Paris Hilton biography

The following year, she acted in the feature films Wonderland and Cat in the Hat, and began work on her own small-screen reality series.

Sex Tape and Reality TV

In November 2003, an unauthorized four-minute video of Hilton began to circulate on the Internet; dubbed "One Night in Paris," it featured Hilton engaging in intimate acts with then-boyfriend Rick Salomon. Salomon marketed the video, earning millions in sales, and Hilton filed suit. Although the case was settled out of court, reports stated that Hilton received $400,000 from the video. Additionally, she publicly stated that she had never intended the video to be a commercial venture.

Three weeks after the release of the video, Hilton debuted her first reality television venture on FOX. She partnered with long-time friend Nicole Richie to create The Simple Life, a show that featured the two socialites attempting blue-collar jobs and performing menial tasks. It was feared that Hilton's scandal would ruin ratings and alienate potential audiences, but the show became an enormous success. Shortly after, Hilton was approached by Guess to appear in three worldwide campaigns. The following month, Hilton made a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live. Her double-entendre-laden interview with Jimmy Fallon poked good-natured fun at the Salomon tape debacle.

Growing an Empire

The following year, Hilton appeared in the big screen features The Hillz and Raising Helen, and began to branch out into other business interests. After founding Heiress Records (a sub-label of Warner Bros.), she released her first book, Confessions of An Heiress: A Tongue-in-Cheek Peek behind the Pose. Written in conjunction with author Merle Ginsberg, the book, despite being widely panned by critics, quickly made its way onto the New York Times bestseller list. That year, Hilton also busied herself with a perfume line, a nightclub franchise, and the second season of The Simple Life. Although the show secured strong ratings, by 2005 Richie and Hilton had clearly grown apart, and the cause of their split became a matter of public speculation.

While still maintaining her role on the show, Hilton accepted other acting opportunities, including a small but significant role in the horror film House of Wax. Her portrayal earned her the Teen Choice Award for Best Scream, as well as nominations for Choice Breakout and Best Frightened Performance at the MTV Movie Awards.

Focusing on her romantic life, Hilton announced her engagement to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis in May 2005. The couple called off the nuptials five months later, and Hilton soon began dating Stavros Niarchos III, an heir to a different Greek shipping dynasty. Towards the end of the year, she dabbled in fashion, released her own jewelry line, and published her sophomore writing effort—another collaboration with Ginsberg entitled Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All To Me.

In 2006 Hilton branched into music, releasing her self-titled album on her Heiress label. The record, which peaked at No.