Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman.

She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards, and two Young Artist Awards.

Hilary Erhard Duff was born on September 28, 1987, in Houston, Texas.

Her parents are Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores, and Susan Colleen Duff (née Cobb), a homemaker turned film and music producer.

Duff has one older sister named Haylie.

She was raised between Houston and San Antonio, the locations of her father's convenience stores.

Encouraged by their mother, both Hilary and her sister enrolled in acting, singing, and ballet classes.

The siblings earned roles in local theater productions, and later participated in a touring BalletMet production of The Nutcracker in San Antonio.

Increasingly interested in the pursuit of show business, the Duff sisters and their mother moved to California in 1993, while their father stayed in Houston to take care of his business.

The sisters auditioned for several years and were cast in many television commercials.

Due to her acting career, Duff was home-schooled from the age of eight.

The pair also modeled for various clothing brands.

Duff stated, "My sister and I really showed an interest in [performing] and dedication, and [our mother] was like, 'How can I tell my kids no?' It's the same as kids that are going into sports. Parents support them and push them."

During her initial acting years, Duff primarily played minor roles, such as her uncredited part in the Hallmark Entertainment western miniseries True Women (1997) and as an uncredited extra in the ensemble comedy-drama Playing by Heart (1998).

The same year, Duff landed her first major role as Wendy in Casper Meets Wendy, based on the Harvey Comics characters.

After appearing in the supporting role of Ellie in the television film The Soul Collector (1999), Duff received a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress).

In March 2000, Duff appeared as a sick child in the CBS medical drama series Chicago Hope.

She was next cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC comedy series Daddio.

Her Daddio co-star Michael Chiklis stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'This young girl is gonna be a movie star.' She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin."

However, producers dropped Duff from the cast prior to the airing of the show.

A week after being dropped from Daddio, Duff landed the title role of a newly developed Disney Channel series, Lizzie McGuire.

She began her acting career at a young age, quickly being labeled a teen idol as the title character in the Disney Channel comedy series Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004) and in the film based on the series, The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003).

Lizzie McGuire premiered on January 12, 2001, and became a ratings hit, with an estimated 2.3 million viewers per episode.

Duff quickly became labeled as a teen idol and household name, particularly within the show's pre-teen adolescent target demographic.

Disney began marketing the series through soundtracks, books, dolls, toys, and video games based on Duff's character; the company reportedly made an estimated $100 million from the show's merchandise alone.

The actress was featured in the Game Boy Advance video games that were created for her Lizzie McGuire character.

Thereafter, she appeared in numerous mainstream films such as Cadet Kelly (2002), Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), and A Cinderella Story (2004).

Musically, Duff first came to prominence after releasing her debut studio album, the Christmas-themed Santa Claus Lane (2002), through Buena Vista Records.

Duff made her feature film debut in Human Nature (2002), in which she portrayed the younger version of Patricia Arquette's character.

Duff also starred in the 2002 Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly, which became the network's most watched program in its then 19-year history.

Her second album, Metamorphosis (2003), was hugely successful, topping the Billboard 200 chart and earning a 4× Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

She enjoyed significant commercial success with her subsequent Platinum and Gold-certified albums released through Hollywood Records; Hilary Duff (2004), Most Wanted (2005), and Dignity (2007).

She later appeared in independent films playing a wider range of adult-themed roles, such as War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009), Bloodworth (2011), and The Haunting of Sharon Tate (2019).

In addition to music and acting, she has also co-authored a trilogy of novels, beginning with Elixir (2010), which became a New York Times best seller, and followed by the sequels Devoted (2011) and True (2013).

Duff's success in the entertainment industry led her to venture into business with fashion lines of her own such as Stuff by Hilary Duff, Femme for DKNY, and the "Muse x Hilary Duff" collection, a collaborative effort with GlassesUSA which was credited to have boosted GlassesUSA's sales for its premium brands.

She has also invested in a number of businesses ranging from cosmetics to children's products.

From 2015 to 2021, Duff starred as Kelsey Peters in TV Land's longest-running original series Younger, for which she received two People's Choice Awards nominations.

Between 2022 and 2023, she has produced and starred as Sophie Tompkins in the Hulu sitcom How I Met Your Father.

Following a hiatus from music, Duff signed with RCA Records for her fifth album, Breathe In. Breathe Out. (2015).

Duff has been hailed as an inspiration by subsequent Disney teen stars such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez, and has sold an estimated 15 million records worldwide.