Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton was born in New York city on the 17th February 1981. She has three younger siblings. Her family is very wealthy and she is one of the heirs to the Hilton Hotel fortune. She dropped out of high school before taking her diploma and instead eventually took the GED tests, considered by most people to be an inferior version of the high school qualification. However, she's in good company as other famous recipients of this qualification include Bill Cosby, Christian Slater, Jessica Simpson and even Homer Simpson, who received it during an episode of the cartoon series!

It's quite hard to put Paris Hilton into any one category, so let's have a look at some of the things she does.

When she was 19 she signed up with an exclusive modelling agency which started her career as a model. She has appeared in campaigns for such brands as Guess, Christian Dior and Tommy Hilfiger and famously one ad for a burger restaurant which was banned because it was considered too sexy for television.

So, she's a model. Yes, but what about her acting? In 2003 she made a reality TV show with Nicole Ritchie, the daughter of singer Lionel. The Simple Life followed these two girls as they swapped their high class lifestyles for those of us mere 'normal' people by moving in with a family living on a farm. It was a huge success and helped Paris to get some roles in feature films, including House of Wax and The Hillz.

So, she's an actress. Yes, but what about the music career? In 2006 she released her debut album, Paris, which had mixed reviews. Commercially it wasn't the success that she'd hoped for, reaching a high of number 6 on the US chart. Her first single from the album, Stars are blind, peaked at number 18 on the chart in the US, although it did reach number 1 in Belgium, Hungary and Slovakia.

So, she's a singer. Yes, but what about her business empire? In 2004 she wrote an autobiography called Confessions of an Heiress, badly received by critics but it topped the bestseller lists. She has helped to design a range of jewellery, clothes and perfumes. She gave her name to a chain of nightclubs called Club Paris, although she was sacked because she didn't make enough personal appearances at them. Her estimated earnings over recent years show a notable increase as her name just becomes ever more famous. In 2004 she earned $2 million, in 2005 $6 million and in 2006 $7 million.

So, she does a bit of everything. Rich, famous and beautiful. Who wouldn't want such a lifestyle? Well, just wait a moment, because not everything in the garden is as rosy as it seems. Paris' personal life has had it's share of ups and downs since she became one of the most talked about people in the world. She has had very bitter public fights with her co-star in This Simple Life, Nicole Ritchie and also with another young starlet Lindsay Lohan. She suddenly became best friends with Britney Spears and then just as quickly fell out. She has had a string of unsuccessful relationships and in July 2006 she declared that she would stay celibate for a whole year.

However, her biggest problem to date was her arrest and subsequent jail sentence for driving with a suspended licence. In May 2007 she was sentenced to serve 45 days in prison and on June 5th she entered the Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility to start her controversial punishment.