Hilary Erhard Duff was born to Bob and Susan Duff on September 28th, 1987, in Houston, Texas. She decided to become an actress while touring with the Cechetti Ballet and began heading to auditions. She won a considerable role in The Soul Collector (1999) (TV), for which she received rave reviews and recognition. After a starring turn in Casper Meets Wendy (1998) (TV), Hilary was cast as the title character in the television series "Lizzie McGuire" (2001). "Lizzie" was an instant hit, and propelled Hilary to international stardom. The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) was released to theaters on May 2nd, 2003, grossing an impressive US$42 million domestically. Hilary also appeared in Agent Cody Banks (2003) in 2003.

Additionally, Hilary is storming the music charts, with singles "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean" settling nicely into the top 40. Hilary's first album, "Metamorphosis", debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200, and eventually ascended to #1 in the following weeks. To date, it has sold more than 2 million copies.

Although she is currently touring the USA in support of "Metamorphosis", Hilary hasn't discarded her film career. A Cinderella Story (2004), co-starring Chad Michael Murray, hit theaters on July 19th. The Perfect Man (2005) and Raise Your Voice (2004) opened in 2005.

Hilary is the 2004 international spokesperson of "Kids With A Cause", a charity organization that specializes in poverty-stricken children. Her other film credits include Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), Human Nature (2001), Cadet Kelly (2002) (TV) and True Women (1997) (TV).