Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, author, entrepreneur and singer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Duff appeared in local theatre productions and television commercials before coming to prominence in the title role of Disney Channel's teen comedy Lizzie McGuire. Established as a teen idol, Duff reprised that role in The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) and subsequently ventured into motion pictures. Her early films Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004) and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) are among the biggest commercial successes of her career. Most recently, she has performed in independent films and television dramas like Gossip Girl. After signing with Hollywood Records, Duff expanded her repertoire to include pop music and has released several albums. Her debut studio album Metamorphosis (2002) was RIAA-certified triple platinum while subsequent albums Hilary Duff (2004) and Most Wanted (2005) were both certified platinum. She exhibited a more adult image with the release of Dignity (2007), which displayed a shift to more of a dance-oriented sound.