Miley Cyrus

Tween superstar Miley Cyrus is no stranger to living life in the spotlight.

About Miley Cyrus

Destiny Hope Cyrus, better known as Miley Cyrus and equally as well known as Hannah Montana, is the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus (best known for his serious mullet and hit song Achy Breaky Heart) and Leticia Cyrus. A country girl through and through, Miley was born in the small town of Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville.

If the day ever came when Miley Cyrus developed an inflated ego from being a tween superstar, brothers Christopher, Trace and Braison as well as sisters Brandi and Noah, would surely keep her grounded. For the most part, the Cyrus family shares the spotlight with Miley and Billy Ray, opting to stay out of it themselves, but Miley and Billy Ray are not the only stars in the Cyrus clan. Miley's younger sister Noah is also in the biz. She has appeared on Hannah Montana as well as dad Billy Ray's series Doc that ran on the PAX channel from 2001-2004.

From Destiny to Miley

Apparently, when Miley Cyrus was younger, her parents claimed that she was always smiling. Her grin garnered her the nickname of "smiley." The nickname Smiley turned into Miley when she was a baby and has stuck with her ever since.

From Miley to Hannah

Winning the starring role on the hit show Hannah Montana was not Miley Cyrus' first experience in show business:

• Played the role of Kylie on dad Billy Ray's show Doc.
• At age 11, she played the character Ruthie in Tim Burton's 2003 film Big Fish, alongside veteran actors Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Robert Guilliaume and Jessica Lange.

When first auditioning for Hannah Montana, Miley did not have her sights set on playing the lead role; she originally tried out for the role of Hannah's best friend Lilly Truscott, currently played by Emily Osmet. Disney execs thought at age 11 she was "too small" for the role and passed her up.

It isn't really known if Disney had given up on the show for the next three years or if they just couldn't find the perfect cast, but in 2006, auditions for the soon-to-be ratings blockbuster were held again. Miley Cyrus auditioned again, this time winning the starring role of Hannah Montana: normal teenage girl by day and pop superstar by night.

The Hannah Montana Phenomenon

Hannah Montana had its series premiere in March of 2006. Not knowing what to expect, the show's cast, crew, writers and producers anxiously awaited the public's response…and what a response it was. The series opener welcomed an estimated 5.4 million viewers. The true test for the new show was yet to come, as the series premiere for Hannah Montana was aired just before the wildly popular movie High School Musical and guest starred High School Musical star Corbin Bleu.

The following week, Hannah Montana was moved to its regularly scheduled Friday night time slot. The millions of viewers that tuned into Hannah Montana a week after its inaugural episode proved the show was a hit. It now averages an estimated 3.5 million viewers per episode.

Balancing the Lives of Miley and Hannah

Miley Cyrus states that it is her faith and her family that keep her grounded while living the life of a superstar. Even though she hauls in an estimated $3.5 million a year, according to Forbe's Magazine's 20 Richest Stars Under 25 list, Miley Cyrus still has to go to school (she has an onset tutor) and do chores like making her bed every day and cleaning her bedroom.

On her recent appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, when discussing her extreme popularity amongst tweenaged girls she stated: "I like to look kind of like what girls would want to look up to, and their moms and dads will say, 'Hey, that's cool. That's different.'"

Miley Cyrus Fun Trivia

Here are a few bits of fun trivia about Miley Cyrus:

• Don't Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel, is her favorite book.
• Her three dogs are named Loco, Juicy and Minnie Pearl.
• Younger sister Noah once entered a Disney Channel contest to win tickets backstage to meet Hannah Montana, to which Miley responded "You live with me!"
• Even though she earns millions, dad Billy Ray gives her an allowance of $300 per month.
• One of her favorite clothing stores is Hollister.
• Both Hannah Montana the soundtrack and Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus went to number one on the Billboard Music Charts..

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