Claim: Paris Hilton is American.

Paris Whitney Hilton -LRB- born February 17 , 1981 -RRB- is an American businesswoman , socialite , television and media personality , model , actress , singer , and DJ . She is the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton , the founder of Hilton Hotels . Born in New York City and raised there and in Beverly Hills , California , Hilton began her modeling career as a teenager when she signed with New York based modelling development agency , Trump Model Management . Her lifestyle and rumored short-lived relationships made her a feature of entertainment news and tabloid magazines , and Hilton was proclaimed `` New York 's leading It girl '' in 2001 . In 2003 , a sex tape with Hilton and her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon , later released as 1 Night in Paris , was leaked to the public . Released only three weeks before the premiere of the reality television series The Simple Life , in which she starred alongside her long-time friend Nicole Richie , the sex tape became a media sensation .   In 2004 , Hilton released her book Confessions of an Heiress , which became a New York Times Best Seller . She later played a supporting role in the horror film House of Wax -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , in 2005 Hilton later signed to Warner Brothers records as a singer and began working with producers such as Scott Storch , Tom Whalley , J.R. Rotem , Dr. Luke , Fernando Garibay and Kara DioGuardi on a pop album .   Hilton 's debut single `` Stars Are Blind '' was released worldwide in June 2006 and quickly became an instant hit around the world including number one in Scotland . In the United States , `` Stars Are Blind '' was amongst the highest debuting singles in the U.S. in 2006 , entering the Billboard Hot 100 at number 18 due to strong digital sales and was played on more than 125 pop stations in the U.S. alone in 2006-2007 . The self-titled album , Paris , was released worldwide on August 22 , 2006 . The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 , and has since sold over 600,000 copies worldwide .   Hilton returned to reality television in 2008 with Paris Hilton 's My New BFF -LRB- 2008 -RRB- and its two spin-offs : Paris Hilton 's British Best Friend -LRB- 2009 -RRB- and Paris Hilton 's Dubai BFF -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , and again in 2011 with Oxygen series The World According to Paris . Her other acting credits include Bottoms Up , National Lampoon 's Pledge This ! -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , The Hottie and the Nottie -LRB- 2008 -RRB- , Repo ! The Genetic Opera -LRB- 2008 -RRB- and Sofia Coppola 's film The Bling Ring -LRB- 2013 -RRB- . In 2012 , Hilton announced her DJ career and made her debut at the São Paulo Pop Music Festival . Although her performance was criticized , she became one of the highest-paid celebrity DJs , holding club residencies all over the world . That same year , she also returned to music , signing a record deal with Lil Wayne 's and Birdman 's label Cash Money Records .   Critics and admirers have said that Hilton is famous for being famous , exemplifying the celebutante : a celebrity not through talent or work , but through inherited wealth and lifestyle .   She has parlayed her media fame into perfumes and a fashion line with her endorsement ; her fragrances have earned $ 1.5 billion . There are currently three Paris Hilton apartment complexes and 44 Paris Hilton stores worldwide , with products including perfumes , handbags , watches and footwear . Hilton earns over $ 10 million a year from product sales . Hilton 's perfume products alone have brought in over $ 2.5 billion in revenue , the second largest celebrity fragrance of all time behind Hollywood actress Liz Taylor . and , as of 2005 , was paid about $ 300,000 for appearances in clubs and events .