Hilary Duff

After landing a handful of small movie parts, Hilary Duff got her big break when she was cast as Lizzie McGuire, the title character of a show created by the Disney Channel. Pre-teens and teens were drawn to Duff's affable charm and the show's realistic subject matter, making Lizzie McGuire a smash hit. Following several successful seasons, Duff parlayed her popularity into better movie roles, landing choice parts in box office hits such as Agent Cody Banks and the inevitable The Lizzie McGuire Movie. At the same time, Duff tested the waters of a music career; in 2002 she put out a Christmas album. The multi-talented youngster released Metamorphosis the following year. It topped both the singles and album charts, making Duff the "it" girl of the new millennium. Starring roles in movies such as A Cinderella Story kept Duff's name in the limelight while she worked on her follow-up album, the self-titled Hilary Duff, released on her 17th birthday in September 2004.