Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is a Golden Globe and Critic's Choice Award nominated American singer, and actress. Cyrus is better known for starring as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana in the television series Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel.

Cyrus became a sensation after Hannah Montana debuted in March 2006. Following the success of the show, in October 2006, a soundtrack CD was released in which she sang eight songs from the show. Cyrus's solo music career began with the release of her debut album, Meet Miley Cyrus on June 23, 2007. Her second album, Breakout was released on July 22, 2008. Breakout is Cyrus's first album that does not involve the Hannah Montana franchise. Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. In 2008 she released her Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert film which had the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film to be released under 1000 theatres. She also released Bolt in 2008, and recorded "I Thought I Lost You" for the soundtrack for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. Also, she has completed filming on the movie spin-off of Hannah Montana, titled Hannah Montana: The Movie which set to release on April 10, 2009. In addition, she has recorded the main single for the movie soundtrack "The Climb".

In 2008, Cyrus was listed among artists and entertainers as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World. Forbes magazine ranked her #35 on "The Celebrity 100" list with earnings of over US$25 million in 2008.

Early life
Cyrus was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She is the daughter of Leticia "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She has an older half-brother Christopher Cody, her father's son from a previous relationship, an older brother Trace, a vocalist and guitarist of an electronic rock band, Metro Station in California. She also has an older sister, Brandi, a younger brother, Braison, and a younger sister, Noah, who is also an actress. Cyrus was named Destiny Hope because her parents believed that she would accomplish great things. Cyrus gained her nickname "Miley" because she kept smiling ("Smiley") as a youngster.

Cyrus used to attend Heritage Middle School and was a cheerleader, but now goes to school at Options For Youth. She also has a private tutor on the set of her TV show. She grew up on her parents' farm outside of Nashville, Tennessee where she also attended The People's Church.

Acting career
Cyrus became interested in acting at age nine when the family briefly lived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her first acting role was as a guest star on her father's television series Doc, in which she played a girl named Kylie. In 2003, she played "Young Ruthie" in 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 hosting the program.

Disney career
Cyrus was twelve years old when she originally auditioned for Disney for the lead role of Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, as well as the show's "best friend" roles, but Disney Channel executives judged her to be too small. However, Cyrus was persistent in her desire to be part of Hannah Montana, so Disney called her back for further auditions. According to Disney Channel Executive Vice President Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen for the show because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life," with the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain." She spent several years trying to get rid of her Southern accent, but in the end Disney wanted her to revive it. Later in an unusual twist, Cyrus had to audition her own father, Billy Ray Cyrus, to see if he would fit the role as Hannah's dad. Cyrus currently stars in Hannah Montana as the lead character Miley Stewart, whose alter ego is the pop music sensation Hannah Montana. Cyrus also performs in character as Hannah Montana for albums and concerts. Cyrus also appeared in the Disney Channel Hannah Montana promotion, "Hannah Montana's Backstage Secrets," in which she portrays Hannah Montana in a fictional interview set in the show's canon.

Cyrus had a brief cameo in the 2007 television movie High School Musical 2 credited as "Girl at Pool," where she danced before the end credits in front of the pool wearing a a yellow baby doll top and denim Bermuda shorts. Cyrus also guest-starred as Yatta on Disney Channel's The Emperor's New School. Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the 2008 computer-animated film, Bolt.

While attending the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix premiere, Cyrus stated that they are working on ideas for a Hannah Montana movie. The feature-length film is to be produced by Cyrus's both on and off-screen dad, Billy Ray Cyrus.

On December 4, 2008, Sun Times announced that Cyrus will tackle another Disney project — a sequel to the Chicago-set 1987 comedy Adventures in Babysitting. Fellow tween star Raven-Symoné will co-star in the sequel, currently titled Further Adventures in Babysitting. The movie is set for a 2010 release.