Hilary Duff

An all-American sweetheart, Hilary Duff came to fame playing the lead role in teen TV series Lizzy McGuire, becoming a major pop star on the back of the show's success. Appearing in local theatre productions in Houston from an early age, Hilary and her sister Haylie moved with their mother to California specifically to promote their acting careers. Her initial experience was in minor TV roles and commercials but things moved fast after she landed the part of schoolgirl Lizzy McGuire in the TV series of the same name in 2001. The show attracted 2.3 million viewers per episode and made Hilary an overnight star. She also played McGuire in the movie version and a pop career beckoned after acclaimed appearances on the Lizzy McGuire soundtrack album and the Disney compilation DisneyMania. In 2002 she released the Christmas album Santa Claus Lane and topped the US album charts in 2003 with Metamorphosis, which included the hit singles So Yesterday, Little Voice and Come Clean. Released on her 17th birthday, Hilary's self-titled second album featured songs co-written by her, as did third album Dignity, by which time she was juggling her singing career with more acting. In 2008 she had a dance Number 1 with Reach Out and by 2010 she had also launched a clothing line and was pursuing yet another new strand as a novelist.