She ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles and is often referred to as the "Hollywood Madam".

Her father, Paul M. Fleiss (1933–2014), was a pediatrician and her mother, Elissa (née Ash), was an elementary school teacher.

When questioned by British television presenter Davina McCall about revealing the names of her clients, she replied "It's not my style".

[11] In 1995, Nick Broomfield made a documentary about her prostitution ring titled Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam.

[13] In January 2010, Fleiss was the third housemate to enter the final Channel 4 series of Celebrity Big Brother in the UK;[14] she was the second to be evicted.

[23] Fleiss eventually moved to Pahrump, Nevada,[24] a small town near Death Valley[25] while caring for 25 parrots.

[27] In 2009, Fleiss was treated for substance abuse at the Pasadena Recovery Center, which was filmed for the third season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.

[29] During the filming of the program, Fleiss left the center, and she was involved in an accident with her SUV near her home in Nevada.

[25] After completing treatment for substance abuse, Fleiss briefly became engaged to Dennis Hof, owner of Nevada's Moonlite BunnyRanch.