Childhood & Early Life
Hilary Duff was born on September 28, 1987, in Houston, Texas, USA, to Robert Erhard Duff and Susan Colleen. Her father owned a chain of convenience stores. She has an older sibling, Haylie. Hillary was mostly homeschooled.
Encouraged by their mother, the Duff sisters enrolled to acting, singing, and ballet classes. They also took up roles in local theatre productions. Their passion for performing arts only heightened over the following years as the sisters decided to make career out of it. With their mother, they moved to California in 1993.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Upon reaching California, the Duff sisters tried their luck as actor and model. Initially, the sisters appeared in several television commercials and modeled for various clothing brands. Hilary played minor uncredited roles in several television series, including ‘True Women’ and ‘Playing by Heart.’
In 1998, she received her first major role as ‘Wendy’ in the film ‘Casper Meets Wendy,’ which was based on ‘Harvey Comics’ characters. She next appeared in an episode in the ‘CBS’ medical drama series ‘Chicago Hope.’
The big breakthrough of her career came in January 2001 when she appeared in the titular role in Disney’s TV series ‘Lizzie McGuire.’ The series became a major hit and made her a teen idol among her fans. Such was the popularity of the show that ‘Disney’ earned an estimated $100 million from the show's merchandise.
Following the tremendous success of ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ Hilary made her big screen debut with the film ‘Human Nature’ in 2002. The same year, she starred in the ‘Disney Channel’ television film ‘Cadet Kelly,’ which became the network's most watched program in its 19-year history.
Concurrently to her acting career, Duff’s singing career also commenced. She recorded her debut album ‘Santa Claus Lane’ in 2002. The album went on to receive a gold certification from the ‘Recording Industry Association of America’ (RIAA).
2003 was a successful year for Hilary Duff. She starred in three films, including children's action comedy film ‘Agent Cody Banks’ and her highest grossing film to date ‘Cheaper by the Dozen.’ Furthermore, she reprised her role as ‘Lizzie McGuire’ in ‘The Lizzie McGuire Movie.’ Her second studio album ‘Metamorphosis’ released in the same year. By selling more than three million copies in the US alone, it became her highest selling album to date and earned a 3x platinum certification from the ‘RIAA.’
Following the grand success of her second studio album, Duff came up with her third studio album ‘Hillary Duff’ in 2004. The same year, she ventured into fashion and launched her first clothing line ‘Stuff by Hilary Duff’ which lasted until 2008. Next, she was seen in the 2005 flick ‘The Perfect Man.’ Simultaneously, she released her first compilation album ‘Most Wanted,’ which debuted at number one on ‘Billboard 200,’ selling over one million copies in just a month.
Wanting to go further, Duff released her first perfume brand ‘With Love... Hilary Duff’ in September 2006. Subsequently, the fragrance became one of the three best-selling fragrances launched in the department stores in 2006.
In 2007, Duff came up with her fourth studio album ‘Dignity.’ A dance and electropop sound album, it received much critical acclaim for its lyrical content and musical direction. It debuted at number three on ‘Billboard 200.’
Continue Reading Below
In 2008, Hilary Duff featured in the political satire film ‘War, Inc.’ wherein she portrayed the role of an ‘oversexed’ Central Asian pop star ‘Yonica Babyyeah.’ The following year, she was seen playing the protagonist in films, such as ‘According to Greta’ and ‘What Goes Up.’
She was seen playing a recurring role in the hit television series ‘Gossip Girl,’ and also won an award for it. She appeared in an episode in the ‘NBC’ sitcom ‘Community.’
In 2010, Hilary Duff did a variety of roles. She appeared in the television film ‘Beauty & the Briefcase’ and in the comedies, ‘Stay Cool’ and ‘She Wants Me.’ She made her presence felt in small screen with the ‘FOX’ sitcom ‘Raising Hope.’ She also made a guest appearance in the ‘CBS’ sitcom ‘Two and a Half Men.’
Having made her mark as an actor, singer, entrepreneur, and fashionista, Hilary Duff wanted to try her hand at being a novelist. Collaborating with Elise Allen, she came up with the ‘New York Times’ bestseller ‘Elixir.’ The success of her debut writing venture persuaded her to write its sequel ‘Devoted’ in October 2011. She finished her ‘Elixir’ trilogy with her final book ‘True.’
In March 2015, Duff landed her first starring role in a television series titled ‘Younger,’ opposite Sutton Foster. The show opened to positive reviews from the critics and was renewed for its fourth season. Concurrently, Duff released her fifth studio album ‘Breathe In. Breathe Out.’ It debuted at number five on ‘Billboard 200,’ becoming her fifth top five albums.
She voiced the character of ‘Twinkle’ in the 2018 film ‘Meet Your Tooth Fairy.’ The following year, she was seen playing late American actor and model Sharon Tate in Daniel Farrands-directed horror thriller movie ‘The Haunting of Sharon Tate,’ which was based on the 1969 ‘Tate murders.’
Personal Life & Legacy
Hilary Duff’s personal life has been in the news quite often. She dated a lot of men, including Aaron Carter and Joel Madden before finally settling down with Mike Comrie. The duo got married on August 2010. The couple was blessed with a son named Luca Cruz Comrie in March 2012.
In 2014, Hilary Duff and Comrie got separated amicably. They continued to co-parent their son until February 2015, when Hilary filed for divorce. She requested primary physical and legal joint custody of their son. The divorce was finalized in February 2016.
In January 2017, Duff started dating Matthew Koma. They welcomed a daughter, Banks Violet Bair, in 2018. The couple got engaged on May 2019. Their second daughter was born on March 24, 2021.
Hilary has been involved in a lot of philanthropic activities. She has supported various charitable institutions and NGOs. She is a strong animal rights activist and has been a supporter of various kids’ campaigns.
