QandAs: Buzz

Who is Miley Cyrus?

Answer:
Miley Cyrus is the daughter of country singer

Billy Ray Cyrus who has become a singer-songwriter herself, best known for her starring role on the Disney Channel's Hannah Montana television series.

Born Destiny Hope Cyrus in Nashville on November 23, 1992, Miley Cyrus got the nickname Miley because she smiled all the time as a child. Her interest in acting began at age 9, and her role was as a guest star on her father's television series, Doc. She followed that with a role in Tim Burton's 2003 drama Big Fish.

Her breakthrough came at age 12, when Miley Cyrus auditioned for Disney's Hannah Montana show. The same big smile that gave her the nickname Miley also gained her the leading role as Hannah Montana. Disney studio execs said she had the likability of a Hillary Duff and the vocal strength of a Shania Twain.

Hannah Montana first aired in March 2006 and was an instant success among the target audience - young girls. In October of that year, Disney released an accompanying CD that was an instant best-seller. Miley Cyrus has since launched her own album separate from the Hannah Montana brand that landed her at No. 1 on the Billboard chart in 2008.

Miley Cyrus received public criticism in April 2008 when she appeared topless in photos shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine. Parents of Hannah Montana fans expressed outrage that the star of a kids-oriented Disney show would appear topless in a national magazine. Miley Cyrus issued a public apology in April 2008.

Time magazine named Miley Cyrus one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008. Cyrus has just completed a book about her life that is scheduled to hit shelves in 2009.