Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, businesswoman, and author. She has received a World Music Award, seven Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards, and two Young Artist Awards. Duff began acting at a young age and gained prominence for her role as Lizzie McGuire in the Disney Channel series "Lizzie McGuire" (2001–2004) and the film "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" (2003). She appeared in films including "Cadet Kelly" (2002), "Agent Cody Banks" (2003), "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003), "A Cinderella Story" (2004), "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005), "War, Inc." (2008), "According to Greta" (2009), "Bloodworth" (2011), and "The Haunting of Sharon Tate" (2019). She starred as Kelsey Peters in "Younger" (2015–2021) and as Sophie Tompkins in "How I Met Your Father" (2022–2023). Duff released her debut studio album, "Santa Claus Lane" (2002), through Walt Disney Records. She signed with Hollywood Records and released "Metamorphosis" (2003), which topped the Billboard 200 and was certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA. Her subsequent albums include "Hilary Duff" (2004), "Dignity" (2007), the compilation "Most Wanted" (2005), "Breathe In. Breathe Out." (2015), and "Luck... or Something" (2026). She has sold an estimated 15 million records worldwide and has been listed among Billboard's Top 100 Women Artists of the 21st Century and Forbes' Celebrity 100 from 2004 to 2007. In addition to music and acting, Duff co-authored a trilogy of novels, beginning with "Elixir" (2010), followed by "Devoted" (2011) and "True" (2013). She launched fashion and fragrance lines including "Stuff by Hilary Duff," "Femme for DKNY," and "With Love... Hilary Duff," and serves as Chief Brand Director of Below 60°, a home fragrance line. She has invested in businesses related to cosmetics and children's products. Duff was born in Houston, Texas, to Robert Erhard Duff, a convenience store partner, and Susan Colleen Duff, a homemaker turned film and music producer. She has an older sister, Haylie. Both sisters participated in acting, singing, and ballet classes and performed in local theatre productions. In 1993, they moved to California to pursue careers in show business and began appearing in commercials. Duff was home-schooled from age eight. Duff's early acting included minor roles in "True Women" (1997) and "Playing by Heart" (1998), followed by her first major role as Wendy in "Casper Meets Wendy" (1998) and a supporting role in "The Soul Collector" (1999), for which she received a Young Artist Award. She appeared in "Chicago Hope" (2000) and was cast in the pilot of "Daddio" before being dropped. In 2001, Duff starred in "Lizzie McGuire," which became a commercial success with merchandise including soundtracks, books, dolls, and video games. She debuted in film with "Human Nature" (2001) and starred in "Cadet Kelly" (2002). Her early music included covers on Disney soundtracks and led to the release of "Santa Claus Lane" (2002), later certified Gold. She signed with Hollywood Records for future releases. In 2003, Duff appeared in "Agent Cody Banks" and reprised her role as Lizzie McGuire in "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," contributing songs such as "What Dreams Are Made Of" and "Why Not." Her album "Metamorphosis" (2003) reached number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over three million copies in the United States. Singles included "So Yesterday" and "Come Clean." She promoted the album with the Metamorphosis Tour and appeared in "Cheaper by the Dozen" (2003). Duff released "Hilary Duff" (2004) following the end of "Lizzie McGuire," and starred in "A Cinderella Story" (2004) and "Raise Your Voice" (2004). She launched "Stuff by Hilary Duff" (2004). In 2005, she appeared in "The Perfect Man" and released the compilation "Most Wanted," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. She co-starred in "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" (2005). In 2006, she starred with Haylie Duff in "Material Girls" and released the fragrance "With Love... Hilary Duff." Her fourth studio album, "Dignity" (2007), featured a dance and electropop sound and included the singles "With Love" and "Stranger," both topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. She appeared in "War, Inc." (2008) and released "Best of Hilary Duff" (2008), which included the single "Reach Out." Duff starred in "According to Greta" (2009) and "What Goes Up" (2009), and appeared in "Gossip Girl" (2009). She co-designed the apparel line "Femme for DKNY Jeans" (2009). From 2010, Duff appeared in "Beauty & the Briefcase" (2010), "Bloodworth" (2011), "Stay Cool" (2011), "She Wants Me" (2012), "Raising Hope" (2013), "Two and a Half Men" (2013), and voiced "Wings" (2013) and its sequel. She published "Elixir" (2010), "Devoted" (2011), and "True" (2013). Duff starred in "Younger" (2015–2021) as Kelsey Peters, receiving critical recognition and award nominations. She released "Breathe In. Breathe Out." (2015) and singles including "Chasing the Sun" (2014), "All About You" (2014), and "Sparks" (2015). She worked on collaborations and business ventures including Kopari Beauty and GlassesUSA's "Muse x Hilary Duff" eyewear line. She starred in "The Haunting of Sharon Tate" (2019) and voiced "Meet Your Tooth Fairy" (2018). In 2019, Duff announced a "Lizzie McGuire" revival for Disney+, which was later cancelled. She invested in products including "Happy Little Camper" and "Veeda," and covered "Never Let You Go" (2020) and appeared in Winnetka Bowling League music videos. She released children's books "My Little Brave Girl" (2021) and "My Little Sweet Boy" (2023). Duff produced and starred in "How I Met Your Father" (2022–2023), which ran for two seasons. She launched collections with Smash + Tess and Carter's, and became Chief Brand Director of Below 60° (2023). She released "Luck... or Something" (2026) with singles "Mature" (2025) and "Roommates" (2026), and re-recorded previous hits for the limited edition album "(Mine)" (2026). Duff announced and began the Small Rooms, Big Nerves Tour (2026) and The Lucky Me Tour (2026–2027). She is set to star in and executive produce the drama series "Pretty Ugly" (2025). Studio albums Santa Claus Lane (2002) Metamorphosis (2003) Hilary Duff (2004) Dignity (2007) Breathe In. Breathe Out. (2015) Luck... or Something (2026)