In addition to being a highly active socialite in both Manhattan and Los Angeles, Hilton has gained international acclaim and won numerous awards in modeling, acting, and writing, within which venues she has also accumulated much personal wealth. She has been described as a "celebutante," a portmanteau of "celebrity" and "debutante." However, in August 2006 she launched a serious bid at a music career, with her debut pop album Paris.

Hilton is the oldest of four children of Richard Hilton and Kathy Richards. Her younger sister is Nicky Hilton, and her younger brothers are Barron Hilton II and Conrad Hilton II.

On the maternal side of her family, Hilton is a niece of two popular child stars of the 1970s - Kim Richards and Kyle Richards, who appeared in the motion picture Escape to Witch Mountain and TV shows like Nanny and the Professor, Little House on the Prairie, and later, ER. By marriage, she also is related to Zsa Zsa Gabor (the Hungarian-born actress married Paris Hilton's great-grandfather Conrad Hilton), as well as Elizabeth Taylor (the actress's first husband was Paris Hilton's great-uncle, Conrad Nicholson Hilton Jr.).

Her paternal grandparents are hotel chairman Barron Hilton and his wife, the former Marilyn Hawley, and her paternal great-grandparents were Hilton Hotel founder Conrad Hilton and his first wife, Mary Barron. When Conrad Hilton died in 1979, he left nothing in his will to his children or other descendants. Barron Hilton contested this decision and won in 1988.

Hilton moved between several exclusive homes in her youth, including a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, Beverly Hills, and the Hamptons. Currently, her parents own a $30.5 million mansion in Bel Air, a $12.3 million estate in the Hamptons, and a $10 million house in the Hollywood Hills in which she and her sister stay to give them privacy and for easy access to clubs in Los Angeles.

She attended high school at the Dwight School in New York, but dropped out and eventually earned a GED. Hilton did not attend university.

Hilton first came into the public eye as one of the more famous New York socialites and heirs. Along with her sister, she would make countless appearances in the party section of New York society magazines.

Hilton has been widely discussed by tabloids. In 2000, the National Enquirer reported a casual friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio as something far more intimate. She has also been linked/had flings with other celebrities, including professional skateboarder Chad Muska, filmmaker Vincent Gallo, actor Edward Furlong, boxer Oscar De La Hoya, Chicago Bears football player Brian Urlacher, singers Deryck Whibley and Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, former University of Southern California quarterback Matt Leinart, UK rap artist Joe Buckton, Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis (whose girlfriend at the time, Australian singer/actress Delta Goodrem, had cancer), Australian Idol contestant Robert 'Millsy' Mills, oil heir Brandon Davis, fashion model Lucas Bain, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, NHL goaltender Jose Theodore, English cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Ex MTV Simon Rex.

Hilton was engaged to model Jason Shaw from mid-2002 to early 2003. On May 29, 2005, she announced her engagement to Paris Latsis, a Greek shipping heir. However, on October 1, 2005, Hilton announced that the five-month engagement had been called off. Soon thereafter, she began dating another Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos III, but as of May 2, 2006, Hilton publicist Elliot Mintz told the press of the reported breakup.

In an attempt to "rediscover herself," Hilton imposed a ban on sexual activity for one year. She told Regis and Kelly, "I'm doing it just because I want to. I feel I'm becoming stronger as a person. Every time I have a boyfriend, I'm just so romantic, and I'll put all my energy into the guy, and I don't really pay attention to myself. One-night stands are not for me. I think it's gross when you just give it up. Guys want you more if you don't just hand it to them on a platter. If they want you, then they will wait. You have to make them work for it. I think that's the only way you know if they really want you or just want to be able to brag that they've been with you." Despite her comments of a single life, Paris was photographed kissing Brandon Davis on July 16, 2006 in West Hollywood. Hilton was also photographed making out with Stavros Niarchos III in St. Tropez on July 30, 2006. On July 31, 2006, Paris told People that she and Stavros are together again. The couple split in May after seven months of dating. "We're together now here. We love each other," Hilton says.

In 2006, Hilton told HX Magazine the reasons for her split with ex-best friend Nicole Richie. She claims that she and Nicole, "grew apart because of fame." On 20 April 2005, amid media reports that their friendship was in trouble, Paris Hilton released a statement saying "It's no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends," and "Nicole knows what she did, and that's all I'm ever going to say about it."

In recent years Hilton has gained recognition by appearing in television, movies, television commercials, and modeling photographs. According to Forbes, in 2003-2004 she earned approximately US $2 million for her television and movie roles, but in 2004-2005 her earnings from television, movies, modeling, and personal appearances have earned her an additional $6.5 million.

Hilton has signed with top modeling agencies: Ford Models Management in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, & Premier Model Management in London.

Hilton has walked for top fashion designers such as Philippe Treacy, Jasper Conran, Heatherette, and Julien McDonald. She has appeared in numerous advertisements, including Iceberg, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, Samantha Thavasa, and Marciano.

She has been featured in several television commercials, including a T-Mobile commercial for which she was paid $250,000 and her Carl's Jr. commercial for which she was paid $400,000 according to Forbes Magazine.

Hilton has appeared in the short subjects QIK2JDG and L.A. Knights, as well as minor and supporting roles in the feature movies House of Wax, The Hillz, Wonderland, Raising Helen, and Nine Lives. Hilton won the 2005 Worst Supporting Actress Razzie for House of Wax. She landed her first lead roles in 2006 with the straight- to-DVD releases National Lampoon's Pledge This! and Bottom's Up with Jason Mewes.

She also appeared in cameo roles in Zoolander (2001), The Cat in the Hat (2003) and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004).

Paris also starred in the unauthorized sex video 1 Night in Paris (2004) produced by Red Light District where she received directorial credit. The film earned three AVN Awards in 2005.

Hilton also has several upcoming theatrical releases in which she is the lead role, including The Hottie and the Nottie (2008) and an untitled superhero movie involving Stan Lee.

Hilton and Nicole Richie (adopted daughter of Lionel) starred in the 2003 FOX hit reality series The Simple Life, in which they lived with a family on their farm in rural Altus, Arkansas. Highlights of the show included the girls performing poorly at various jobs, making out with the local boys, and numerous instances of them shown as "fish out of water." It was followed by two more seasons on FOX: The Simple Life 2: Road Trip and The Simple Life 3: Interns, and another on E!: The Simple Life 4: ' Til Death Do Us Part. A fifth season to be aired on E! is currently in development stages.

Plans for Hilton to lend her name and also star in a cartoon series which follows the animated life of herself, her sister Nicky, and her dog Tinkerbell are in production.

Hilton has also guest starred in episodes of The OC, The George Lopez Show, Las Vegas, American Dreams and Veronica Mars.

Hilton's voice was used in See Paris Die! a viral animation promoting House of Wax and appeared on the Tonight Show with David Letterman, when she claimed to have trade marked the words "that's hot," thereby forbidding other persons to use them.

Hilton is the founder of Heiress Records, a sub-label of Warner Brothers Records, which she created in 2004. Though Heiress Records' only release as of yet has been Paris, Hilton has said that she plans to sign new artists in the future.

Hilton began work on an album in 2004, whose title was earlier rumored to be Paris Hilton, Paris Is Burning, 1 Crazy Party, and Screwed. It was confirmed in 2006 that the album would simply be called Paris. Before release, Hilton hinted that her album would feature a number of genres, such as pop, reggae and hip-hop. Producers for Paris include Greg Wells, Kara DioGuardi, Jane Wiedlin and Scott Storch. Hilton collaberated with Fat Joe and Jadakiss on the song "Fighting Over Me". Paris was released on August 22, 2006.

The first single from Paris "Stars Are Blind", an almost duplicate of UB40's "Kingston Town", produced by Fernando Garibay, was released for download on June 20, 2006 and was a success on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #18. "Turn It Up" , which was premiered on AOL First Listen on June 30, 2006, and "Nothing In This World" are scheduled to follow "Stars Are Blind" as her next singles.

After much confusion it has been announced that "Turn It Up" will in fact be the next official single with a video to be shown shortly...

Some influential sources have bestowed the album with rather positive reviews — standing in sharp contrast to the pre-release hype, which was overwhelmingly negative. All Music Guide's chief critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine declared it "shockingly good — and not just according to a grading curve for actors-turned-singers." The Phoenix reviewed the album in a cover story, lauding it's production and songwriting as finally validating Hilton's long-mocked celebrity. E! online called the album "an immaculately crafted selection of club tracks", and gave it a B-.

Uncut Magazine called the record "lavishly appointed, expensively designed and almost entirely characterless." The Los Angeles Times compared it to "cotton candy" ("leaving a sweet aftertaste and empty calories behind.") Q Magazine's review joked that her producers had "[furnished] her with above-average R&B to pant suggestively over."

As far as comparisons to today's current pop stars, All Music Guide stated, "...it's more fun than anything released by Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson, and a lot fresher, too."