Hillary Duff is an actress and singer who gained her fame for her role on the "Lizzie McGuire" TV series. She was born September 28th, 1987 in Houston, Texas. Her mother was a part time housewife and film producer who encouraged Hillary and her older sister Haylie to pursue careers in acting. Both Duff daughters took acting classes and they performed in several theatre productions. When the girls became more serious about acting, their mother moved with them to California to pursue careers in the business. The Duff father remained in Houston where he took care of his business as a part owner of several convenience stores.
At first, the girls appeared in just commercials and minor roles. Hillary Duff got her first major part in the 1998 movie "Casper Meets Wendy". Hillary Duff got her big break in 2001 when she was cast as the title role in the Disney TV series "Lizzie McGuire". The show was a huge hit and drew in huge teen and preteen audiences. She also starred in another Disney series called "Cadet Kelly", which became the most watched Disney TV show ever. In 2002, Hillary Duff began to work in film productions as well as record songs for the "Lizzie McGuire" soundtrack. She excelled in both of these industries. Her films include "Cheaper" by the Dozen, "Agent Cody Banks", "A Cinderella Story", amongst many more.
Duff's self-titled album was released when she was just 17 and sold over 1.5 million copies in just the first eight months. Her subsequent albums were also hits and established Duff as a serious actress and singer. She also has her own clothing line and perfume. Hillary Duff has been in relationships with Joel Madden of "Good Charlotte" and Mike Comrie of the NHL. As of February 2010, Comrie and Duff are engaged.