Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American socialite, media personality, entertainer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City, she is a great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in New York City's social scene, ventured into fashion modeling in 2000, and was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001. The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame. Hilton's career in entertainment has encompassed acting, modeling, singing, writing, producing, deejaying, and podcasting. Her star vehicles include Paris, Not France (2008), Paris Hilton's My New BFF (2008–2009), The World According to Paris (2011), Hollywood Love Story (2018), The American Meme (2018), This Is Paris (2020), Cooking with Paris (2021), Paris in Love (2021–2023), and Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir (2026). Under her company, 11:11 Media, she has launched a variety of content, products, and services. Her perfume line alone has brought in over US$2.5 billion in revenue, as of 2020. A polarizing and ubiquitous public figure, Hilton is said to have influenced the revival of the "famous for being famous" phenomenon throughout the 2000s. Critics indeed suggest that she exemplifies the celebutante—a household name through inherited wealth and lavish lifestyle. Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and ranked her as the most "overexposed" celebrity in 2006 and 2008.