Miley Cyrus Biography

Miley Cyrus, Actress/Singer

Birthdate: November 23, 1992

Birthplace: Nashville, TN

Sign: Sagittarius

A Franklin, Tennessee native, Destiny Hope Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992 to a country singer, Billy Ray Cyrus, and his wife Leticia Finley. She is the granddaughter of Ronald Ray Cyrus, a popular Democratic politician in Greenup County, Kentucky. Her siblings include two elder half-brothers Christopher Cody and Trace, older half-sister Brandi, a younger brother Braison and a younger sister Noah.

Her nickname, Miley, came from "Smiley" because she kept smiling when she was younger. Although starting on January 29, 2008, Miley changed her legal name from Destiny Hope to Miley Ray in honor of her father.

Her interest in acting began when she was just 9. She guest starred twice in her father's TV series, Doc, in which she played a girl named Kylie. In 2003, she had been chosen to play "Young Ruthie" in Tim Burton's drama/fantasy film Big Fish.

She was 11 years old when she started auditioning for the Disney Channel. She was then "too small" and failed to land a role. But the channel executives called her back when she turned 12 to audition for the new TV series that would eventually propel her to stardom. The young Cyrus landed the lead in Hannah Montana because according to Disney Channel Executive Vice President Gary Marsh, she has the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain."

Hannah Montana tells the story of a girl named Miley Stewart who struggles to live the life of a normal girl while hiding her alter ego, pop music sensation Hannah Montana. Cyrus had her father auditioned for the role of her character's dad, which he got after the executives thought he fit the role of the dad.

The show's first soundtrack was released on October 24, 2006. It included 8 songs Cyrus had performed as Hannah Montana. Cyrus spent half of 2006 touring with The Cheetah Girls as their opening act on their 39-city tour.

Since Cyrus had become a household as her TV character Hannah Montana, it was only fitting that the young actress/singer release a double album entitled "Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus" to introduce her own personality. The 2-disc set features Hannah Montana's songs on the first disc and Cyrus' songs in the second. It was her debut as Miley Cyrus. She co-wrote 80% of the 10 songs in the album. It became a three time-platinum hit having sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S. alone.

In 2007, Cyrus performed as both herself as Hannah Montana on her "Best of Both Worlds Tour," which kicked off on October 18, 2007. Due to the high demand of tickets, the tour extended until January 31, 2008 having 69 dates in total than the original 55 planned dates. It features the brother act "Jonas Brothers" as its opening for most of the dates.

Cyrus, a Christian, prides on her wholesome image, which was momentarily questioned as rumors circulated in 2007 that she was pregnant. However, this was refuted and eventually died down.

Cyrus ranked 17 in the Forbes Top 20 Earners Under 25 list. Her estimated annual earning is $3.5 million.