Paris
Hilton was born on February 17th, 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. In
addition, Paris has posed for spreads in national magazines such as GQ,
Vanity Fair and FHM, and has also been profiled, along with her sister,
in People magazine.
At the same time, Paris became the center of attention because of her
relationships -- real or imagined by the paparazzi -- with some of
Hollywood's hottest young stars. In early 2000, Paris was spotted around
town with Leonardo DiCaprio. However, the press, especially the National
Enquirer, blew their casual friendship far out of proportion.
Nevertheless, she apparently dated Terminator 2's Edward Furlong for a
few months, and was later seen out and about with boxer Oscar de la
Hoya. Paris has also been linked with actor and Tommy Hilfiger model,
Jason Shaw, as well as Sum 41 lead singer Derek Whibley.
Paris, along
with her younger sister Nicky, also became notorious as socialites,
gracing party after party and getting bad press for their antics. For
example, Paris has grabbed headlines by shoving ahead of others in a
washroom line, then, when upbraided for her rudeness, quipped that she
only wanted to look at herself in the mirror. She has also danced on top
of bar banquettes, gone topless for attention, and paraded around in
designer T-shirts with slogans like, "Got Blow?" Yet Paris maintains
that the bad press "sucks" and that "people are mean."
Perhaps in an effort to clean up her image, Paris has tried to make her
mark by working on more substantial projects. In 2001, she had a cameo
appearance in Ben Stiller's fashion spoof, Zoolander. Other appearances
include a role as a strung-out supermodel in the film short QIK2JDG, The
Hillz (co-starring boyfriend Jason Shaw), Wonderland, and the big-screen
adaptation of the Dr. Seuss classic, The Cat in the Hat. She can also be
seen in the FOX reality show, The Simple Life, which is based on Green
Acres, and features Paris Hilton living on a farm.
On top of her burgeoning acting career, Paris has designed a high-end
collection of purses for Tokyo label Samantha Thavasa, along with her
sister Nicky. Paris has also given back; she has done charity work for
Toys for Tots. Unfortunately, her attempts to start a modeling company
and a makeup line seem to have fizzled.
Paris has recently grabbed headlines thanks to a makeout session with
notorious lesbian, Ingrid Casares, and the rumor of a sex tape featuring
Paris and Rick Solomon in the act.
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