Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American
socialite, television personality, model, actress, singer, DJ, businesswoman, and author. She is the great-granddaughter of
Conrad Hilton, the founder of
Hilton Hotels. Born in
New York City and raised there and in
Beverly Hills, California, Hilton began her modeling career as a teenager when she signed with
Donald Trump's agency,
Trump Model Management. Her lifestyle and rumored short-lived relationships made her a feature of entertainment news, and Hilton was proclaimed "
New York's leading
It Girl" in 2001. In 2003, a
sex tape with Hilton and her then-boyfriend
Rick Salomon, later released as
1 Night in Paris, was made public. Released only three weeks before the premiere of the reality television series
The Simple Life, in which she starred alongside her long-time friend
Nicole Richie, the sex tape became a media sensation.
The Simple Life continued for five seasons and gave both women international recognition.