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. Paris’ younger sister, Nicky (born in 1983), shares the throne as co-heiress of the Hilton empire.
Born in New York City, Hilton is the oldest of four children of Richard and Kathy Hilton. Her father is of German and Norwegian ancestry and her mother is of Italian and Irish ancestry.
Hilton moved between several exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and the Hamptons. As a child she was good friends with Nicole Richie and Kim Kardashian. She attended her freshman year of high school at the Marywood-Palm Valley School in Rancho Mirage, California followed by the Dwight School in New York for her sophomore and junior years. She was then transferred to the Canterbury Boarding School, in New Milford, Connecticut where she was a member of the ice hockey team. However, in early 1999, she was expelled for violating the school rules. Hilton later earned her GED.
In December 2007, Hilton’s grandfather Barron Hilton pledged 97 percent of his estate to a charitable organization founded by his father, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. An immediate pledge of $1.2 billion was made, with a further $1.1 billion due after his death. He cited his father’s actions as the motivation for his pledge. According to reports, the potential inheritance of his grandchildren is sharply diminished.
Hilton has worked as a model, actress, musician, and engaged in several business pursuits. According to Forbes Magazine, she earned approximately $2 million in 2003–2004, $6.5 million in 2004–2005, and $7 million in 2005–2006.
Hilton began modeling as a child, initially at charity events. When she was 19, she signed with Donald Trump’s modeling agency, T Management. Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model Management in London. She has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Iceberg Vodka, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano. In 2001, Hilton began to develop a reputation as a socialite, being identified as “New York’s leading It Girl” whose fame was beginning to “extend beyond the New York tabloids”.
Paris and best friend Nicole Richie then starred in the reality show “The Simple Life” which ran for 5 seasons.
In 2005 Paris was crowned the “Golden Girl Of The Internet” making her the most searched for blond
And the rest is pretty much history..
