Hilary Duff

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, model, producer and author. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Duff appeared in local theatre productions and television commercials before coming to prominence in the title role of Disney Channel's teen comedy Lizzie McGuire. Established as a teen idol, Duff reprised that role in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) and ventured into motion pictures with her early films Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), Raise Your Voice (2004) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) being among the biggest commercial successes of her career. She has performed in a string of independent films with notable roles in War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009) and Bloodworth (2011). Duff has also appeared in numerous television dramas and comedies, such as Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, and Two and a Half Men in addition to sharing production credits. After signing with Hollywood Records, Duff expanded her repertoire to include pop music and has released several albums. Her debut studio album Metamorphosis (2003) was RIAA-certified triple platinum while the subsequent studio album Hilary Duff (2004) and compilation album Most Wanted (2005) were both certified platinum. She exhibited a more adult image with the release of Dignity (2007), which displayed a shift to more of a dance-oriented sound. Certified gold, the album spawned her highest charting US single to date, "With Love", which also peaked at number 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart, becoming the first of her three consecutive number ones on that chart. Prior to the release of Best of Hilary Duff (2008), a compilation of her greatest hits, Duff had sold thirteen million albums worldwide and had performed across the world on four concert tours. The release of Best of automatically ended her contract with Hollywood Records after six years of service. As of September 2013, Duff is currently working on her new album, which is yet to be revealed its record label, release date and title. Branching into various other industries, Duff has turned her hand to fashion with the launch of her own clothing lines Stuff by Hilary Duff and Femme for DKNY Jeans in addition to being signed with IMG Models and releasing two exclusive perfume collections with Elizabeth Arden. Duff, assisted by author Elise Allen penned a series of young adult novels. The trilogy was published under Simon & Schuster, Inc. The first novel was Elixir released in October 2010. Elixir was warmly received by critics and became a New York Times bestseller. Duff embarked on a book tour across the USA, Brazil and other few countries. The huge success of Elixir was followed up with its sequel Devoted released in October 2011. The final book in the series was True, released in April 2013. On top of that, Duff has also contributed to several humanitarian causes. Among them were Blessings in a Backpack, Think Before You Speak Campaign and recently in 2013, Stomp Out Bullying. In 2010, she married former NHL player Mike Comrie, with whom she has one child. --- Hilary Erhard Duff was born on September 28, 1987, in Houston, Texas. She grew up between Houston and San Antonio with her father Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores in the two areas, her mother Susan Colleen (née Cobb), a homemaker turned film/music producer, and her older sister Haylie, who is also an actress and singer. From a young age, Duff took after her older sister and, encouraged by their mother, the pair enrolled in acting, singing and ballet classes. Both girls won roles in local theatre productions and, together, at the ages of six and eight, they participated in a touring Ballet Met production of The Nutcracker in San Antonio. Increasingly interested about pursuing show business, the 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 several television commercials. Due to her acting career, Duff was home-schooled from the age of eight. During her initial acting years, Duff primarily played minor roles like her uncredited part in the Hallmark Entertainment western miniseries True Women (1997) and as an uncredited extra in the ensemble dramedy Playing by Heart (1998). Her first major role was as a young witch Wendy in Casper Meets Wendy (1998) but was released to mostly unenthusiastic reviews. After appearing in the supporting role of Ellie in the television film The Soul Collector (1999), which was based on a Kathleen Kane novel, Duff accrued a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress). In March 2000, Duff appeared in the small guest role as a sick child in the medical drama Chicago Hope right before being cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom 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 going to be a movie star'. She was completely at ease with herself and comfortable in her own skin." However, prior to the airing of the show, the producers dropped Duff from the cast. Depressed, Duff was reluctant to pursue her acting career further. A week later, she landed the title role of a newly developed Disney Channel children's television series Lizzie McGuire after her mother, who is also her manager, urged her to audition. Duff played a clumsy teen who dreams to fit in and be popular. The show made Duff a popular household name particularly with its target demographic of preteens and adolescents. Focusing on its central character, the show's mixed media format stood out from the rest of the Disney Channel's programming of the time and, in essence, became the channel's flagship and definitive show of the early 2000s. The show first aired on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001, and was a ratings hit that attracted about 2.3 million viewers per episode. --- In 2007, Duff began dating NHL player Mike Comrie. On February 19, 2010, Duff and Comrie announced their engagement. The couple married on August 14, 2010, in Santa Barbara, California. Duff gave birth to their son Luca Cruz Comrie on March 20, 2012.