Paris Hilton: This Article Is About The American Socialite. For Her Self-Titled Fragrance, See

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Paris Hilton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


This article is about the American socialite. For her self-titled fragrance, see Paris Hilton (fragrance).

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by


addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or
poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or
harmful. (September 2009)
(Find sources: Paris Hilton – news, books, scholar)

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton promoting her cell-phone video game "Jewel Jam" at the E3

Video Game Convention

Born Paris Whitney Hilton

February 17, 1981 (age 28)

New York City, New York, U.S.

Occupation Socialite, model, actress, singer,fashion designer

Years active 2003–present

Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]

Weight 114 lb (52 kg)[citation needed]

Religious beliefs Roman Catholic[citation needed]


Parents Kathy Hilton and Richard Hilton

Website

ParisHilton.com

Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American socialite, heiress, media


personality, model, singer, author, fashion designer and actress.

Hilton is known for her appearance in a sex tape in 2003, her appearance on the television series The
Simple Life, her several minor film roles (most notably her role in the horror filmHouse of Wax in
2005), her 2004 tongue-in-cheek autobiography,[2] her 2006 music albumParis, and her work
in modeling. As a result of several legal incidents, Hilton also served a widely publicized sentence in
a Los Angeles County jail in 2007.

Contents
 [hide]

1 Early life and background

2 Career

o 2.1 As a model

o 2.2 As a media

personality

 2.2.1 Film

 2.2.2 Television

o 2.3 Recording artist

o 2.4 As an author

o 2.5 Standing as a celebrity

3 2008 parody Presidential

campaign

4 Products and endorsements

5 Personal life

o 5.1 DUI arrest and driving

violations

6 Filmography

7 Discography

o 7.1 Albums

o 7.2 Singles

8 Bibliography
9 References

10 External links

Early life and background


Born in New York City, Hilton is the oldest of four children of Richard and Kathy Hilton (née
Avanzino). She has a sister, Nicky, and brothers, Conrad and Barron. Her father is of German and
Norwegian ancestry and her mother is of Italian and Irish ancestry. [citation needed]

On the maternal side of her family, she is a niece of two child stars of the 1970s, Kim


Richards and Kyle Richards. Hilton was related by marriage to Nicole Richie's godmother, Nancy
Davis, when Nancy's brother, Greg, was married to Kim Richards. Hilton's paternal grandparents are
hotel chairman Barron Hilton, and his wife, the former Marilyn Hawley; Barron Hilton's parents
were Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton and his first wife, Mary Barron.

Hilton moved between several exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel on Manhattan, Beverly Hills, andthe Hamptons. As a child she was good friends with other
socialites as Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian. She attended her freshman year of high school at
the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California followed by a short time at Convent
of the Sacred Heart (which she attended with Lady GaGa[3]) and the Dwight School in New York for
her sophomore and junior years. She was then transferred to the Canterbury Boarding School, in New
Milford, Connecticut where she was a member of the ice hockey team.[4] However, in early 1999, she
was expelled for violating the school rules.[5] Hilton later earned her GED.[6][7]

In December 2007, Hilton's grandfather Barron Hilton pledged 97 percent of his estate to a charitable


organization founded by his father, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. An immediate pledge of $1.2
billion was made, with a further $1.1 billion due after his death. He cited his father's actions as the
motivation for his pledge. According to reports, the potential inheritance of his grandchildren is sharply
diminished.[8][9]

Career
Hilton has worked as a model, actress, singer, and engaged in occasional business pursuits.
[10]
 According to Forbes Magazine, she earned approximately $2 million in 2003–2004,[11] $6.5 million
in 2004–2005,[12] and $7 million in 2005–2006.[13]

As a model
Hilton began modeling as a child, initially at charity events. [14] When she was 19, she signed
with Donald Trump's modeling agency, T Management.[14] Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in
New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model
Management in London. She has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Iceberg
Vodka,GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano. In 2001, Hilton began to develop a
reputation as a socialite, being identified as "New York's leading It Girl" whose fame was beginning to
"extend beyond the New York tabloids".[14] She has appeared in several magazines, including the April
2004 issue of Maxim.[15]

As a media personality
Film

Hilton at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008

Hilton has made cameo appearances in several films, notably Zoolander, Wonderland, and The Cat


In The Hat. She landed minor and supporting roles in the feature films Nine Lives, Raising Helen, The
Hillz, and House of Wax. Her role as Paige Edwards in House of Wax won the Teen Choice Award for
"Best Scream" and earned her a nomination for "Choice Breakout Performance  – Female".[16] (It also
won her the 2005 Razzie for "Worst Supporting Actress" at the 2005 Golden Raspberry Awards.)
[17]
She also earned a nomination for "Best Frightened Performance" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards.
She landed her first lead roles in 2006 with the straight-to-DVD releases National Lampoon's Pledge
This!and Bottoms Up. She plays the Hottie in the box office bomb romantic comedy The Hottie and
the Nottie, released in 2008. She also had a minor cameo appearance as herself in An American
Carol.

More recently, Hilton plays Amber Sweet, the surgery- and painkiller-addicted daughter of a biotech
magnate in the goth/rock musical Repo! The Genetic Opera. Critics have responded positively to her
performance in the film, in which she sings and acts. In an interview Repo! director Darren Lynn
Bousman revealed that he had originally refused to audition Hilton for the role of Amber Sweet. "I
broke down," says Bousman, "and I met with her, and immediately she charmed everyone in the
room."[18] In the same interview, Bousman also revealed that Hilton was so keen to get the part that
she had the script smuggled in to her during her much publicized stint in a Los Angeles jail, and used
her time inside to work on her role.
Television
Paris Hilton in Cannes during the Film festival

Hilton co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie in the Fox reality series The Simple Life, which
premiered on December 2, 2003. The Simple Life ran for three seasons on Fox. The show was
cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E!
Entertainment Television for the fourth and fifth seasons.[19] Despite talks of a sixth season,[20] the
series finished its run at the end of the fifth season. [21] In March 2008, it was reported that Hilton would
star in a new MTV reality series tentatively titled Paris Hilton's My New BFF, about her looking for a
new best friend.[22] The series premiered on September 30, 2008.[23]

Hilton has also guest-starred in episodes of the popular tv-show The O.C., The George Lopez
Show,Las Vegas, American Dreams, Dogg After Dark, and Veronica Mars. Furthermore, she
appeared in several music videos, including "It Girl" by John Oates and "Just Lose It" by Eminem.
Planning is underway for an eponymous cartoon series following the animated life of Hilton, her sister
Nicky, and her dog Tinkerbell,[24] which began filming in September 2007. In April 2008, she guest
starred on the My Name is Earl episode "I Won't Die with a Little Help from My Friends".[25] On 29
January 2009, Paris Hilton's British Best Friend, began airing on ITV2 in England. The second season
of Paris Hilton's My New BFF premiered on June 2, 2009. In June 2009, Hilton shot "Paris Hilton's
Dubai BFF".[26] Runner-up of the British series Kat McKenzie died on July 3, 2009 of a suspected
overdose. [27]

Hilton is set to guest-star in the fifth episode of Supernatural's new upcoming season. "Paris Hilton is
playing a demonic creature that takes the form of... Paris Hilton," creator and executive producer Eric
Kripke said in a statement. "It'll be a fun, irreverent episode and we here at Supernatural are thrilled
that Paris agreed to do it."[28]

Recording artist
Further information: Paris (Paris Hilton album)

Hilton founded Heiress Records, a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records, in 2004 and released her self-
titled debut album, Paris, under that label on August 22, 2006. Although the album reached number
six on the Billboard 200 for a week, its total sales volume has been low [29][30] - but the first single "Stars
Are Blind" was a top ten hit in 17 countries. Allmusic commented that the album was "more fun than
anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too." On the whole, critical
reception was mixed.[31] On July 16, 2007 Hilton confirmed that she was working on a new album with
producer Scott Storch.[32][33][34] In a recent interview with MTV, Hilton decided that her second album is
going to be a dance album. She stated that she "loves Bob Sinclar" and wants to create dance-music
vibe. Hilton has installed a professional recording studio in her house to work on the album. [35] On
September 30, 2008, Hilton premiered her song "My BFF" on KIIS-FM with host Ryan Seacrest. It is
the first single from her as yet untitled second studio album [36][37]and the theme song of her show Paris
Hilton's My New BFF.[37] Hilton stated that she finished working on the album. [37] A second song "Paris
For President" was released along with a music video late October 2008. [38] Paris Hilton can also be
heard singing on the soundtrack to the musical Repo! The Genetic Opera. In an interview, the
director, Darren Lynn Bousman, praised her vocal skills. When talking about Paris' vocal audition
process for the role, Bouseman said, "We gave her some music and said, 'You have one day to come
back and perform this.' She came back the next day, memorized everything, was pitch-perfect, I mean
she was awesome."[39]

As an author
Further information: Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose and  Your
Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me

In the autumn of 2004, Hilton released an autobiographical book, Confessions of an Heiress: A


Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose, co-written by Merle Ginsberg, which includes full color
photographs of her and her advice on life as an heiress. Hilton reportedly received a $100,000
advance payment for this book. Some in the media panned the writing as amateurish, and the book
was parodied by Robert Mundell on The Late Show with David Letterman. The book became a New
York Times bestseller. Hilton followed it up with a designer diary, also with Ginsberg, called Your
Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me.

On September 2009, Hilton's quote: "Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in" has
been added to The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. [40]

Standing as a celebrity
Some sources claim Hilton has said that she is the "iconic blonde of the decade", comparing herself
to Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe.[citation needed] She denied this claim in the May 2007 issue
of Harper's Bazaar.[41] She appeared in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the world's "Most
Overrated Celebrity".[42][43] In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL, Hilton was voted the
second "Worst Celebrity Role Model of 2006", behind Britney Spears.[44] Critics suggest that Hilton
epitomizes the title of famous for being famous;[45] echoing that sentiment, the Associated
Press conducted what they called an experiment in February 2007, trying not to report on Hilton for a
whole week.[46]

2008 parody Presidential campaign

Wikinews has related
news:Paris Hilton mocks
John McCain presidential
ad

On August 6, 2008 Paris appeared in a 1 minute 50 second long video online, "Paris Hilton Responds
to McCain Ad", directed by Adam McKay and posted on the Funny or Die website. The video featured
Hilton in a parody advertisement, and was made in response to a televisioncampaign advert "Celeb",
by the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign. In Celeb, McCain briefly compared his rival Barack
Obama to that of celebrities such as Hilton and Britney Spears, going on to question his readiness to
lead and criticize his energy policy.

In what The Washington Post opined "might just be her best acting role yet," [47] Hilton appears in the
video wearing a leopard printswimsuit.[48] She starts out by suggesting that her personal mention by
McCain means that she must now be a candidate in thepresidential race, and goes on to mock
McCain, and critique the expected qualities and lifestyle of a celebrity in comparison to that of aUS
president. In a 30 second segment, in the style of an academic speaker, Paris compares and
contrasts the policies of McCain and Obama for solving the US energy crisis, and goes on to propose
a 'compromise solution' combining elements of both.

The video received 7 million views in two days garnering worldwide press coverage, and drew both
written and verbal media response from both campaigns. The merits and drawbacks of the 'Paris
compromise solution' with regard to energy policy, as well as its contrast to the adversarial political
campaigns, generated multiple comments from US political commentators, as well as Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Michael Burgess.

Continuing the spoof campaign, in October, Hilton featured in a second parody video posted on Funny
or Die, the 2 minute 20 second long"Paris Hilton Gets Presidential with Martin Sheen", alongside
Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, with his son, actor Charlie Sheen, appearing in a cameo role. Hilton,
heavily made up and in a green evening dress, interviews Martin Sheen in a kitchen, discussing
various political issues, seeking his advice from his days playing a fictional President on The West
Wing.[49]

Products and endorsements


Hilton helped design a collection of purses for Japanese label Samantha Thavasa, and also a jewelry
line for Amazon.com.[50]

In 2004, Hilton was involved in the creation of a perfume line by Parlux Fragrances. Originally set to
be a small release, high demand led to a wider release before December 2004. The launch was
followed by a 47 percent increase in sales of Parlux products, predominantly due to sales of the
Hilton-branded perfume.[51] After the success of Hilton's perfume, Parlux Fragrances released several
more perfumes with her name, including fragrances for men. [52] Paris Hilton launched a new fragrance
in October 2007, called Can Can. This is her fourth women's fragrance after Paris Hilton, Just Me,
and Heiress. During the month of November 2008, Paris Hilton released her fifth fragrance for women
called, Fairy Dust. In July 2009, her sixth fragrance for women Siren was launched.[53]

In January 2007, Hilton released the DreamCatchers line of hair extensions in partnership with Hair
Tech International.[54] In early August 2007, Hilton signed a licensing agreement with Antebi for a
signature footwear line, "Paris Hilton Footware", featuring stilettos, platforms, flats, wedges, and a
sports collection, expected to reach stores in 2008.[55] In mid August 2007, Hilton launched a line of
tops, dresses, coats, and jeans at Kitson boutique in Los Angeles. [56]

In 2005, Hilton lent her name to a chain of nightclubs owned by Fred Khalilian and known as Club
Paris. This association ended in January 2007 after she had failed to attend several scheduled
promotional appearances.[57]

In December 2007, Hilton posed nude, covered in gold paint, to promote "Rich Prosecco", a canned
version of an Italian sparkling wine.[58][59] She also traveled to Germany to promote the drink,
appearing in various print ads for the product.[60]

Personal life

Paris Hilton in Munich in 2005

Hilton was engaged to fashion model Jason Shaw from mid-2002 to early 2003. In 2003-2004 she
had a relationship with singer Nick Carter. Later she was engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis,
from May 29, 2005 to November 2005. Thereafter, she began dating another Greek shipping
heir, Stavros Niarchos III, before breaking up in May 2006. In early 2008, she was spotted with Good
Charlotte guitarist Benji Maddenand in May, Hilton announced her intention to marry Madden during
interview with television talk-show hostDavid Letterman.[61][62] The two broke up in November 2008,
and "remain very good friends".[63][64] She began dating The Hills star Doug Reinhardt in February
2009;[65] Hilton has also referred to her intention to marry Reinhardt, saying "He's gonna be my
husband."[66] The couple broke up in June 2009, only to be seen back together again in August of the
same year.
Hilton told Live with Regis and Kelly: "One-night stands are not for me. I think it's gross when you just
give it up. Guys want you more, if you don't just hand it to them on a platter." [67]

Hilton loves small dogs, and lives with a Yorkshire Terrier and a female Chihuahua named Tinkerbell.
Paris Hilton is frequently seen carrying Tinkerbell (dubbed an "accessory dog") at social events and
functions, and in all five seasons of television reality show The Simple Life. In 2004, Tinkerbell
"authored" a memoir, The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries. On August 12, 2004, Tinkerbell went missing after
Hilton's apartment was burgled, and a $5,000 reward was offered for her safe return. [68] She was
found six days later. By December 1, 2004, Tinkerbell was again spotted with Paris Hilton at various
events. Hilton has also purchased a male Chihuahua on July 25, 2007 from Pets of Bel Air in Los
Angeles.[69] Hilton's love for man's best friend led her to create an apparel line for dogs called Little Lily
by Paris Hilton, with some of the proceeds going to benefit animal rescue. "I have 17 dogs and I like
to dress them, so I started designing this clothing line and it's really cute, like dresses and jeans —
everything you can imagine for humans, but for dogs," she said in an interview during Super Bowl
XLII festivities.[70] Hilton's love for her dogs led to the rumor that she wanted to be frozen with them at
the Cryonics Institute,[71] but Hilton denied the rumor on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[72]

A homemade sex video of Hilton and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon was leaked on the Internet in


2003, later released as the DVD 1 Night in Paris despite attempted legal action. It appeared a week
prior to the premiere of The Simple Life.

On December 20, 2008 around 4:00 am, a man in a hooded sweater and gloves entered Hilton's
Mulholland Estates, Los Angeles home and stole $2 million dollars worth of jewelry and other items
from her bedroom. Hilton was not home at the time and nobody was injured in the home invasion.
There is speculation that it was an inside job.[73]

DUI arrest and driving violations

Paris Hilton's booking photograph

In September 2006, Hilton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol with
a blood alcohol content of 0.08%, the level at which it is illegal to drive in California. Hilton's driving
license was subsequently suspended in November 2006, [74] and in January 2007 she pleaded no
contest to a reckless driving charge.[75] Her punishment was 36 months' probation and fines of about
$1,500.[76] On January 15, 2007, Hilton was pulled over for driving with a suspended license and
signed a document acknowledging that she was not permitted to drive. [77] On February 27, 2007 Hilton
was caught driving 70 mph in a 35 mph zone, again with a suspended license. She also did not have
her headlights on even though it was after dark. Prosecutors in the office of the Los Angeles City
Attorney charged that those actions, along with the failure to enroll in a court-ordered alcohol
education program, constituted a violation of the terms of her probation. [74]

On May 4, 2007 Hilton was sentenced by Judge Michael T. Sauer to 45 days in jail for violating her
probation. Initially, Hilton planned to appeal the sentence, and supported an online petition [78] asking
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon.[79] The petition was created and organized
on May 5, 2007 by Joshua Morales.[80] In response, various opponents started a counter-petition to
maintain the sentence.[81] Both petitions attracted tens of thousands of signatures. Hilton later
switched lawyers and dropped her plans to appeal.[82]

Hilton was required to begin her jail term on June 5, 2007, [83] and checked herself into the Century
Regional Detention Facility, an all-female jail in Lynwood, California after attending the 2007 MTV
Movie Awards on June 3, 2007. With credit for good behavior, it was anticipated that Hilton would only
serve 23 days of her 45-day sentence;[84] however, in an unexpected turn of events, Los Angeles
County Sheriff Lee Baca signed orders on the morning of June 7, reassigning Hilton to 40 days
of home confinement with an electronic monitoring device due to an unspecified medical condition.
[85]
 Baca commented on the release saying, "My message to those who don't like celebrities is that
punishing celebrities more than the average American is not justice," [86] contesting that under normal
circumstances, Hilton would not have served any time in jail, and he added that "The special
treatment, in a sense, appears to be because of her celebrity status ... She got more time in jail".
[87]
 On the same day that Hilton was released from jail, Judge Michael Sauer summoned her to
reappear in court the following morning (June 8) as the sentencing statement had explicitly said she
would serve time in jail with "No work furlough. No work release. No electronic monitoring." [88] At the
hearing he declined to be briefed by Hilton's attorney in private chambers on the nature of her
condition and sent her back to jail to serve out her original 45-day sentence. Upon hearing the
sentence, Hilton shouted, "It's not right!" and started screaming, requesting to hug her mother who
was present in the courtroom.[89][90] Concern about Hilton's condition led to her being moved to the
medical wing of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, and she was moved back to the
Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on June 13. [91]

While in jail, Hilton was influenced by the clergyman minister Marty Angelo: Hilton referred to starting
a "new beginning" during her interview with talk show host Larry King on June 28, 2007, two days
after being released from jail,[92] and quoted from Angelo's autobiography, entitled Once Life Matters:
A New Beginning. On June 9, 2007, Marty Angelo petitioned Sauer, [93] asking to serve out the
remainder of Hilton's jail sentence if the judge would release her to an alternative treatment program,
[94]
 but the petition was turned down.

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