Hilarie Ross Burton (born July 1, 1982) is an American actress. A former host of MTV's Total Request Live, she is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill. Burton gained wider recognition with leading roles in the films Our Very Own, Solstice, and The List. Hilarie Burton was born on July 1, 1982 in Sterling, Virginia. She graduated from Park View High School in 2000, where she was student council treasurer her sophomore year, vice-president her junior year, and head cheerleader, student council president, and homecoming queen her senior year. Burton attended New York University and Fordham University. Burton's first big break came when working as a VJ for the Total Request Live on MTV.

She was supposed to be a guest commentator for one segment but producers decided to offer her a permanent job. Burton had a small part on the TV series Dawson's Creek and this led to her role as Peyton Sawyer on the series One Tree Hill. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Actress in a Drama/Action Adventure" for One Tree Hill in 2004. Burton was also nominated for the Teen Choice Award "Choice Breakout TV Star - Female" for One Tree Hill, in 2004.[4] In 2005, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Actress: Drama" for One Tree Hill.

In May 2009, the CW announced Burton would not be returning to the show for the seventh season in her role as Peyton.[5] Burton appeared once on the television series Hey Dude. She made her feature film debut in Our Very Own, a comedy set in 1970s Nashville, and was featured on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2004 issue of American Cheerleader magazine. Our Very Own, whose ensemble cast features Allison Janney, Jason Ritter, and Cheryl Hines, was screened at the prestigious Sarasota Film Festival where Burton was honoured with a special 'Outstanding Ensemble Acting' award. The film was also nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. Burton appeared in Jack's Mannequin video, "The Mixed Tape" as Peyton Sawyer. Later, she recorded a song for The Road Mix: Music from the Television Series One Tree Hill, Volume 3 called Peyton's Podcast Mix.

In 2008, Burton starred in the independent movie The List as Jo Johnston. Burton played Deborah Owens, mother of Lily Owens, in the major motion picture The Secret Life of Bees, based on the 2002 novel. Production began on January 7, 2008, in Lumberton, North Carolina. Burton's latest film project was The Sacrifice, and it is based on another book by Robert Whitlow (The List). She will be reunited with Malcolm McDowell and Gary Wheeler (director), who are also signed on for the project, which starts filming early next year. She is currently working on Provinces of Night, a film based on the novel by William Gay.

Burton will join the cast of White Collar as a full-time series regular in Season 3.

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