Miley Cyrus

Born in Franklin, Tennessee to country star Billy Ray Cyrus and his wife Leticia, Destiny Hope Cyrus was surrounded by music and performing from the day she was born. When she was a baby, her father nicknamed the little girl Smiley, which was shortened to Miley, and the name stuck.

Though her family has a farm outside of Nashville, Tennesse, Miley and her family were uprooted to Toronto in 2001 when her father landed the starring role in the TV drama series Doc. Playing a little girl named Kylie in a 2003 episode, Miley made her television debut on the show. The same year she made her big screen debut with a small role in the feature film Big Fish (2003), starring Ewan McGregor.

When Doc ended in 2004, the family returned to Tennessee, but Miley didn't give up on performing. With an agent in Hollywood, she auditioned for the new Disney series Hannah Montana when she was just 11. The producers loved her and had her audition for both Zoe Stewart (the lead character's original name) and for the best friend, and although she did several auditions and callbacks, they finally decided she was too young and small for the part. When shooting was delayed, Miley, now 12, was called back and auditioned both alone and with her father. Though she was still small, the producers decided she was old enough for the role and changed the lead character's name to Miley Stewart. Her dad was also hired to play her onscreen dad, Robbie Ray Stewart, a former country star who manages his daughter's career.

The series, about a pop star who hides her real name and identity so she can lead a normal life offstage, took off like a shot, making Miley a star almost overnight. Her first CD as Hannah Montana went straight to the top of the charts, with almost every song topping the singles charts. She toured as the opening act for the Cheetah Girls in 2006 for 20 performances, then headlined her own Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds tour in 2007 and 2008, following the release of her second CD, "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus." Miley, who plays guitar, wrote several of the songs herself. The concert was also filmed in IMAX for a 2008 theatrical release, which was a bona fide hit at the box office.

In her spare time, Miley enjoys playing with her many animals, including horses, dogs, cats and chickens, knitting, and spending time with her family, which includes younger siblings Braison and Noah.

In 2007, Miley won Favorite TV Actress at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards; Poptastic Queen from Popstar Magazine; and Choice TV Actress: Comedy and Choice Summer Artist at the Teen Choice Awards. She legally changed her name from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Ray Cyrus in 2008.

I Thought I Lost You—a song she co-wrote for the movie Bolt, for which she provided the voice of Penny, was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2009. Miley won a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Breakout Movie Actress" for her work in Hannah Montana: The Movie. She followed that up with a starring role opposite Liam Hemsworth in the romantic drama The Last Song (2010), based on a Nicholas Sparks novel.

After dating Liam Hemsworth for years, in December 2018, they were married, but the marriage was short-lived and ended in divorce in January 2020.

In recent years, she's been focusing on her musical career. Her hit single "Flowers" came out in January 2023.

Filmography:

The Night Before (2015)
So Undercover (2012)
LOL (2012)
The Last Song (2010)
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Bolt (2008)
Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds (2008)
Big Fish (2003)