Haylie Katherine Duff is an American actress, singer, songwriter, television host, writer and fashion designer. She is best known for her role as Sandy Jameson in the television series 7th Heaven, Amy sanders in Lizzie McGuire, Summer Wheatley in Napoleon Dynamite, and Annie Nelson in the made for television films Love Takes Wing along with its sequel Love Finds a Home. She is also the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff. Take a look below for 21 more fun and interesting facts about Haylie Duff.
1. Duff was born in Houston, Texas.
2. Duff’s mother, Susan Colleen Duff is a film producer who was a co-executive producer of A Cinderella Story (2004), a producer of The Perfect Man (2005) and Material Girls (2006), and the manager of Hilary; she was previously a homemaker.
3. Her father, Robert Erhard “Bob” Duff, a partner and owner in a chain of convenience stores with his father, John B. Duff, resides at the family home in Houston to maintain the family’s business.
4. She began her acting career as an offshoot of her early dance training.
5. Growing up in Texas, Duff began ballet at an early age.
6. By the age of eight, Duff landed a role in the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company’s production of The Nutcracker Suite.
7. In 2009, Duff stated, “I am a Christian, but I also don’t really see myself as a religious person. I see myself as more of a spiritual person. There are a lot of things that I do agree with in Christianity and things that I don’t agree with. I’m not a regular churchgoer, but I do think that I have my own beliefs that I feel strongly about.”
8. In April 2014, Duff announced her engagement to Matt Rosenberg after one-and-a-half years of dating.
9. She and Rosenberg have two daughters: Ryan Ava Erhard (b. May 2015) and Lulu Gray (b. June 2018).
10. Duff’s early career started by making guest appearances on made-for-television films such as True Women and on TV series such as The Amanda Show.
11. In addition to guest-starring roles on Chicago Hope, Boston Public, and Third Watch, Duff became a familiar face starting in late 2002 as Amy Sanders on Lizzie McGuire.
12. In 2004, Duff made a guest appearance on That’s So Raven as Katina Jones.
13. After making guest appearances on television, Duff received her first role in a feature film when she was cast as Summer Wheatley in Napoleon Dynamite. The film earned her first Teen Choice Award win.
14. She continued making guest appearances, which include Joan of Arcadia and American Dreams.
15. She also lent her voice talent to the Christmas animation film In Search of Santa which again, featured sister Hilary.
16. In 2005, Duff joined the cast of the television series 7th Heaven, playing Sandy Jameson, best friend to Simon’s girlfriend Rose.
17. In June 2006, Duff joined the Broadway cast of Hairspray, portraying mean girl Amber Von Tussle, and left the role in early October 2006.
18. Between 2008 and 2015, Duff appeared in various films and TV roles, including; Fear Island, Tug and Slightly Single in L.A.
19. Duff hosted the reality show Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods, which searched for an actress to take over the lead role in Legally Blonde: The Musical where she had been in the chorus. She was also listed as an executive producer of the series.
20. In 2012 she started her own blog called “Real Girl’s Kitchen”, which was later picked up by the Cooking Channel and made into a show in 2014.
21. In 2013, Duff released her first book called “The Real Girl’s Kitchen”. In 2017 Haylie started her own children’s fashion line called Little Moon Society.