|
Hilary Erhard Duff
September 28, 1987
Duff was born in Houston, Texas on September 28, 1987. She is the second child of Susan Colleen (née Cobb), a homemaker, and Robert Erhard Duff, a partner in a chain of convenience stores. She has an elder sister, Haylie Duff, who is also an actress/singer. After Duff's mother encouraged Duff to take an acting class alongside her elder sister, Haylie, both girls won parts in various local theater productions. At the ages of eight and six, respectively, the Duff sisters participated in the ballet, The Nutcracker Suite with Columbus BalletMet in San Antonio. The siblings became more enthusiastic about the idea of acting professionally, and eventually relocated to California with their mother. Duff's father stayed at the family home in Houston to take care of their business. After several years of auditions and meetings, the Duff sisters were cast in various television commercials.
Casper Meets Wendy
June 15, 1998
Her first major part was as a star of the 1998 film Casper Meets Wendy, a direct-to-video sequel to Casper in which she plays the young witch Wendy, who encounters the animated character Casper. The film was released to mostly unenthusiastic reviews.
The Soul Collector
June 11, 1999
In 1999, Duff appeared in a supporting role in the television film The Soul Collector, which was, based on a Kathleen Kane novel and starred Bruce Greenwood and Melissa Gilbert. Duff won a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot (Supporting Young Actress)" for her role in the movie.
Daddio
Feburary 3, 2000
Duff's first serious shot at fame came when she was cast as one of the children in the pilot episode of the NBC sitcom Daddio in 2000. Actor Michael Chiklis, co-star of Daddio, 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."
Lizzie McGuire
January 12, 2001
She successfully auditioned for a children's television series, Lizzie McGuire. In the series, Duff portrayed the title role of Lizzie McGuire, a clumsy but an average middle school girl. The show focused on her life and her slow growth into teenhood. Her co-stars included Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Clayton Snyder, Ashlie Brillault, Robert Carradine, and Hallie Todd.
Lizzie McGuire, which first aired on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2001, was a ratings hit, drawing in 2.3 million viewers per episode. Her participation in the show led to her becoming highly popular among children between the ages of seven and 14, with critic Richard Huff of the New York Daily News calling her "a 2002 version of Annette Funicello". After Duff fulfilled her 65 episode contract with Lizzie McGuire, Disney considered continuing the franchise in further films and a prime-time television series to be broadcast on ABC, but the plans failed to take off because Duff's representatives claimed she was not being paid enough for the proposed series.
Aaron Carter
March 18, 2001 - June 1, 2003
Duff began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2001. They met on the sets of Lizzie McGuire, when Carter had a cameo role in a Christmas episode. The relationship lasted two years. 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.
Cadet Kelly
September 17, 2002
During her time on Lizzie McGuire, Duff starred opposite Christy Carlson Romano and Gary Cole in the Disney Channel television film Cadet Kelly (2002), which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history. In the movie, she plays a free-spirited girl who enrolls in a military school and finds it hard to adjust to its strict and disciplined environment.
Human Nature
October 20, 2002
Duff's first role in a theatrical motion picture was in Human Nature (2002), an independent film shot before Lizzie McGuire and first shown at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals. Written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, the film follows a female naturalist, played by Patricia Arquette. Duff played the younger version of Arquette's character.
Santa Claus Lane Album
November 11, 2002
Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs that included duets with Lil' Romeo, Christina Milian, and her sister Haylie. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)", it reached the lower half of the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart and was certified gold. The track "Santa Claus Lane" was included on the soundtrack to The Santa Clause 2 and the single, "What Christmas Should Be", was used in Cheaper by the Dozen.
Agent Cody Banks
Feburary 13, 2003
Her first major role in a feature film was in the family action film Agent Cody Banks, with Frankie Muniz, in 2003. The film received positive reviews and was successful enough to spawn a sequel, in which Duff did not participate.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
April 18, 2003
In 2003, she went on to reprise her role as Lizzie McGuire in the feature film spin-off, The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
Cheaper by the Dozen
June 6, 2003
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.
Metamorphosis Album
August 5, 2003
Duff's second album and first studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts. It became one of the biggest selling albums of the year in the U.S. and has since sold over 3.7 million copies. The lead single, "So Yesterday" (co-written and produced by The Matrix), was a top ten hit in several countries, its follow-up, the Laguna Beach theme song "Come Clean", became Duff's first top forty U.S. hit and reached the top twenty in UK, Australia and New Zealand. The third single, "Little Voice", was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Canada and Australia.
Metamorphosis Tour
November 1, 2003
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 completely sold out.
DisneyMania 2 DVD
January 4, 2004
In January 2004, the second DisneyMania disc, DisneyMania 2, was released and contained a duet, "The Siamese Cat Song" with her sister. Another song, "Circle of Life", featured Duff and other Disney Channel stars. Duff and her sister recorded a cover of The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the soundtrack to A Cinderella Story, which included two other songs by Duff. The video for "Our Lips Are Sealed" was popular on MTV's Total Request Live, but the song failed to chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Stuff by Hilary Duff
March 1, 2004
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. 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.
Joel Madden
May 13, 2004 - November 11, 2006
Duff began dating Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden in 2004. After a long period of tabloid speculation, Duff's mother Susan announced their relationship in a June 2005 interview for Seventeen magazine. In a June 2006 interview with Elle, Duff stated
"...(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".
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..." Duff and Madden broke up in November 2006.
Hilary Duff Album
September 18, 2004
Duff's third album was the self-titled Hilary Duff in which she co-wrote some songs. She described the album as more "personal" and having a "rock feel" than Metamorphosis. It debuted at number two in the U.S. and at number one in Canada. The album sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. in eight months, but its only U.S. single, "Fly", failed to chart on the Hot 100. "Fly" reached the top forty in Australia, where the album produced a second top forty single, "Someone's Watching over Me", which was the theme song of the film Raise Your Voice. Duff contributed the song "(I'll Give) Anything but Up!" for the 2004 album Marlo Thomas & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long (2004), before continuing nine more months of the Most Wanted Tour.
A Cinderella Story
November 20, 2004
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, and critics were impressed by Duff's performance. A Cinderella Story earned $66,068,046 worldwide and was a commercial success.
Raise Your Voice
December 13, 2004
She starred in the film Raise Your Voice, her first role in a drama film. Some critics praised Duff for appearing in a more mature and serious role than her previous films, but the film itself was heavily panned, with the Las Vegas Weekly writing: "Effortlessly combining Duff's bad acting and bad singing with bad writing and bad direction, Raise Your Voice is an insulting waste of time that begs to be silenced". Several reviews were indifferent towards her acting performance and were particularly harsh towards Duff's vocals, with critics pointing out what appeared to be her digitally enhanced voice. The film received a lukewarm response at the box office, and is Duff's least successful film commercially, with total theater receipts of $13,573,284. The same year, Duff received her first Razzie nomination for worst actress for her roles in Raise Your Voice and Cinderella Story.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2
May 15, 2005
She reprised her role in the sequel to the film called Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which failed to be as successful as the original film and was panned by critics.
The Perfect Man
May 17, 2005
In 2005, Duff starred in The Perfect Man in which she played the eldest daughter of a divorced woman (Heather Locklear). The film received mostly harsh reviews and did not live up to box office expectations, grossing $19,770,475 globally.
Most Wanted Album
June 18, 2005
Duff's fourth album, Most Wanted (2005), comprised her favorite tracks from her previous two albums, remixes, and new songs inspired by pop-rock musicians such as The Killers and Muse. In an appearance on Total Request Live, Duff stated that it was not a greatest hits album, but that her label told her it was time to release a new album. She had more creative control over Most Wanted compared to her previous releases, co-writing the new material with producers Joel Madden and his brother, Benji, both members of Good Charlotte. The lead single, "Wake Up", became Duff's highest peaking single on the U.S. Hot 100 at the time, and its video received heavy rotation on MTV. The video for the second single, "Beat of My Heart", was also popular, but the single itself did not chart in the U.S.[51] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became her third number one debut in Canada.
Material Girls
Feburary 19, 2006
The 2006 satirical comedy Material Girls, in which she co-starred with her sister Haylie, was also not well received by critics, grossing only $16,847,695 worldwide. The film, directed by Martha Coolidge and co-produced by Madonna's independent film production company Maverick Entertainment, starred the Duff sisters as wealthy siblings who must fight to reclaim their fortune following a scandal. Hilary received nominations for another two Razzie awards for her role in the film.
With Love... Hilary Duff Fragrance
September 18, 2006
The music video for "With Love" was used as a commercial for Duff's first fragrance, With Love... Hilary Duff, which was launched in September 2006; the video reached number one on Total Request Live.
Celebrity Doll
October 22, 2006
Playmates Toys released a celebrity doll of her in 2004. In late 2006, Mattel released a Hilary Duff Barbie doll. As a fashion designer, she had designed clothes for Barbie dolls in the past but with the release of her doll, she joined Reese Witherspoon, Beyonce Knowles and Lucille Ball who have their own celebrity-dolls.
Maksim Miakovsky
November 3, 2006
In late 2006, Duff took legal action against an alleged stalker and his roommate. On November 3, 2006, Duff's stalker, Maksim Miakovsky, was arrested for threatening to kill her. He was booked on charges of making criminal threats and stalking. According to legal papers filed by Duff, Miakovsky came to the U.S. "for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved with Ms. Duff". Miakovsky was being held on $200,000 bail at the Manhattan Beach jail. He was arraigned on November 7, 2006. On January 19, 2007, Miakovsky was sentenced to 117 days in jail and five years probation after pleading no contest to the charges.
Celebrity Death Match
March 23, 2007
Claymation facsimiles of Duff and Lohan appeared on the celebrity wrestling series Celebrity Death Match on March 23, 2007. Duff and Lindsay Lohan were later reported to have been involved in a "feud" with each other over their relationship with Carter. As of 2007, Duff and Lohan had reconciled. Lohan attended the release party for Duff's album Dignity and Duff told People magazine that she thought Lohan was "fun" and "a nice girl".
Dignity Album
April 11, 2007
For Duff's fourth studio album, Dignity, she co-wrote the material with Kara DioGuardi, who co-produced the album with Rhett Lawrence, Richard "Humpty" Vission, Tim & Bob and others. 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". She also described the album's sound as "a little less pop-rock and more electronic-sounding". The first single, "Play with Fire", became a minor club hit but failed to chart in the U.S.; the second single, "With Love", was more successful, becoming Duff's biggest U.S. Hot 100 hit and topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Initially slated for release in late 2006. The album was released in April 2007 in North America and earlier elsewhere. It reached the top five in the U.S. and Canada, the top twenty in Australia and the top forty in the UK.
Dignity Tour
June 17, 2007
The Dignity tour began in mid-2007. A third single, "Stranger", was a number one U.S. club hit. In September 2007, Duff announced that she will be recording her next single "Reach Out", which samples Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus". Duff has also confirmed that she has written a song titled "I Will" for singer Vanessa Hudgens's upcoming album.
Foodfight!
April 30, 2008
In early 2007, the Duff sisters lent their voices to the computer animated comedy Foodfight!, which is to be distributed by Lions Gate Films and scheduled to release in April 2008. The film's director, Larry Kasanoff, said that he is "absolutely thrilled to have the Duff sisters as part of the cast".
War, Inc.
May 13, 2008
Duff also stars opposite John Cusack in War, Inc., due for limited release in May 2008.
