AKA Lauren Katherine Conrad

Born: 1-Feb-1986
Birthplace: Newport Beach, CA
Gender: Female
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: TV Personality
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Laguna Beach
Father: Jim Conrad (architect)
Mother: Katherine
Sister: Breanna Christine Conrad (b. 23-Aug-1989)
Brother: Brandon
Boyfriend: Stephen Colletti (reality TV personality, ex)
Boyfriend: Jason Wahler (ex, together 2006)
Boyfriend: Brody Jenner (ex, together in 2006)
Lauren Conrad was born in Laguna Beach, California on February 1, 1986 to James (Jim) and Katherine (nee Lawrence) Conrad. Her father is an architect (designer of the Conrad family home). Lauren Conrad has a sister three years younger named Breanna Christine Conrad (featured in Laguna Beach season three),, born August 23, 1989 and a brother six years younger named Brandon James Conrad, born October 29, 1992.
Conrad lived with her parents in Laguna Beach throughout her childhood and high school years, In early February 2004, her senior year at Laguna Beach High School, MTV began filming Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which followed the personal lives of Conrad and seven other Laguna Beach teens. The show made the introverted Conrad an overnight celebrity. The television exposure, she says, has brought her out of her shell; "I went from, 'You can't take a picture of me,' to it doesn't faze me to have five cameras in the room". After graduation from high school, Conrad's new-found independence led her to Academy of Art University in San Francisco. According to Kaitlyn Healey, one of Conrad's closest friends since elementary school, it was a shock that Conrad went away to school because before Laguna Beach she was always "the most shy, reserved person;" the show "made her a completely different person."
Conrad entered Academy of Art University in the fall of 2004. She met Heidi Montag (Conrad's co-star in The Hills) at freshmen orientation and the two immediately became friends. After only one semester, Conrad left San Francisco and moved back to her parents' house. Conrad transferred to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles and worked as an intern at Three Dots clothing company beginning in early 2005. She also briefly dated Jason Wahler, a Laguna Beach cast member. Conrad was featured on the second season of Laguna Beach, filmed over a period of approximately eight months beginning in December of 2004.
In summer 2005, Conrad moved into a Los Angeles apartment with new roommate Montag. Conrad continued her studies at the Fashion Institute and started an internship at Teen Vogue. MTV began filming Conrad for a new reality series, The Hills, which was announced in the fall of 2005. Around that time Conrad resumed dating Wahler, who also moved to Los Angeles from Laguna Beach. When Teen Vogue offered Conrad an opportunity to spend the summer of 2006 working in Paris, France, she turned it down so that she could spend time with Wahler. Conrad and Wahler stayed together until the beginning of August 2006. Conrad acknowledged that the breakup with Wahler (described as her first love) was "the hardest thing [she has] ever done" because she "still wanted to be with him, but knew that [she] could not be." Conrad credited Montag with helping her get through the rough period following the split. Lauren soon found a new man in her life, Bryan Moore, an Air Force guy who is stationed at Nellis AFB, NV.
MTV renewed The Hills for a second season, which filmed from late summer of 2006 through February of 2007. Throughout that time the friendship between Conrad and Montag deteriorated, as Montag increasingly spent her time with new boyfriend Spencer Pratt. By February 2007 Audrina Patridge, another co-star on The Hills, replaced Montag as Conrad's roommate after Montag moved into a separate apartment with Pratt. This is seen as a symbol of the end of Montag and Conrad's friendship. As of the spring of 2007, Conrad continues to attend the Fashion Institute and intern at Teen Vogue.
Conrad confronted a scandal in April 2007, when rumors circulated on hollywood gossip websites that Wahler was planning to sell a sex tape he supposedly made with Conrad when they were a couple. A representative for SugarDVD.com indicated the company was approached by a third party claiming to have a video of Lauren and Wahler. However, the existence of a sex tape is questionable, as it has thus far failed to surface. In response to the story, Conrad posted a statement on her website asserting that she and Wahler did not make a sex tape. According to Conrad's post, Jason had nothing to do with starting the sex tape rumor. Conrad's statement also indicated that the individual responsible for the rumor was trying to damage her reputation.
Entertainment career
Lauren Conrad has been featured on two reality television series on MTV: Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and The Hills. She also had a cameo role as herself in the film Epic Movie.
Despite Conrad's success in entertainment, she has explained that she has no interest in an acting career because she does not enjoy it and she is not good at it.
Laguna Beach
Conrad was the narrator of the first season of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. The show featured eight teenagers from wealthy families in Laguna Beach, California. It followed their daily lives and otherwise typical high school activities such as parties, spring break and prom. The show depicted Conrad as nursing a crush for castmate Stephen Colletti, who was constantly stuck in an ongoing love triangle between Conrad and Kristin Cavallari, where Conrad constantly interfered in Stephen and Kristin's relationship. At the end of season one, Conrad and Colletti both went off to attend college in San Francisco.
Conrad also appeared on the second season of the show, but narrating duties were passed on to Cavallari. In that season, both girls lost interest in Colletti. Season two showed Conrad return home to Laguna Beach from San Francisco, after deciding to transfer to fashion school in Los Angeles. Conrad's storyline in the last few episodes focused on her relationship with new boyfriend Jason Wahler.
The Hills
After the success of Laguna Beach, MTV gave Conrad her own spin-off series, The Hills. The show's first season followed Conrad post-high school as she studied fashion design and began her career in the fashion industry. The Hills introduced three supporting characters as core cast members: Heidi Montag (Conrad's roommate), Audrina Patridge (Conrad's and Montag's friend) and Whitney Port (Conrad's co-worker). On season one of The Hills, some time after Conrad's Laguna Beach break-up with Wahler, she resumed dating him.
At the beginning of season two on The Hills, Conrad ended her relationship with Wahler after approximately one year with him. The couple broke up because they argued too much, in part, because he partied excessively. The second season featured Conrad's short-lived romance with Brody Jenner, who had previously dated Kristin Cavallari, Conrad's supposed adversary on Laguna Beach and Nicole Richie.
Conrad returned for season three of The Hills, which debuted on MTV during the summer of 2007. The hour long season premiere aired August 13, 2007.
Lauren was rumored to be dating Chris Richardson from American Idol season 6. But Chris Richardson has stated several times that they are just friends.
Lauren has also been linked to Desperate Housewives actor Josh Henderson an ex of Ashlee Simpson, claims in tabloid magazines reported that Lauren and Josh were spotted kissing at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
Professional career
Lauren Conrad's interest in fashion design began at a very young age, when a neighbor taught her to draw and helped her make clothes for her Barbie doll. This passion led her to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Conrad attended for one semester but eventually transferred to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, where she currently majors in product development. Conrad has described her reality television career as an opportunity to make contacts "hopefully that will help [her] . . . move into a fashion career." She is also noted for her resemblance to Prince William's sometimes girlfriend, Kate Middleton but has been frequently told throughout school that she resembles the character Marsha Brady, from The Brady Bunch.
Internship
Conrad landed her internship at Teen Vogue while filming season one of The Hills.
According to Lisa Love, the West Coast editor of Vogue who evaluated Conrad for the internship position, the reality star had to interview successfully in order to get the job, "regardless of what the cameras wanted." Love, who had not seen any of Conrad's television shows, did not know what to expect, but found Conrad to be "a very good interview." Conrad "knew photographers, she knew magazines, she knew why she wanted to work at Teen Vogue." Conrad joined Teen Vogue as an intern in September of 2005.
Conrad and her reality show appearances have been credited with improving sales of Teen Vogue. It was reported in March 2007 that, since the second season of The Hills began airing in mid-January, newsstand sales for the magazine increased by double digits over 2006 sales.
Spokesperson
In January 2007, Conrad was named the first official spokesperson of "mark.," a line created by Avon and marketed towards young women. She will partner with "mark." and collaborate in both beauty and fashion initiatives. She will be featured in the brand’s magalog (a combination magazine and catalog reaching over six million customers every month), and in the "mark." online community. A line of exclusive co-branded items are part of future plans and will be available on the website and through "mark." representatives.
Fashion line
MTV and Lauren Conrad announced the launch of the first-ever celebrity-inspired digital fashion line, available on the Virtual Hills website, in March 2007. In connection with the project, Conrad has also developed a real-world fashion line, scheduled to hit stores in fall of 2007 and available online at www.shoplaurenconrad.com.
Lauren's line officially debuted on September 15, 2007 under the name Lauren Conrad Collection. The theme of the collection is "reflected Lauren's upbringing in Southern California, embracing the laid-back lifestyle with dresses, tops, silhouettes that feature novelty detailing, playful accents and clean lines and shapes."
Press
Lauren Conrad appeared on the cover of the June/July 2006 issue of Teen Vogue magazine. It was the first time an intern at the magazine appeared on the cover. Also in June of 2006, TV Guide published an in-depth interview with Conrad that discussed the Teen Vogue cover shoot and detailed her life as the subject of reality television.
In August of 2006, Conrad was featured on the cover of Seventeen magazine. The issue included a six page article on Conrad, with an interview and three full-page photos. Conrad appeared again in the "So Embarrassing" feature of the August issue of Seventeen, with a photo and quote. Also in August 2006, Teen People covered the upcoming season three of Laguna Beach. The first page of the story showed a full page photo of Conrad and her younger sister (Breanna Conrad) with a summary biography of the siblings.
In the October 2006, second issue of Us Weekly, Conrad was named one of the magazines "Fresh 15 Faces for 2006." Conrad was the first face featured in the article, and her picture appeared in a spread on the story's opening two pages.
The book The Hills: City of Angels by Andrew Perry, released in November 2006, gives an in-depth look at the lives of Conrad, Montag, Patridge and Port.
The January 15, 2007 issue of Us Weekly, included a one page feature interview with Conrad. Also, the February 7, 2007 issue of Us Weekly featured a two page "fashion diary" of Conrad.
Conrad made her third major cover girl appearance on the March 2007 issue of Cosmo Girl magazine. The issue was published under two different covers, both featuring Conrad. The accompanying interview with Conrad (entitled "Don't Call Her L.C.") covered the topics of fame, fashion and Conrad's 21st birthday.
The August 16, 2007 issue of Us Weekly featured Conrad on an inset of the cover, with an article entitled "LC Speaks: The Drama TV Didn't Show." Lauren Conrad was also the Covergirl for seventeen in their October 2007 issue.
Endorsement
In January 2007, Conrad was named the first official spokesperson of "mark.", a line created by Avon and marketed toward young women. She will partner with "mark." and collaborate in both beauty and fashion initiatives. She will be featured in the brand’s magalog (reaching over six million customers every month), and in the "mark." online community. A line of exclusive co-branded items are part of future plans and will be available on the website and through "mark." representatives.
As of April 24, 2008, Conrad is also the national spokesperson for College Tonight.