Hilary Erhard Duff was born on September 28, 1987 to Susan and Bob Duff, in Houston, Texas. She has an elder sister, Haylie Duff, who also became a singer, actor and songwriter and one of Duff’s biggest inspirations in life.
At the age of 6, she landed her first major part in the ‘BalletMet’ production, ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ in San Antonio, following which the family relocated to California in 1993 for the sisters to break into acting.
Here, she enrolled in acting and singing classes and auditioned for several years before she was cast in television commercials. Due to her passion for acting, she was homeschooled from the age of 8.
During the initial stages of her acting career, she was cast in minor roles in ‘True Women’ (1997) and ‘Playing by Heart’ (1998). She landed her first major role in the feature-film comedy, ‘Casper Meets Wendy’ on September 22, 1998.
She lands a part in the pilot episode of the NBC Sitcom ‘Daddio’ in 2000, starring Michael Chiklis. However, she was dropped from the cast before the show aired and she nearly gave up on her acting career.
The same year, she auditioned for Disney’s ‘Lizzie McGuire’ and was soon cast as the lead character of the show. Soon enough, the series drew over two million viewers per episode, becoming the network’s highest-rated offering. She soon became a household name.
In January 2002, she landed a major role in a motion picture ‘Human Nature’, where she played the character of Patricia Arquette.
The same year, she starred in Disney Channel film ‘Cadet Kelly’, which became the network’s most-watched program in its 19-year history. She also released the album ‘Santa Claus Lane’, which was a collection of Christmas songs.
Duff plays the damsel-in-distress in the film ‘Agent Cody Banks’ opposite Frankie Muniz, which hits the big-screen on March 14, 2003. The same year, the movie, ‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie’ released, which grossed over $50 million.
In 2003, following the split with Disney, she released her platinum album ‘Metamorphosis’ on August 26, 2003, which reached the no.1 on U.S. charts.
In March 2004, she released her own clothing line for ‘tweens’ called ‘Stuff by Hilary Duff’. She launched her own fragrance line in 2006, ‘With Love’, which became extremely popular.
In July 2004, she starred in the film, ‘A Cinderella Story’ opposite Chad Michael Murray, which earned $50 million. On September 28th, she launched her sophomore album, ‘Hilary Duff’, which reached the no. 2 position on Billboard 200. She co-wrote many of the songs on the album
Duff’s release on August 16, 2005, was one of her best albums ‘Most Wanted’, for which, she co-wrote many of the songs. The album once again, went platinum and became a No. 1 chartbuster for the year.
On August 18, 2006, she produced the film, ‘Material Girls’ and also starred in the same along with her sister, Haylie Duff.
In 2007, Duff debuted with a more mature, dance-driven single ‘With Love’ in the album, ‘Dignity’, which topped the Billboard’s 200 albums charts.
She turned towards writing post-marriage and added to her repertoire with a young adult novel, ‘Elixir’, which she followed-up with a sequel ‘Devoted’ in 2011.
Hilary Duff is best-known for her role as ‘Lizzie McGuire’ in Disney’s hit-series, ‘Lizzie McGuire’, which took the television world by storm and made her a role model for teens. There have been over 65 episodes, which became a hit around the world and was even adapted into a movie.
‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie’ was adapted from the hit-television series and won her numerous teen awards and established her as an actress. It reached the number 2 position in the United States box office and was released on VHS and DVD.
‘Metamorphosis’ was her debut album, distributed by Buena Vista and Hollywood Records’ and became a hit with listeners. Three singles, ‘So Yesterday’, ‘Come Clean and ‘Little Voice’ became instant hit singles and made it to the top Billboard charts.
‘Most Wanted’ a compilation album of Duff’s, went on was a smash-hit on top international countdowns, particularly the singles, ‘Wake Up’, ‘Beat of My Heart’, ‘Fly’ and ‘Supergirl’. The album was certified Platinum.
She dated singer, Aaron Carter at the age of 13 but the couple spit after an alleged-love triangle between Aaron, Hilary and Lindsay Lohan.
She was involved with a lot of humanitarian work and donated almost $200,000 to the American Red Cross for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
She started dating Joel Madden in July 2004 but the couple split on November 28, 2006 after he reportedly starting seeing Nicole Richie behind her back.
She finally met hockey player, Mike Comrie, whom she marries in a private affair on August 10, 2010. They have a son, Luca Cruz Comrie, who was born on March 20, 2012.