Hilary Erhard Duff, born September 28, 1987, in Houston, TX, is an American actress, singer/songwriter, author, and fashion designer, best known for starring on the beloved Disney Channel series “Lizzie McGuire." As a child, Duff modeled, acted in commercials, and trained as a ballet dancer, which led to a spot on the BalletMet touring production of “The Nutcracker.” After moving with her mother and older sister Haylie to Los Angeles, she decided to pursue acting professionally, and quickly landed her first major role: Wendy, the Good Little Witch, in “Casper Meets Wendy” (1998).
In 2000, Duff was cast as the title character on “Lizzie McGuire,” a Disney Channel sitcom about a preteen girl whose animated alter ego voices her unspoken thoughts. The series proved so popular that a big-screen adaptation, “The Lizzie McGuire Movie," hit theaters in 2003. The film was also a success, earning back its production budget in the first weekend alone, while its soundtrack, anchored by Duff's single "Why Not," sold over two million copies. During this time, Duff appeared in other family-friendly fare like “Cadet Kelly” (2002), “Agent Cody Banks” (2003), “Cheaper by the Dozen” (2003), “A Cinderella Story” (2004), and “Material Girls” (2006). She later branched out to independent films and a wider range of roles: a promiscuous Russian pop star in “War, Inc.” (2008); a suicidal teenager in “According to Greta” (2009); and real-life murder victim Sharon Tate in the controversial “The Haunting of Sharon Tate" (2019). From 2015-2021, Duff co-starred as Kelsey Peters on TV Land’s longest-running original series, “Younger.” She starred on Hulu’s “How I Met Your Father," a spinoff of the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," from 2021-2023.
In 2002, Duff made her singing debut on the “Lizzie McGuire” soundtrack and later released a Christmas album, “Santa Claus Lane.” Her proper debut studio album, “Metamorphosis,” arrived in August 2003. After initially debuting at No. 2, it topped the Billboard 200 in its second week, eventually selling over five million copies worldwide. Album track “Sweet Sixteen” and second single “Come Clean” were used as the theme songs for the MTV series “My Super Sweet 16” and “Laguna Beach,” respectively, which helped to broaden Duff’s commercial appeal. Following “Metamorphosis,” Duff continued to enjoy significant commercial success with her subsequent Platinum- and Gold-certified albums “Hilary Duff” (2004), “Most Wanted” (2005), and “Dignity” (2007). Her most recent album, “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” (2015), came after an eight-year hiatus from music and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, defying expectations. Spin Magazine ranked it as one of the best 25 albums of 2015. Duff’s last music release was the single “Never Let You Go,” a 2020 collaboration with husband Matthew Koma. To date, Duff has sold an estimated 15 million records worldwide. As the first Disney Channel act to effectively cross over into the mainstream, she was credited with single-handedly reviving the struggling Hollywood Records. She also served as the blueprint for future Disney stars like Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato, all of whom would star on their own Disney Channel shows while releasing music through the label.
Beyond her acting and singing careers, Duff has penned the New York Times bestseller “Elixir” (2010) and its sequels “Devoted” (2011) and “True” (2013), and developed the fashion lines Stuff by Hilary Duff, Femme for DKNY, and Muse x Hilary Duff, a collaboration with GlassesUSA.