Nicole Richie was born Nicole Camille Escovedo in Berkeley, California. Because of her birth surname, she is well-rumored to be the biological daughter of Afro-Latin American percussionist Peter Escovedo III, however her birth father has not been identified publicly. Her birth mother has been identified only as a woman who was employed as a backstage assistant on Lionel Richie's 1980 world tour; Read more...

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.

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