Paris Hilton was born February 17, 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. a posh upbringing 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; she was most recently profiled, along with her sister, in People magazine.
Tabloid bound 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. The latest news is that she is currently shacked up with actor
and Tommy Hilfiger model, Jason Shaw. 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." new projects, a new paris 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 and the upcoming The Hillz (co-starring boyfriend
Jason Shaw), and negotiations are underway for Paris to star in an upcoming FOX reality show along
the lines of Green Acres. On top of that, along with her sister, Paris has designed a high-end
collection of purses for Tokyo label Samantha Thavasa. 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.
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Alyssa Milano
