Known to the tabloids as "Paris the Heiress, "Hilton made a name for herself as a party hopping socialite early in the 21st Century. She is the great grand daughter of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, grand daughter of Barron Hilton, grand-niece of Nicholas Conrad "Nicky" Hilton (the onetime husband of Elizabeth Taylor) and daughter of Real Estate madnate Rick Hilton. An occassional model, she also has had few small film roles, most notably appearing herself in the hi-fashion satire Zoolander (2001, with Ben Stiller).

In 2003 Hilton starred in a fish-out-of-water "reality" show called The Simple Life. The show is a takeoff on the 1960s sitcom Green Acres, with city girls Hilton and Nicole Richie (daughter of singer Lionel Richie) spending a month on a farm in Altus, Arkansas. The show was filmed in April and May of 2003, and broadcast on Fox in December 2003.

Paris Hilton has a knack for attracting attention and always seems to be at the center of things. Sure, some people might feel that this isn't much of a virtue, but Paris is a born self-promoter - despite her occasional protests to the contrary.