Hilary Duff is an American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman and author from Houston, Texas. Born in 1987, she begins her career as a child performer and becomes widely known for playing Lizzie McGuire in the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire and the film The Lizzie McGuire Movie.

Acting career

Duff starts out with early film roles in True Women and Playing by Heart, then takes her first major lead as Wendy in Casper Meets Wendy. She also appears in The Soul Collector, Chicago Hope and the unaired pilot for Daddio. Her film work includes Human Nature, Cadet Kelly, Agent Cody Banks, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Cinderella Story, Raise Your Voice, The Perfect Man, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Material Girls, War, Inc., According to Greta, What Goes Up, Beauty & the Briefcase, Bloodworth, Stay Cool, She Wants Me, The Haunting of Sharon Tate and animated voice work in Wings and its sequel.

On television, she stars as Kelsey Peters in Younger and later as Sophie Tompkins in How I Met Your Father. She also appears in Gossip Girl, Raising Hope and Two and a Half Men. Duff receives critical recognition and award nominations for Younger.

Music career

Duff releases her debut album Santa Claus Lane through Walt Disney Records, then signs with Hollywood Records. Her second album, Metamorphosis, reaches number one on the Billboard 200 and is certified 4× Platinum in the United States; it includes the singles “So Yesterday” and “Come Clean” and is supported by the Metamorphosis Tour. Her next releases are the album Hilary Duff, the compilation Most Wanted, and the album Dignity, which leans towards dance and electropop and includes “With Love” and “Stranger”, both of which top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. She later releases Best of Hilary Duff, which includes “Reach Out”, and returns with Breathe In. Breathe Out.

Her early recordings also include songs on Disney soundtracks, and she contributes “What Dreams Are Made Of” and “Why Not” to The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Later singles include “Chasing the Sun”, “All About You” and “Sparks”. She also covers “Never Let You Go” and re-records earlier material for the limited edition album (Mine).

Writing, business and other work

Alongside performing, Duff co-authors a trilogy of novels: Elixir, Devoted and True. She launches fashion and fragrance ventures including Stuff by Hilary Duff, Femme for DKNY, With Love... Hilary Duff, and the home fragrance line Below 60°, where she serves as chief brand director. She also works with brands and product lines including Kopari Beauty, GlassesUSA’s Muse x Hilary Duff eyewear, Smash + Tess, Carter’s, Happy Little Camper and Veeda.

She is born in Houston, Texas, to Robert Erhard Duff and Susan Colleen Duff, and has an older sister, Haylie. The sisters take acting, singing and ballet classes, perform in local theatre, move to California in 1993, and begin working in commercials. Duff is home-schooled from the age of eight.

Awards and recognition

Duff receives a World Music Award, seven Kids’ Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She is also listed among Billboard’s Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century and appears on Forbes’ Celebrity 100 between 2004 and 2007. She is reported to have sold about 15 million records worldwide.