Lisa Rinna Bio
Lisa Deanna Rinna, born on July 11, 1963, is an American actress, television personality, and model whose career has spanned more than three decades across daytime soaps, primetime drama, reality television, and Broadway. She first gained national attention as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives and as Taylor McBride on the Fox drama Melrose Place. She later became one of the most recognizable cast members of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where she starred from 2014 through 2022. Beyond acting, Rinna has built a presence as an entrepreneur and author, launching fashion, beauty, and beverage ventures alongside her television work.
Early Life and Background
Lisa Deanna Rinna was born on July 11, 1963, in Newport Beach, California, to Lois Irene DeAndrade and Frank Rinna. She is of Portuguese and Italian descent. Before Lisa’s birth, her mother survived a brutal attack by American serial killer David Carpenter, who had been a co-worker; Lois was saved when a military police officer pursued Carpenter’s vehicle after it entered a restricted area.
When Lisa was seven years old, her older half-sister Laurene died. During that same year, the family relocated to Medford, Oregon, after her father was transferred there for work, and Rinna spent the remainder of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from North Medford High School in 1981 and went on to pursue a career in modeling, eventually moving to San Francisco to chase that dream.
Path to Celebrity
After high school, Rinna began building her on-camera presence through commercials, later recalling that she earned her SAG card while filming a Mervyn’s commercial. At age 21, she appeared in the music video for John Parr’s single “Naughty Naughty,” riding as the passenger in Parr’s car. Her first steady television role came in 1990, when she played the girlfriend of Jason Bateman’s character on several episodes of The Hogan Family.
Rinna’s true breakthrough arrived in 1992, when she was cast as Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives. The role brought her widespread recognition and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Newcomer in 1994. She followed that success with a primetime turn as Taylor McBride on Melrose Place from 1996 to 1998, establishing herself as a fixture of Aaron Spelling’s glossy dramas.
Lisa Rinna Career
Early Career (1985–1999)
Rinna’s professional start is anchored in her soap opera work in the early 1990s, with her most defining early role being Billie Reed on Days of Our Lives. That performance earned her the 1994 Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Newcomer and, the following year, a 1995 Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple shared with Robert Kelker-Kelly. She left Days in 1995 to move into primetime, joining Melrose Place in 1996.
While six months pregnant with her first daughter in 1998, Rinna posed nude for Playboy’s “Melrose Mom” pictorial, which paid tribute to her Melrose Place character. By the end of the decade, she had begun appearing in Lifetime television films, including Sex, Lies & Obsession opposite her husband Harry Hamlin, signaling a shift toward made-for-cable projects.
Breakthrough (2000–2013)
In 2000, Rinna starred in the Lifetime film Another Woman’s Husband, which ranked among the channel’s highest-rated movies since 1999. The following year, she appeared in the comedy film Good Advice with Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards. From 2002 to 2006, she co-hosted Soapnet’s daily lifestyle talk show Soap Talk alongside Ty Treadway, earning four consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Talk Show Host.
Rinna expanded into competition television in 2006, competing in the second season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars with professional partner Louis van Amstel. The summer of 2007 brought her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago, with her husband Harry Hamlin playing Billy Flynn. That same year she appeared on HBO’s Entourage as Drama’s ex-girlfriend Donna Devaney, and she took over as host of TV Guide Network’s red carpet awards coverage through 2009. In 2010, she and Hamlin premiered their reality series Harry Loves Lisa on TV Land, which ran for six episodes.
In April 2012, Rinna launched her Lisa Rinna Collection on QVC, beginning a long-running retail partnership. She returned to The Celebrity Apprentice for its All-Stars season in 2013, continuing to broaden her reality television presence while maintaining her acting resume.
2014–Present: Reality Television and Beyond
In 2014, Rinna joined the main cast of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for its fifth season, a casting widely credited with reviving the series and lifting its ratings. She remained a central figure on the show for eight seasons before announcing her departure on January 6, 2023. That same year, she appeared as a regular guest co-host on CBS’s The Talk.
Rinna has continued to take on guest roles across television, including appearances on So Help Me Todd, Lopez vs. Lopez, and American Horror Stories. She co-starred with her daughter Delilah Belle Hamlin in the Lifetime film Mommy Meanest, and has ventured into scripted comedy with a role in the second season of Running Point. In 2023, she competed in the Emmy-winning competition series The Traitors.
Notable Works and Milestones
Signature Works include Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place, Soap Talk, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and The Traitors. Award wins include a 1994 Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Female Newcomer and a 1995 Soap Opera Digest Award for Hottest Soap Couple with Robert Kelker-Kelly. A dramatic milestone came in 2007, when she made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Lisa Rinna Award Nominations
Lisa Rinna has earned multiple career nominations, most notably four consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Talk Show Host for her work co-hosting Soap Talk from 2002 through 2006. Her earlier recognition also includes attention from the Soap Opera Digest Awards during her run on Days of Our Lives.
Lisa Rinna Family
Rinna married actor Harry Hamlin on March 29, 1997, in Beverly Hills, California, and the couple has two daughters, Delilah Belle Hamlin and Amelia Gray Hamlin. Her parents are Frank Rinna and Lois Irene DeAndrade, the latter of whom was featured on The Real Housewives franchise and passed away from a stroke on November 15, 2021.
Personal Life
Beyond her television career, Rinna has developed a wide range of entrepreneurial projects, including her Lisa Rinna Collection on QVC, the cosmetics brand Rinna Beauty, and the beverage company Rinna Wines, which features Rinna Rosé. She has published several books, including the self-help title Rinnavation, the novel Starlit, and the sexual health guide The Big, Fun, Sexy Sex Book. Rinna has also openly discussed her use of plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments such as silicone, Botox, and Juvéderm injections.