Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepeneur, and book author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Duff gained fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She subsequently ventured into motion pictures and has appeared in many successful films, including The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Cheaper by the Dozen, A Cinderella Story and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. She most recently appeared in According to Greta, Stay Cool, and Bloodworth. Her upcoming films include The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, and She Wants Me.
Duff has expanded her repertoire to include pop music and has released three RIAA-certified platinum albums. Metamorphosis, her debut studio album, was certified triple platinum. Her next two albums, Hilary Duff and Most Wanted, were also certified platinum. In 2007, Duff released her third studio album, Dignity, which was certified gold and spawned her highest charting US single to date, "With Love". Best of Hilary Duff, a compilation of her greatest hits, was released in the last quarter of 2008. Duff has sold over thirteen million records worldwide.[3] Billboard ranked her the 69th best selling artist of the 2000s.
Branching into the fashion industry, Duff has also launched her own clothing lines, Stuff by Hilary Duff and Femme for DKNY Jeans, and has signed with IMG Models. She has also released two exclusive perfume collections with Elizabeth Arden. Her other business ventures include writing a young adult novel, Elixir, and working as an executive producer for According to Greta and as a producer for the films Material Girls and Beauty & the Briefcase.


Hilary Duff - YouTube Intro



Hilary Duff - Stranger - Official Video (HQ)


Hilary Duff - Reach Out



Hilary Duff - Beat of My Heart



HIlary Duff - Come Clean


Hilary Duff - So Yesterday





Life and career

1987–99: Early life and career beginnings


Duff with her sister in April 2008
Duff was born in Houston, Texas,[5] to Susan Colleen (née Cobb), a homemaker, and Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores.[6] Her older sister, Haylie Duff, is an actress and singer. Duff's mother encouraged her to enroll in acting classes with Haylie. Both girls won roles in local theatre productions.[7] At the ages of six and eight, the two sisters participated in a BalletMet Columbus production of The Nutcracker Suite in San Antonio.[5] The sisters became increasingly interested in acting professionally. Their mother moved with them to California, but their father stayed in Houston to maintain his business.[6][7] Because she had been pursuing a professional acting career at such a young age, Duff was home-schooled.[8] The sisters auditioned for several years and were cast in several television commercials.[6]
Early in her acting career, Duff primarily played minor roles. In 1997, she appeared uncredited in the Hallmark Entertainment western miniseries True Women. The following year, she played an uncredited extra in an ensemble dramedy, Playing by Heart. Her first major role was a young witch, Wendy, in Casper Meets Wendy. The film, however, was released to mostly unenthusiastic reviews.[9][10] In 1999, Duff appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector, which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel. For her performance, Duff won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress).[11]
2000–03: Lizzie McGuire, rise to fame and Metamorphosis
Duff first rose to fame in 2000 when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio. Her co-star, Michael Chiklis, stated, "After working with her the first day, I remember saying to my wife, 'this young girl is going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin."[6] When Duff was dropped from the cast before the show aired, she became reluctant to pursue her acting career further.[6] Her manager and mother, however, urged her on. A week later she auditioned successfully for the title role of a newly developed children's television series, Lizzie McGuire.[6] The show focused on her growth into teenhood.
Lizzie McGuire first aired on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001, and was a ratings hit. It attracted about 2.3 million viewers per episode.[6] Her participation in the show made her popular among children between the ages of 7 and 14.[12] Richard Huff, a New York Daily News critic, called her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello".[6] After Duff fulfilled her 65 episode contract with Lizzie McGuire, Disney considered expanding the franchise to films and a prime-time television series. The plans failed, however, because Duff's representatives said she was not being paid enough for the proposed series.[13] Duff also starred in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly (2002), which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history.[6] In the movie, she plays a free-spirited girl who struggles in a strict military school.
Duff's first role in a theatrical motion picture was in Human Nature in 2002. The film was showcased first at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals.[14] In the film, Duff portrays the younger version of a female naturalist, played by Patricia Arquette.
In 2002, Duff recorded a cover version of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait" for the Lizzie McGuire soundtrack, and "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room" for the first DisneyMania compilation album. She also released her first album, titled Santa Claus Lane. The album is a collection of Christmas songs that includes duets with her sister, Haylie, Lil' Romeo, and Christina Milian. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", the album peaked at 154 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold.[15][16]
In 2003, Duff received her first major role in a feature film when she was cast alongside Frankie Muniz in Agent Cody Banks. The film received positive reviews and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, in which Duff did not participate. That year, Duff reprised her role as Lizzie McGuire for The Lizzie McGuire Movie. It received mixed reviews, with certain critics calling it "an unabashed promotion of Duff’s image, just as Crossroads was for Britney Spears".[17][18][19] Later that year, Duff played one of the 12 children of Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt in the family film Cheaper by the Dozen, which remains her highest grossing film to date.[20] She reprised her role in the sequel Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which failed to be as successful as the original film and was panned by critics.[21]
Duff's first studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts[22] and has sold over 3.9 million copies in the U.S by January 2007.[23] The lead single, "So Yesterday" (co-written and produced by The Matrix), was a top ten hit in several countries;[24] its follow-up was the Laguna Beach theme song "Come Clean". The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Australia.[25] In late 2003, Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Tour, and later the Most Wanted Tour. Most shows scheduled in the major cities were sold out.[26]
Duff also made several guest appearances in television shows, her first as a sick child in the medical drama Chicago Hope in March 2000.[27] In a 2003 episode of George Lopez, she had a role as a makeup salesperson; she later reappeared in the show in 2005 as Kenzie, a feminist poet friend of the character Carmen (Masiela Lusha). In the same year, she acted opposite her sister Haylie in American Dreams, while in 2005, she played a classmate and idolizer of the title character of Joan of Arcadia.[28]
2004–06: Hilary Duff, A Cinderella Story and Most Wanted


Duff in 2005
Duff's second studio album was the self-titled Hilary Duff, for which she co-wrote some songs.[29] It was released on her seventeenth birthday (in September 2004) and debuted at #2 in the U.S. and at #1 in Canada. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. in eight months with its only US single, "Fly".[30]
In 2004, Duff starred in the romantic comedy A Cinderella Story. Though the reviews were mostly negative, the film went on to become a moderate box office hit,[20][31] and critics were impressed by Duff's performance.[32] Later that year, she starred in the film Raise Your Voice, her first role in a drama film. While some critics praised Duff for appearing in a more mature and serious role than her previous films, the film itself was heavily panned and bombed at the box office.[33] Several reviews were indifferent towards her acting performance and were critical of Duff's vocals, with critics pointing out what appeared to be her digitally enhanced voice.[34][35][36][37] The same year, Duff received her first Razzie nomination for worst actress for her roles in Raise Your Voice and A Cinderella Story.[38]
In 2005, Duff starred in The Perfect Man, in which she played the eldest daughter of a divorced woman (Heather Locklear). In the same year, Duff was again nominated for a Razzie Award, for The Perfect Man and Cheaper by the Dozen 2.[39] Later that year, the Duff sisters lent their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight!, which was to be distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment but was never released. The director of the film, Larry Kasanoff, said that he was "absolutely thrilled to have the Duff sisters as part of the cast".[40] She also starred in the 2006 satirical comedy Material Girls, in which she co-starred with her sister Haylie Duff.[41] Duff along with her sister Haylie, received two more nominations for Razzie Awards for their roles in the film.[42]


Duff poses with a fan in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before her annual concert for military families
Duff's third album, Most Wanted (2005), comprised songs from her previous two albums, remixes and three new songs which included "Wake Up" written by Joel Madden and his brother, Benji, both members of Good Charlotte.[43] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200[44] and became her third number one debut in Canada. It sold over two hundred thousand copies within its first week of release.[45] An Italy-only compilation, 4Ever, was released in 2006. Duff recorded a cover version of Madonna's "Material Girl" with her sister for their movie, Material Girls.[46]
2007–08: Dignity, independent film roles and Best of Hilary Duff


Hilary Duff at the MuchMusic Video Awards in 2007
During her Still Most Wanted tour, she performed in Guadalajara, Mexico, where she filmed a brief appearance on the soap opera Rebelde. She was also the guest star on The Andy Milonakis Show for its third season premiere in 2007.[47] In April 2008, Duff was offered the lead role of Annie Mills in the CW Network's Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff, but she turned it down because she was more interested in looking for projects outside the teen genre.[48][49]
Duff co-wrote the material for her third studio album Dignity, along with Kara DioGuardi, who co-produced the album with Rhett Lawrence, Tim & Bob, and Richard Vission. Duff stated that compared to her previous music, it is "more dancey" and makes use of more real instruments. She said, "I don't know exactly how to explain what we're doing, but it's fun and funky and different, something new for me. It's really cool".[50] Duff also starred opposite John Cusack in War, Inc. which was released in theatres in Los Angeles and Manhattan, New York on May 23, 2008.
On September 7, 2007, Duff confirmed on MuchOnDemand, that she would be filming two independent films According to Greta, and What Goes Up.[51] In June 2008, Duff joined the cast of the Polish brothers comedy Stay Cool. She co-starred alongside Winona Ryder, Mark Polish, Sean Astin, Chevy Chase, and Jon Cryer. In the film, she portrayed the character of Shasta O'Neil, described as a sexy high school senior, the film was released in 2009.[52]
In November 2008, Duff's second greatest hits album, Best of Hilary Duff was released[53] and the album's first single "Reach Out", which samples Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus", was released in the previous month. The song became Duff's third #1 dance hit.[54][55] She then parted ways with Hollywood Records after six years of service and then announced to MTV that she would begin work on her new album in December 2008.[56]
2009–present: Television appearances and young adult novels


Duff in October 2010
Duff appeared in episodes of Ghost Whisperer and of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in April 2009.[57] In July 2009, She attained a role in Gossip Girl as a recurring guest star.[58] She played the character of Olivia Burke, a movie star who enrols at NYU in search of a traditional college experience. The following year, she won a Teen Choice Award for "Best Female Scene Stealer" for her role as Olivia Burke.[59]
In September 2009, Duff released a second clothing line with DKNY Jeans as Femme for DKNY[60] in the objective of designing a clothing line for girls her own age.[61]
Duff starred in Beauty and the Briefcase, a romantic comedy based on the book Diary of a Working Girl, by Daniella Brodsky and directed by Gil Junger. The film premiered on ABC Family on April 18, 2010. In the film, Duff plays a fashion magazine columnist who writes about her dating struggles in the city.[62]
Simon & Schuster published Elixir, Duff's first novel, in hardcover on October 12, 2010.[63] Elixir is the first in a series of books that Duff is committed in scribing. The book, aimed at young adults, has since been released internationally and has become a New York Times best-seller. The sequel to the book, entitled Devoted will be released in hardcover on October 11, 2011.[64]
In November 2010, she appeared in an episode of the television comedy series, Community; playing the part of Meghan, the leader of a group of mean girls.[65]
In May 2011, Duff starred in Bloodworth, an adaptation of the novel Provinces of Night by William Gay, where Duff plays Raven Halfacre, a teenage daughter of a promiscuous, alcoholic mother.[66] Duff is scheduled to appear in two upcoming independent films: The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, an adaptation of Bonnie and Clyde;[67] and She Wants Me, directed by Rob Margolies,[68] in which, she plays a young Hollywood actress named Kim Powers.
Other work

Entrepreneurship
Duff launched her clothing line, "Stuff by Hilary Duff", in March 2004, with clothes distributed through Target in the United States, Kmart in Australia, Zellers in Canada, and Edgars Stores in South Africa. The company, initially started as a clothing line, has expanded its business into furniture, fragrances, and jewelry, targeted at the teen and preteen crowd.[69] In 2007, the Internet website Stardoll.com previewed Duff's clothing line to customers by allowing them to dress up a paper doll on the website (which include Hilary Duff's own doll) with the clothes.
In February 2009, Duff and DKNY Jeans announced their new design partnership and the launch of their collaborative apparel line. Duff co-designed a collection of special pieces with DKNY Jeans brand called Femme for DKNY Jeans. The clothing line debuted in fine department and specialty stores nationwide in August 2009 and was around for a limited time.[70][71]
Playmates Toys released a celebrity doll of her in 2004.[72] In late 2006, Mattel released a Hilary Duff Barbie doll. As a fashion designer, she had designed clothes for Barbie dolls in the past[73] and with the release of her doll, she joined Reese Witherspoon, Beyoncé Knowles, and Lucille Ball who have their own celebrity dolls.[73]
In September 2006, Duff released her perfume, "With Love... Hilary Duff", which was distributed by the Elizabeth Arden company. The perfume was initially sold only in Macy's in the U.S. and soon it was being sold in other regions like Japan and Canada. "With Love...Hilary Duff" was one of the three best-selling fragrances launched at U.S. department stores in late 2006. In 2007, Duff announced that she will be releasing a summer version of the perfume titled, "Wrapped With Love". It was released in January 2008, and a Spring Gift Set version was released in time for Valentine's Day.[74]
Duff and her pet dog Lola made an appearance in the Electronic Arts game The Sims 2: Pets, which was released on October 2006. In console versions of the game, Duff's character visits public areas and allows the players to let their Sims socialize with her and Lola.[75] Animal rights' organization, "Animal welfare league" have criticized Duff and celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson for displaying their dogs as fashion accessories rather than pets.[76]
Philanthropy
Duff is involved with various charities, is an animal rights enthusiast and a member of Kids with a Cause.[77] She also donated $250,000 to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.[78] In 2005, she donated over 2.5 million meals to Hurricane Katrina victims in the south. In August 2006, Duff traveled to a New Orleans elementary school and worked with USA Harvest to distribute meals.[79] She has also served on the Advisory Board of the "Audrey Hepburn Child Benefit Fund" and the Celebrity Council of "Kids with a Cause".[80] On October 8, 2008, Duff starred in a public service announcement for The Think Before You Speak Campaign by Ad Council and GLSEN, to prevent youth from using anti-LGBT vocabulary, such as the phrase "That's So Gay".[81] In July 2009, Duff was named as a Youth Ambassador to the children of the Colombian capital, Bogota. As a Youth Ambassador, she will spend five days in the country, distributing backpacks filled with food to needy children.[82]
Duff has stated numerous times that she’s a strong animal rights supporter and has commented, when asked what she would be doing if she weren’t a celebrity, "I always wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger, but then I figured out that animals actually die there, so that was not the job for me. Definitely something with kids or animals or something like that."[83]
Personal life

In a June 2006 interview with Elle magazine, Duff was quoted as saying: "...(virginity) is definitely something I like about myself. It doesn't mean I haven't thought about sex, because everyone I know has had it and you want to fit in".[84][85] Duff later told MuchMusic that she did not say the quotes attributed to her in the article and that the subject was "definitely not something that I would talk about..."[86] She denied the quotes again in a 2008 interview with Maxim magazine.[87]
Duff began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2001. They met on the set of Lizzie McGuire, during Carter's guest appearance in a Christmas episode. The relationship lasted two years.[88][89] It was reported that Carter left Duff for Lindsay Lohan, but soon broke up with Lohan and resumed dating Duff. Carter later stated that he also cheated on Duff with her best friend, and that Duff "got her heart broken" and he was "sorry" for his actions.[90]
Duff began dating Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden in 2004.[89] After a long period of tabloid speculation, Duff's mother Susan announced their relationship in a June 2005 interview for Seventeen magazine.[91] Duff and Madden broke up in November 2006.[92] The same year, Duff's parents separated after 22 years of marriage. She wrote about the pain caused by the separation in her songs "Stranger" and "Gypsy Woman".[93]
In 2007, Duff began dating Canadian NHL Pittsburgh Penguins player Mike Comrie. On February 19, 2010, Duff and Comrie announced their engagement.[94][95] The couple married on August 14, 2010 in Santa Barbara, California.[96]
Filmography

Film roles
Title Year Role Notes
True Woman 1997 Extra Direct-to-video release
Uncredited role
Casper Meets Wendy 1998 Wendy Direct-to-video release
Playing by Heart 1998 Extra Uncredited role
The Soul Collector 1999 Ellie Television film
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot - Supporting Young Actress
Human Nature 2001 Young Lila Jute
Cadet Kelly 2002 Kelly Disney Channel Original Movie
Agent Cody Banks 2003 Natalie Connors
The Lizzie McGuire Movie 2003 Lizzie McGuire / Isabella Parigi Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout star - Female
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress - Comedy
Cheaper by the Dozen 2003 Lorraine Baker Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Featured Film - Young Essemble
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Blush
A Cinderella Story 2004 Sam Montgomery Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Blush
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress - Comedy
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Chemistry (with Chad Michael Murray)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Best Kiss (with Chad Michael Murray)
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Love Scene (with Chad Michael Murray)
Raise Your Voice 2004 Teresa "Terri" Fletcher
In Search of Santa 2004 Princess Crystal Voice role
Direct-to-video release
The Perfect Man 2005 Holly Hamilton Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress - Comedy
Dear Santa 2005 Herself Television film
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 2005 Lorraine Baker Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress - Comedy
Material Girls 2006 Tanzie Marchetta Also producer
War, Inc. 2008 Yonica Babyyeah
What Goes Up 2009 Lucy Diamond Premiered at the 3rd Annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival
"The Chase" 2009 Morgan A series of three-minute long shorts
According to Greta 2009 Greta Released as Surviving Summer in the UK and Greta in Australia
Also executive producer
Beauty & the Briefcase 2010 Lane Daniels ABC Family Original Movie
Also producer
Stay Cool 2010 Shasta O'Niel Premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Direct-to-video release
Bloodworth 2011 Raven Halfacre Premiered at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival
She Wants Me 2011 Kim Powers Post-production
The Story of Bonnie and Clyde 2012 Bonnie Parker Pre-production
Television roles
Title Year Role Notes
Chicago Hope 2000 Jessie Seldon "Cold Hearts" (Season 6, episode 17)
Lizzie McGuire 2001–
2004 Lizzie McGuire Lead role (65 episodes)
Star Search 2003 Herself Guest Judge
Episode dated February 26, 2003
Episode dated March 2, 2003
George Lopez 2003–
2005 Stephanie / Kenzie "Team Leader" (Season 2, episode 22)
"George's Grand Slam" (Season 4, episode 19)
Island Birthday Bash 2003 Herself Television special
Also known as Hilary Duff's Island Birthday Bash
American Dreams 2003 Shangri-Las "Change a Comin" (Season 2, episode 8)
Jingleball Rock 2003 Herself Television special
Frasier 2004 Britney "Frasier-Lite" (Season 11, episode 12)
Disney 411 2004 Herself "Disneymania 2" (Season 1, episode 2)
"Hilary Duff Interview" (Episode dated September 16, 2004)
"Hilary Duff" (Episode dated September 28, 2004)
Joan of Arcadia 2005 Dylan Samuels "The Rise & Fall of Joan Girardi" (Season 2, episode 14)
Hilary Duff: This Is Now 2007 Herself Two-part documentary on MTV
The Andy Milonakis Show 2007 Herself "Andy Moves to LA" (Season 3, episode 1)
Ghost Whisperer 2009 Morgan Jeffries "Thrilled to Death" (Season 4, episode 19)
Law & Order: SVU 2009 Ashlee Walker "Selfish" (Season 10, episode 19)
Gossip Girl 2009 Olivia Burke "Dan de Fleurette" (Season 3, episode 4)
"Enough About Eve" (Season 3, episode 6)
"How to Succeed in Bassness" (Season 3, episode 7)
"The Grandfather: Part II" (Season 3, Episode 8)
"They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" (Season 3, episode 9)
"The Last Days of Disco Stick" (Season 3, episode 10)
Community 2010 Meghan "Aerodynamics of Gender" (Season 2, episode 7)
Discography

Main article: Hilary Duff discography
Santa Claus Lane (2002)
Metamorphosis (2003)
Hilary Duff (2004)
Dignity (2007)
Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff
References from Wikipedia.com