Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Dee Lohan (born July 2, 1986) is another one of the reigning few famous young women who are mostly known, for simply being famous.
Her face graces the cover of almost every tabloid on a weekly basis, and with a few select others in the mix of celebrity (Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and others) she is also known by the more derogatory name of celebutard; this nomenclautre stems from their frequent follies and foibles recorded by the 24 hour a day paparazzi that follow her, relentlessly. The unfortunate series of events keeping Lohan in the media spotlight, have portrayed her as an unstable partygirl with a mean streak and a bratty work ethic.

However, her persona might be extensively marred by her antics, but is still considered a very talented actress. Lohan has done movies with the likes of Dennis Quaid and Meryl Streep to Jane Fonda and Adrian Brody, and she also has pop-star etched on her resume with her 2003 release Speak which hit number 4 in the U.S. pop charts.

Lohan has been in the entertainment industry literally since she was in diapers, starting as a child fashion model for magazine ads and television commercials, and then at the tender age of ten, she began her acting career in the soap opera, “Another World”; at eleven, she made her motion picture debut by playing both twins in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap. Lohan's breakout role as a leading actress, however, came six years later with 2004's Mean Girls. This introduced her as one of the reigning teen-queens, up there with the likes of Hilary Duff and others, and also highlighted both her professional and personal lives—including her indulgent and often problematic nightlife and her parents' marital and legal struggles.

As an adult, Lohan began to take on more varied roles and projects, including Robert Altman's final film, A Prairie Home Companion; and while filming Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2004, Lohan launched her career in music, recording and releasing her first studio album, Speak; her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw), was released in 2005.

Early Life

Lohan is of Irish and Italian heritage, and was born in New York City, the eldest child of Michael and Dina Lohan, both former actors. She grew up in Merrick and Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island in New York. She has three younger siblings: brother Michael had a role as "Lost Boy at Camp" in The Parent Trap (1998), sister Aliana is an aspiring model and actress, and brother Dakota (Cody) who has also modeled. According to Lohan herself, she has a marvelous relationship with all three younger siblings – particularly her brothers, whom she affectionately calls "Punk" and "Codester," respectively. She was raised as a Catholic.

Lohan's family was financially comfortable from its inception; her father had inherited his family's pasta business, which he later sold to trade in futures (briefly becoming President of New York Futures Traders). More recently, he worked as an investment banker, securing funding for independent films. Lohan's mother, a former Rockette at Radio City Music Hall, was a Wall Street analyst before becoming her daughter's manager. Despite the family's wealth, Lohan—when she wasn't tutored on film sets—attended public schools on Long Island until just before her high school graduation, finishing her studies at home.

Early Career

Though Lohan officially began her career with Ford Models at age three she found little work as a fashion model. However, she continued on and eventually appeared in more than 100 print ads for Toys "R" Us. She also modeled for Calvin Klein Kids (usually with her siblings Michael and Ali) and Abercrombie Kids. Through young adulthood, Lohan was featured in such diverse magazines as Vogue, Elle, Bliss, High Club in Bulgaria and Blenda in Japan.

Lohan’s first big commercial advertising break came with a Duncan Hines commercial, and she went on to appear in over 60 commercials, including a Jell-O pudding spot with Bill Cosby. Her ad work led to roles in soap operas, and by 1996, she was already considered a show-business veteran when she landed the role of Alexandra "Alli" Fowler on "Another World," "where she delivered more dialogue than any other ten-year-old in daytime serials" of the time.

Lohan gave up "Another World" for the big screen when director Nancy Meyers cast her as estranged twin sisters who try to reunite their long-divorced parents (Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson) in The Parent Trap (1998). Hired in 1997 at age 10, Lohan was 11 when filming began in England and California (in Los Angeles and the Napa Valley). "I left school for eight months," she said. "When I came back, my friends [asked], 'Where'd you go?' I said, 'My family and I went on a long vacation.' Then the movie came out, and they were, like, 'Um, Lindsay? That's you in Parent Trap,' and I said, 'Oh, yeah. I also did this movie while we were gone.'" Trap was well-received for a family comedy, bringing in US$92 million worldwide.

Film critic Janet Maslin found Lohan's dual performances so forceful "that she seems to have been taking shy violet lessons from Sharon Stone.” Critic Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original, and … she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities."

Disney signed Lohan to a three year contract, and she was offered the role of Penny in Inspector Gadget but, after seven months' work on The Parent Trap, she turned it down. Later, she starred in two original television movies, Life-Size (2000) (with Tyra Banks) and Get a Clue (2002). She also played Bette Midler's daughter in the first episode of the short-lived series, "Bette" (2000), but Lohan—then 14—quit when the production moved from New York to Los Angeles.

In 2001, she hosted the ABC-TV commercial series commemorating Walt Disney's 100th birthday during a rebroadcast of The Parent Trap.

Following a brief hiatus, Lohan attended her first-ever film audition and won the lead teen role in another Disney remake; Freaky Friday (2003) starred Jamie Lee Curtis and Lohan as a mother and daughter trapped in the other's body. Critic Roger Ebert praised Lohan's "Jodie Foster sort of seriousness and intent focus beneath her teenage persona." Through 2005, Friday was Lohan's biggest commercial film success, earning US$160 million worldwide.

Lohan was given the lead in two films, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (her first feature that was not a remake) and Paramount's Mean Girls, both released in 2004. Drama Queen was a moderate success at the box office, grossing about US$30 million, but was a failure with critics. "Though still a promising star," Robert K. Elder wrote, "Lohan will have to do a little penance before she's forgiven for Confessions." Then came Mean Girls, her first PG-13 (and first non-Disney) film; her breakout lead performance pushed the critical and commercial hit to grosses of over US$86 million domestically and US$128 million worldwide.

Mean Girls was scripted by Tina Fey and featured several alumni of “Saturday Night Live”; Lohan was asked to host the show three times, in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Lohan returned to Disney for Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), the fifth film in the long-dormant Herbie series. Her rising popularity allowed her to choose from a wider variety of projects and, at age 19, Lohan felt Herbie would help her make the transition into more grown-up roles. "In most of my other films, I was in high school," she said. "Here, [my character is] just out of college. It's nice to be able to do something that I think will be acceptable to the fan base I've accumulated from my Disney movies, but subconsciously they'll see me getting older and maturing." Fully Loaded did well at the box office, earning more in international release than in the United States.

Her next film in wide release, Just My Luck, opened in May 2006 to poor reviews and earned only $33 million worldwide. The following month, A Prairie Home Companion—an ensemble film directed by Robert Altman—fared better, debuting at #7 in limited release and ending its run with nearly $US20 million in domestic box-office receipts. "Lohan rises to the occasion," wrote Peter Travers, "delivering a rock-the-house version of 'Frankie and Johnny.’" Lohan completed filming the independent Emilio Estevez film, Bobby, opposite Elijah Wood, in December 2005; the film débuted at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2006, and was released in theaters on November 23, 2006. Chapter 27 with Jared Leto began filming in New York on January 9, 2006, and had wrapped by March.

Three new projects were announced in April 2006; Lohan will play a girl molested by her stepfather in Georgia Rule opposite Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda (filming began in June of 2006), and a speech assistant to Adrien Brody in Speechless. Lohan began filming I Know Who Killed Me in late 2006, and she is also set to appear in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond.

Music

Initially Lohan began to display her musical talent through her films’ soundtracks. For the Freaky Friday soundtrack, she sang the closing theme, "Ultimate"; she also recorded four songs for the Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen soundtrack.

Producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. signed Lohan to a five-album production deal in 2002, and two years later, Lohan signed a recording contract with Casablanca Records, headed by Tommy Mottola. Her début album, Speak, was released in December 2004, and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. By early 2005, it was certified Platinum. Though primarily a pop-rock album, Speak was introduced with the single "Rumors", described by Rolling Stone as "a bass-heavy, angry club anthem."

Its sexually suggestive video reached number one on MTV's TRL and was nominated for Best Pop Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. "Rumors" eventually earned a Gold certification.

In December 2005, her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw), débuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, but fell under the top 100 within six weeks. Reviews were unfavorable; critics wondered why an album in which Lohan poured out her heart came across instead as a "slick pop production." Slant magazine called it "contrived ... for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones." The music video for the album's first single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)"—directed by Lohan and featuring the acting début of her sister, Ali—was a dramatization of the pain Lohan says her family has suffered at the hands of her father. She has said about the video: "It's kind of offensive" but "I hope he sees the positive side of the video rather than the negative."

Universal Music Group moved Lohan from Casablanca to Motown Records in February 2006. In March, she told OK! magazine that she was writing lyrics for her third album, which she called "a different [from] the first two." She said it is expected to be released Summer 2007.

Media Spotlight

Lohan became a regular subject of tabloid media after reports of a catfight with Hilary Duff in 2003 over their relationships with singer Aaron Carter. Lohan and Duff both later said there was no "feud." Lohan was 17 when she moved in with Valderrama (who was 24) in early 2004, and their breakup that November made the gossip columns; numerous romantic rumors followed, forcing actors such as Bruce Willis to refer to their relationships with Lohan as "purely professional." Lohan was also portrayed as a "party girl" who frequented clubs with Nicole Richie and Paris and Nicky Hilton, among others.

Ashton Kutcher considered Lohan a sufficient ratings draw in December 2003 to feature her in the second-season finale of Punk'd, his MTV series that plays practical jokes on celebrities (the episode was widely reported as the end of the series—also a practical joke). Eleven months later, Lohan appeared on That '70s Show opposite Kutcher and her then-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama.

Like most celebrities, Lohan and her family have endured public scrutiny of their private lives. However, it seems that the Lohan’s for whatever reason, have been in the media more so than their celebrity family counterparts. It was revealed in 2004 that Michael Lohan had spent much of his daughter's preteen years in prison for securities fraud. In 2005, he was sent back to prison for "aggravated unlicensed driving" and attempted assault. Later that year, Lohan's parents settled their divorce case; her mother's attorney said, "Dina and the children are delighted that this chapter in their lives is finally over", while her father (through his lawyer) said, "[I] look forward to the opportunity to rebuild my relationship with my children." However, since then Lohan’s father has expressed interest in a reality show based on his and his child’s life, which some say, negates the purpose of wanting to rebuild a substantial relationship.

In 2004, Lohan shared an apartment in the Los Angeles, California, area with actress Raven-Symoné. The following year, she bought a home in West Hollywood while still spending much of her time at her family's home in New York. She has dated actor Wilmer Valderrama and Pink Taco restaurateur Harry Morton.

Lohan's three car accidents in 2005 made headlines. The first was a minor rear-ender, though the victims later threatened to sue her. She suffered minor injuries when a paparazzo who was following her for a photograph hit her car (police called the crash intentional, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges). Lohan also struck a van in West Hollywood; police ruled that the van's driver made an illegal U-turn. When VH1 named Lohan "Big 'It' Girl" for its 'Big' in '05 Awards in December, it was, Lohan quipped, "because being Big in '05 means getting in three car crashes in one year, people!"

Lindsay Lohan was the first living person to have a "My Scene Goes Hollywood" doll released by Mattel (in 2005). She also voiced herself in the direct-to-DVD feature film based on the dolls.

Lohan was interviewed for the March 2006 issue of Allure magazine; she said she hoped to be taken seriously as an actress, adding, "I hate it when people call me a teen queen." She addressed the numerous romantic rumors ("I know now that I don't need a boyfriend.") and her weight loss ("I will say that I went through a phase. I lost weight when I was in the hospital, and then I wanted to keep it off."). Lohan says 2005 "felt like five lifetimes because I've grown up a lot."

Lohan was voted #10 on the list of "100 Sexiest Women" by readers of FHM.
The death in 2006 of A Prairie Home Companion director Robert Altman hit Lohan hard, according to a condolence letter she sent to his family. The letter drew widespread criticism for being incoherent and laden with spelling and grammatical errors; publicist Leslie Sloane said journalists were wrong to criticize a note "from the heart" that was composed on her BlackBerry.

Ted Casablanca, of E! Entertainment gossip fame, has repeatedly used the codename of Morgan Mayhem to tell stories of one particular party-obsessed actress in Hollywood. Many believe that this name refers to Lohan, as she uses Morgan as her professional middle name. Many of the stories tell of egregious and dangerous drug use and a wild-child lifestyle.

Health Issues

In July 2005, she participated in the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, an effort to help prevent teenagers from smoking cigarettes and to help current smokers quit. However, Lohan, who began smoking in 2004, was also trying to break the habit as of early 2006.

Lohan exhibited dramatic weight loss during 2005, which she attributed to "old-school working out." Later, Lohan admitted that she "nearly died" and said, "I'm working out with a trainer and eating healthily. I want my boobs back." Lohan spent about two days at a Miami, Florida, hospital after suffering a serious asthma attack in January 2006. That same week, Vanity Fair released an interview in which Lohan admitted using drugs "a little" (she denied ever using cocaine, calling it a "sore subject"). The article said she had recovered from "bulimic episodes", and that her 2005 hospitalization was for "a swollen liver and kidney infection". Lohan later said she was "appalled" that her words were "misused and misconstrued" for the article; the magazine replied, "Every word [was recorded] on tape. Vanity Fair stands by the story."

In July 2006, Lohan was taken to a hospital while shooting Georgia Rule, complaining that she was "overheated and dehydrated"; Morgan Creek Productions CEO James G. Robinson had a letter delivered to Lohan in which he accused her of "all night heavy partying" and making up "bogus excuses", and threatened to take action to recover any "monetary damages". Her mother later appeared on "Access Hollywood" to refute the accusation, saying her asthmatic daughter was working in 105-degree heat and calling Robinson's letter "way out of line." However, Jane Fonda later appeared on television saying that she wanted to “hug” Lohan until she grew up.

People wrote in December 2006 that Lohan had been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in Los Angeles for a year, but she told the magazine that she hadn't gone public because "it's no one's business. That's why it's anonymous!" She said she had been going to clubs between film projects to get partying "out of my system, [but] I was going out too much and I knew that, and I have more to live for than that.” The following month, Lohan entered rehab at an undisclosed location "to take care of my personal health," asking that the media "please respect my privacy at this time."

Lohan's representative told People that the actress had undergone an appendicectomy on January 4, 2007. TMZ.com reported that she was videotaped the following day, trying to avoid photographers after she walked out of the hospital. Though even with the appendicectomy claim, many say that they saw Lohan out at Los Angeles clubs the following night, which many also say, cannot happen if one has their appendix removed.

Lohan’s life currently is under one of the most magnified media looking glasses of our time. Unfortunately, every private moment of Lindsey’s life has been made public, though it looks as though Lohan has done much to thwart the paparazzi’s advances by not only not trying to avoid them, but approaching the flicker bugs with her qualms: most notably about Paris Hilton, where she walked up to a group of camera men and called her a very derogatory 4-letter word.

Lohan entered L.A.'s Wonderland rehab center on January 18, 2007 to treat her addiction issues, and was released in mid-February. However, the week after her release, she was seen going to several Hollywood hotspots around town, everynight. She was also rumored to have been sending bachelor-about-town Brody Jenner sexy text messages for the last weeks that she was in rehab.

Charity

Lohan has donated her time and money to charity projects including Save the Children, The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Foundation, and The United Cerebral Palsy Associations. She also has her own charity organization called Dream Come True.