Life and times of Paris Hilton

2007-06-26 11:07

Heiress and celebutante Paris Hilton. (AP)

Los Angeles - Here is a snapshot of the life of heiress Paris Hilton:

Paris Whitney Hilton, whose great-grandfather, Conrad, started the global Hilton Hotel empire, was born in New York on February 17 1981.

She gained international notoriety in 2003 when a home video - made when she was 19 - of her having sex with a boyfriend was posted on the internet.

Hilton used the publicity, coupled with a popular reality television show called The Simple Life, to build a multimillion-dollar celebrity career. The show debuted in December 2003 and featured Hilton and Nicole Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie.

Hilton published a 178-page book, Confessions of an Heiress, in 2004. Hilton also has been an increasing presence on-screen in TV commercials and in the movies, including Zoolander (2001) and Wonderland (2003). She had a more substantial role in the horror film House of Wax (2005).

Turning to music, Hilton released her debut album, Paris, through Warner Bros Records in August 2006, landing at No 6 on the Billboard 200 pop chart with 77 000 copies sold its first week. The lead single, Stars are Blind, became a modest hit, peaking at No 18 on the singles chart.

Hilton was charged in September 2006 with drunk driving. She pleaded guilty in January 2007 to a reduced charge of alcohol-related reckless driving and was placed on three years probation.

She was caught in February driving on a suspended license. A judge ruled in May that her latest infraction constituted a probation violation and sentenced her to 45 days in jail, later cut to 23 days.

Hilton officially began her incarceration on June 4 in a county jail near Los Angeles. After just three full days behind bars, the county sheriff released her to house arrest under electronic monitoring, citing unspecified medical problems he later described as psychological. The next day a judge ordered her back to jail.

- Reuters