Hilarie Ross Burton was born and raised in Sterling Park, Virginia. She is the oldest of four children and describes her family as tight-knit. Hilarie developed a passion for acting early in life. Shortly after moving to New York to go to school and pursuing her acting dream, she landed the coveted job of VJ at MTV. She won a guest spot interviewing on the red carpet for MTV and did so well she ended up with a job. She guest starred as a VJ on one episode of "Dawson's Creek". Soon after, she got the role that started her Hollywood fame as Peyton Sawyer on "One Tree Hill". While working on "One Tree Hill" she's done movies such as "Our Very Own" (2005), "The List" (2007), "Normal Adolescent Behavior" (2007), and "Solstice" (2007) with her One Tree Hill co-star Elisabeth Harnois.



Was not allowed to watch MTV growing up. Attended Fordham University at Lincoln Center. Shares a birthday with Liv Tyler, Pamela Anderson, Claire Forlani and Dan Aykroyd. Her dad, Bill, is an antique collector and her mom, Lisa, is a real estate agent. Her favorite movies are: Funny Lady and Coal Miner's Daughter. Her favorite book is "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury. Her hobbies are collecting antiques, knitting, and crocheting. According to Teen People magazine, her worst vice is cussing. Appears in the Jack's Mannequin video "The Mixed Tape" Once having gotten her role on One Tree Hill in North Carolina, she worked Monday through Thursday, and then returned every Friday back to New York to work on MTV. Her "One Tree Hill" (2003) character Peyton, works with her mother Ellie (Sheryl Lee), who battles breast cancer, on a compilation CD called "Friends with Benefit" to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation. That CD was actually released as a tie-in album, with a portion of its proceeds going directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to assist in their efforts to promote early detection awareness among young women.