Child stars have careers full of ups and downs both in their professional and their personal lives. For the one and only Hilary Duff, her career has left us with memories that will last a lifetime — and she is not done yet. Creating iconic characters is a tall order for young actors and actresses. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Duff has been in the entertainment industry for almost 30 years and has established her place in the industry in ways people of all ages will never forget.

Can you even imagine someone else playing a role as iconic as Lizzie Maguire? Nope! Duff does not keep herself tied down to the family-friendly roles from her youth. We absolutely love Lizzie Maguire and Cadet Kelly, but her range is definitely shown in some of her more recent projects, branching out to the horror and drama genres of film and TV. If you haven’t been following Duff throughout her career, we’ve got all the highlights! Check out our list of Hilary Duff’s best performances throughout her career.

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9 The Haunting of Sharon Tate

     Voltage Pictures

Now, it’s easy for us to think of Duff and immediately associate the name with our childhoods. However, Duff has extended her career past everyone’s favorite child star. The Haunting of Sharon Tate is a horror thriller movie that came out in 2019. If you wanted to see her range, how about some horror? Duff plays Sharon Tate, a pregnant actress who crosses paths with members of the Manson Family, a cult. This movie is definitely not Duff’s most notable projects. However, it is still definitely worth a watch if you wanted to catch up with her career.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Agent Cody Banks

     Splendid Pictures

Time for a throwback! Duff brought so many roles to life in her earlier career, and for all of us, we cannot forget Natalie Connors in the 2003 action-comedy Agent Cody Banks. In this film, Cody Banks (Frankie Muniz) is not your typical high school teenager. He is also a spy for the CIA who is keeping an eye out and getting close to Natalie Connors, the daughter of an evil scientist. We know, crazy plot, but great fun! The sequel, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London came out the following year in 2004.

7 How I Met Your Father

     Hulu

She can do it all! Duff stars in the hit sitcom How I Met Your Father on Hulu. Duff plays Sophie, a mother who is, like the title pretty much explains, telling her son the story of how she met their father. And we know what you’re thinking: What does this have to do with How I Met Your Mother? Well, not much other than it is a spinoff and utilizes the same premise of the original. The show also features other notable names such as Franica Raisa, Chris Lowell, Leighton Meester, and fellow child-star, Josh Peck.

6 Cheaper By The Dozen 1 & 2

     20th Century Fox

The 2003 remake of the 1950s classic family comedy Cheaper By The Dozen as well as the 2005 sequel Cheaper By The Dozen 2 are the perfect summer movies for the entire family! These movies follow the antics and adventures of Tom and Kate Barker and their 12 children. Tom is left to fend for himself with all the children when Kate leaves for a book tour and all hell breaks loose. In the second film, the entire family take a much-needed trip to the lake, and it is not smooth sailing when the family runs into Tom’s nemesis and his own huge family. In both movies, Duff plays Lorraine Baker, one of the older kids in the family.

5 Cadet Kelly

     Disney Channel

Adding to the fact that Duff owned the early 2000s, the Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) Cadet Kelly is one of the best produced by the network. Much like any project Duff did during this time, this movie did not disappoint with its great message of self acceptance, perseverance, and, of course, teenage girl power! Duff plays Kelly Collins, a very laid back teenager who finds herself out of her element when she is enrolled in George Washington Military School.

4 Younger

     TV Land

Younger is a sitcom that aired its first episode back in 2015. The show had been on for an incredible 7 seasons until it came to an abrupt end in after the seventh episode of the seventh season aired. The show follows Liza, a single mother who is looking to jumpstart her dream career at the age of 40. Duff plays Liza’s coworker and friend, Kelsey Peters. The show was canceled, but many fans are still holding out hope for a possible eighth season to wrap up some unfinished storylines.

3 A Cinderella Story

     Dylan Sellers Productions

There have been many Cinderella retellings in film history. However, Duff and Chad Michael Murray’s 2004 romantic comedy A Cinderella Story has got to sit on the throne of one of the best so far. Duff plays Sam Montgomery, a young teen that works at her stepmother’s old diner when she starts an online relationship with an anonymous boy from her school. When they meet up at the school dance, and she finds out that she has been texting Austin Aimes (Murray), aka the school’s poster boy for popularity, she chickens out, leaving her cellphone in her wake.

2 The Lizzie McGuire Movie

     Walt Disney Pictures

This movie is truly what dreams are made of. The Lizzie McGuire Movie was a cultural reset and no, that is not up for debate. Lizzie McGuire was a show that pretty much owned the early-2000s, so, of course, it had to have its own movie. This masterpiece of a film follows Lizzie, Gordo, and the rest of their graduating middle school class on a trip to Rome. Here, Lizzie runs in to superstar Paolo Valisari, who recruits Lizzie to fill in for his former partner Isabella (also played by Duff), who happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Lizzie. It’s quirky, it’s fun, the music is fantastic, and the movie in general is nostalgia at its peak.

1 Lizzie McGuire

     Stan Rogow Productions

The success of Lizzie McGuire is a huge reason why the movie did so well. The Disney Channel practically defined our childhoods and the comedy series Lizzie McGuire was the birthplace of Duff’s most notable and iconic role to date. Middle school is a roller coaster, but when you have friends like Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda there, it is just that much more entertaining. From school and preteen angst to family life, this series is a recipe for some great family TV and remains a defining project in Duff’s career.