Miley Cyrus (born
Destiny Hope Cyrus[1] on
November 23,
1992 in
Franklin, Tennessee) is an
American actress and
singer. She is best known for starring as
Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana on the
Disney Channel Original Series,
Hannah Montana.
Cyrus was born in
Franklin, Tennessee,
[1] a suburb of
Nashville, and went to Heritage Middle School
[2] (she now has a private tutor
[3]). She grew up on her parents' farm in the backwoods of Nashville.
[4] She is the daughter of
country singer
Billy Ray Cyrus and Leticia "Tish" Cyrus ,
[1] and the granddaughter of the late
Ron Cyrus and Ruth Ann Cyrus. She has an older half-brother named Christopher Cody, an older step-brother named Trace, an older step-sister named Brandi, a younger brother named Braison, and a younger sister,
Noah Lindsey, who is also an actress.
[5] She was named Destiny Hope because her parents thought that she would accomplish great things.
[1] Her nickname, Miley (from "Smiley"), was started because she wouldn't stop
smiling when she was a toddler.
[1] Cyrus became interested in acting while on the set of her father's television series
Doc, where she played a character named Kylie. In
2003, she played young Ruthie on
Tim Burton's
Big Fish and was credited as Destiny Cyrus. She was also featured in
Rhonda Vincent's music video for "If Heartaches Have Wings", and appeared on
Colgate Country Showdown with her father who was the host of the television program. Cyrus was only eleven years old when she originally auditioned for Disney for the part of the "best friend;"
[6] Disney Channel executives then judged her to be "too small." According to Disney Channel Executive Vice President
Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen for
Hannah Montana because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life,"
[7] with the "everyday relatability of
Hilary Duff and the stage presence of
Shania Twain."
[4] Cyrus acts on the show as the lead character Miley Stewart whose
alter ego is the
pop music sensation Hannah Montana, also fictional. The character Hannah Montana appears in real-life music as a fictional
stage name for the actress on the show. Cyrus's first guitar was a
Daisy Rock Guitar - the Stardust Series Acoustic Electric Pink Sparkle, and was made a spokesperson for the company in 2004. It was given to her by her parents from her father's
Country Music Television fan meet-and-greet, when she was twelve years old.
[8]. A novice guitarist,
[9] Cyrus is also a songwriter in addition to singing and acting. On
June 22,
2006, a performance of a
Hannah Montana concert (featuring Cyrus as Hannah Montana) at
Disney's Typhoon Lagoon in
Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Florida was taped on the Disney Channel. Cyrus is currently opening for
The Cheetah Girls for 20 dates of their 40-city tour.
[10] Cyrus also acted in the Disney Channel
Hannah Montana promotion, "Hannah Montana's Backstage Secrets," in which she acted as the fictional character Miley Stewart's alter ego Hannah Montana in a fictional interview set in the show's
canon. On
October 24,
2006,
Walt Disney Records released the
Hannah Montana soundtrack to the Disney Channel Original Series
Hannah Montana. The soundtrack included eight of the songs that Cyrus performed as Hannah Montana. Cyrus also signed a four-album major record deal with
Hollywood Records.
[11] Cyrus is good friends with fellow
Hannah Montana co-stars
Emily Osment and
Mitchel Musso, often
texting and
conference calling each other during busy days.
[3]
Franklin, Tennessee