Claim: Miley Cyrus played Miley Stewart in Hannah Montana.

Hannah Montana , also known as Hannah Montana Forever in its fourth and final season , is an American musical comedy television series created by Michael Poryes , Rich Correll , and Barry O'Brien . It focuses on Miley Stewart -LRB- portrayed by Miley Cyrus -RRB- , who is a teenager living a double life as an average schoolgirl by day and as the famous recording artist Hannah Montana by night . The story follows the daily life of Stewart , her brother , and her friends while also starring Cyrus 's country singer father Billy Ray Cyrus as her dad .   The series , produced by It 's a Laugh Productions and Michael Poryes Productions , premiered on Disney Channel on March 24 , 2006 and concluded on January 16 , 2011 after having aired four seasons and ninety-eight episodes . The soundtrack albums Hannah Montana -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , Hannah Montana 2 : Meet Miley Cyrus -LRB- 2007 -RRB- , Hannah Montana 3 -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , and Hannah Montana Forever -LRB- 2010 -RRB- were released to coincide with their respective seasons . In 2007 , the success of the series led to the Best of Both Worlds Tour , which visited North America . The following year , it was adapted into the 3D film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus : Best of Both Worlds Concert and its accompanying soundtrack . In 2009 , the first feature film of the series , titled Hannah Montana : The Movie was released to commercial success , and was additionally promoted through its accompanying soundtrack . All seasons of the show have been distributed on DVD .   The series received generally favorable reviews from critics , and has been recognized as a `` guilty pleasure '' by several media outlets . The show 's instant success is widely credited with the launch of Cyrus 's career and her establishment as a teen idol . However , as she continued to develop an increasingly provocative image as the series progressed , the series has received criticism for appearing to be a negative influence on its younger audience .