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American actress Hilarie Burton was born on July 1, 1982, and she was raised in Sterling, Virginia. She is a graduate of Parkview High School, and she attended New York University and Fordham University. Her first big break came when she worked as a VJ for the television show "Total Request Live" on MTV. Hilarie had a small part on the TV series "Dawson's Creek," and this led to her famous role as Peyton Sawyer on the series "One Tree Hill." She made her feature film debut in "Our Very Own," a comedy set in 1970s Nashville. Hilarie has a cat named after writer Edgar Allen Poe, and her hobbies include collecting antiques, knitting and crocheting.

Best known as one of the principals on the WB's popular drama series One Tree Hill, thesp Hilarie Burton launched herself out of obscurity and into celebrity by winning a national competition. In 2000 - as a student at Fordham University, a Jesuit college in New York - Burton signed up for a TRL contest to interview celebs at the annual MTV Music Video Awards. Because that position reportedly brought with it some disparaging treatment at the hands of obnoxious celebrities, it toughened Burton up; that spunk, when coupled with Burton's genial on-camera presence and photogenic qualities, paved the way for an acting career, doubtless made possible by the exposure of the MTV gig.

One Tree Hill marked Burton's most popular endeavor. She received third billing on that program, as Peyton Sawyer, a gorgeous teenager (not a stretch, that) who feels attracted to the lower-middle-class but warm-hearted local boy Lucas (Chad Michael Murray). Burton remained with the series for three seasons; she then branched off into films on an auspicious note, with a plum role in Cameron Watson's beautifully-crafted, small-town Miramax drama Our Very Own (2005). Following about a year of inactivity, Burton resurfaced in 2007 with several roles; most notably, she worked for Beth Schachter in that director's teen-oriented comedy Normal Adolescent Behavior and for Blair Witch helmer Daniel Myrick in his supernatural thriller Solstice. Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide



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