Biography

Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author, and businesswoman whose career developed from child performer to one of the defining pop culture figures of the early 2000s. She was born in Houston, Texas, and began performing at a young age before gaining early screen experience in television films and family productions. Her first major film role was in Casper Meets Wendy (1998), followed by appearances in projects including The Soul Collector and the Disney Channel film Cadet Kelly.

Duff became widely known through the Disney Channel comedy series Lizzie McGuire, which premiered in 2001. Playing the awkward but appealing adolescent Lizzie, Duff gave the character a distinctive blend of humor, vulnerability, and everyday relatability. The series made her a prominent teen star and established the image that would shape much of her early career. She reprised the role in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), a musical comedy set in Italy that expanded the show's popularity and featured Duff performing the song "What Dreams Are Made Of."

During the same period, Duff moved into feature films aimed at a young audience. Her credits included Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), Raise Your Voice (2004), The Perfect Man (2005), and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005). Although these films varied in critical reception, they reinforced her position as a commercially successful young star and allowed her to move between comedy, romance, and musical drama. She later took on more challenging material in Material Girls (2006) and According to Greta (2009).

Duff's recording career began with the Christmas album Santa Claus Lane in 2002. Her breakthrough came with Metamorphosis (2003), a polished pop album built around songs such as "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean." It topped the album charts in the United States and Canada and helped establish Duff as a recording artist rather than merely a television performer. The self-titled Hilary Duff followed in 2004, while the compilation Most Wanted became her first album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. Her more dance-oriented fourth studio album, Dignity (2007), produced the singles "With Love" and "Stranger." After a period away from recording, she returned with Breathe In. Breathe Out. in 2015.

In television, Duff later earned praise for her role as Kelsey Peters in the comedy-drama Younger, appearing from 2015 through 2021. She then starred as Sophie and served as a producer on the Hulu series How I Met Your Father (2022-2023). Her work has also extended to publishing, including children's books such as My Little Brave Girl.

In 2026, Duff returned to full-length music with luck... or something, her sixth studio album and first in more than a decade. The release marked a new phase in a career defined by the ability to connect acting, pop music, and personal reinvention without abandoning the approachable quality that first made her famous.