Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, businesswoman, film producer, designer, author, and philanthropist. Born and raised in Texas, she appeared in local theater productions and television commercials in her early childhood. Duff was established as a teen idol after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s and its motion picture The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), in which she portrayed the title character. She later appeared in feature films including Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which are among the biggest commercial successes of her career. Duff has additionally appeared in numerous television dramas and comedies such as Joan of Arcadia, Ghost Whisperer, Law & Order: SVU and Two and a Half Men. She successfully landed a controversial award-winning role on the third season of Gossip Girl in 2009, in which she appeared in a six-episode arc. Other than that, she had also acted in several independent films with more matured and praised roles such as in the political satire War, Inc. (2008) and the coming-of-age dramas According to Greta (2009) and Bloodworth (2011). She furthermore was a producer for a few of the movies she starred in; According to Greta and Beauty & the Briefcase, besides lending her voice for roles in a few animated features. In 2014, she filmed a pilot for the new TV Land sitcom currently titled Younger and also occasionally appears in her sister Haylie's new lifestyle web-turned-television show Real Girl's Kitchen.

After signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records, Duff released her debut studio album, which was also a Christmas album, Santa Claus Lane, in 2002. Her second album, Metamorphosis (2003), has been certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for exceeding shipments of one million copies. It spawned the singles "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean", the latter being the opening theme for MTV's hit TV series, Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Duff's third record, Hilary Duff (2004), was certified platinum in the USA, despite only having one official single released; "Fly", which took on a rockier edge than her previous works. Similar to her self-titled album, Duff's first compilation album, Most Wanted (2005), was also certified platinum and included the singles "Wake Up" and "Beat of My Heart", where both singles peaked in the top ten in Italy. Her fourth studio album, the electronica-infused, gold certified record Dignity (2007), spawned her highest-charting single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, "With Love", which peaked at #24 and was the first of her three consecutive number ones on the Hot Dance Club Play charts. The following year in 2008, Duff released her first greatest hits album, Best of Hilary Duff, which subsequently ended her recording contract with Hollywood Records. After taking a five-year musical hiatus to focus on her acting and writing careers, she began working on her fifth studio album in September 2013, which is tentatively expected to be released in the fall of 2014, under RCA Records. Its lead single, "Chasing the Sun", was released on July 29, 2014, taking on a new light and laid-back folk-pop sound. The second single "All About You" co-written with acclaimed songwriter Savan Kotecha debuted on August 12 2014 and gained even more positive reviews from critics compared to "Chasing the Sun". To date, Duff has sold fifteen million albums worldwide.

Duff has also ventured into the retail industry. She had the successful clothing line Stuff by Hilary Duff, two exclusive fragrances with Elizabeth Arden, and the limited fashion line Femme for DKNY Jeans. Branching into the literary industry, along with the assistance of author Elise Allen, Duff wrote the novel Elixir (2010), which became a The New York Times bestseller; it was followed by the sequels Devoted (2011) and True (2013). She has also contributed to several humanitarian causes, including Blessings in a Backpack and the Think Before You Speak Campaign.