Paris Hilton : Biography
Paris Hilton was born February 17, 1981, to Rick and Kathy Hilton, making her the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotels and source of the family fortune -- estimated at $300 million. Her grandfather, Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, Jr., also brought some notoriety to the family, as he was the first of Elizabeth Taylor's many ex-husbands. Paris' younger sister, Nicky (born in 1983), shares the throne as co-heiress of the Hilton empire.
Growing up in Manhattan's ritzy Waldorf-Astoria, the family's New York home, as well as other Hilton digs in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, Paris didn't seem to yearn for much. Even after graduating from high school, college didn't appeal to her. So, around the year 2000, Paris decided to branch out and become famous.
She began to make a name for herself as a model, soon appearing in shows for designers such as Marc Bouwer and Catherine Malandrino, and she later completed an ad campaign for Iceberg, an Italian label.
Paris Hilton: Career
At one point, it would have been hard to define Paris Hilton. "Career heiress" doesn't cut it; nor does "party girl" or "high-ranking socialite-cum-model-cum-actress," and "American royalty" was arguably too dramatic a label for a woman whose true breakout role cost less to film than a night in a budget room at the neighborhood Hilton hotel. Luckily, as lackluster economies are wont to do, the early 2000s looked toward the financial elite and borrowed heavily from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in hopes of creating a new rush of money envy. Enter MTV Cribs, The Osbournes, Rich Girls, VH1's The Fabulous Life, and Paris Hilton, celebutante.
This is not to say Hilton has no film credits to her name; in 2001, she landed a cameo role as herself in Ben Stiller's Zoolander and later stretched her acting chops to play a rowdy clubber in The Cat in the Hat (2003). Unfortunately for Hilton, her small role in James Cox's crime thriller Wonderland. Interestingly enough, the ensuing lawsuit and barrage of negative publicity did nothing but bolster the ratings of The Simple Life, a reality show starring Hilton and fellow heiress Nicole Richie. The series chronicled Hilton and Ritchie's reactions to the pitfalls of "simple" living, such as holding a job and shopping in outlets that don't stock haute couture. While the show could never quite decide who the novelty was -- the ridiculous rich girls or "hayseed" townsfolk -- The Simple Life was, nonetheless, a huge success.
Still basking in the warmth of paparazzi camera flashes across the globe, Paris Hilton continued looking to further her acting career. She took on her biggest role to date in 2004's Nine Lives, a straight-to-video supernatural thriller directed by newcomer Andrew Getty.
Paris Hilton: Movies
National Lampoon's Pledge This! (2005), House of Wax (2005), The Simple Life: Interns (TV Interns) (2005), Win a Date with Tad Hamilton (2004), The Hillz (2004), Raising Helen (2004), L.A. Knights (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Wonderland (2003), The Simple Life (2003), Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003), Nine Lives (2002), QIK2JDG (2002), Zoolander (2001), Sweetie Pie (2000), Wishman (1991)
