Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, model, producer and author. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she appeared in local theater productions and television commercials in her early childhood. Duff was established as a teen idol after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire in the early 2000s and its motion picture The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), in which she portrayed the titular character. She later appeared in feature films including Agent Cody Banks (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), A Cinderella Story (2004), and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), which are among the biggest commercial successes of her career. Duff has additionally appeared in numerous television dramas and comedies such as Joan of Arcadia, Ghost Whisperer, Law & Order: SVU and Two and a Half Men, besides landing an award-winning role in the third season of Gossip Girl. Other than that, she had also acted in several independent films with praised roles in War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009) and Bloodworth (2011). Besides being a producer for a few of the movies she starred in; According to Greta and Beauty & the Briefcase, Duff has served as a voice actress for a number of animated features. In 2014, she co-starred in a pilot for a new sitcom currently titled Younger.