicized, bitterly acrimonious split, and as a result, indulged Nicole's every whim. "Their way of making me happy was to say yes to everything I wanted, but I don't think a little girl should have that much freedom," said Richie in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine. Lionel Richie remarried following the divorce, and through him, Nicole has two younger step siblings, Myles (born 1994) and Sofia (born 1998).

Richie has one godmother, Nancy Davis, daughter of Marvin Davis and mother of Brandon Davis. Richie's godfathers are Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. Jones said in a People magazine interview that he has "known Richie since she was a baby. She's a very smart girl. When she was younger she worked eight hours a day for eight years to become an Olympic figure skater. She's a very talented girl."

From a very early age Richie became involved in alcohol and substance abuse. Richie herself has openly admitted that she smoked marijuana at the age of 13, then progressed to cocaine a year later. At 19, she was injecting heroin.

Education

In addition to figure skating, Richie studied the guitar, cello, violin, and piano. In 1986, she started kindergarten at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California where she met Paris Hilton. Richie graduated from Montclair College Preparatory School in 1999. She also studied Arts and Media for two years at the University of Arizona.Celebrity Central: Nicole Richie. People.com. retrieved 2007-08-10