FACTBOX - Life and Times of Paris Hilton

(Reuters) - Heiress Paris Hilton traded in her designer clothes for jail garb as she began serving a sentence Sunday night in Los Angeles for violating probation.

Here is a snapshot of the socialite's life:

* Paris Whitney Hilton, whose great-grandfather, Conrad, started the global Hilton Hotel empire, was born in New York on February 17, 1981.

* She gained international fame in 2003 when a home video - made when she was 19 - of her having sex with a boyfriend was posted on Internet.

* Hilton used the publicity, coupled with a popular reality television show called "The Simple Life," to build a multimillion-dollar celebrity juggernaut. The show debuted in December 2003 and featured Hilton and Nicole Richie, daughter of singer Lionel Richie.

* Hilton has published a 178-page book, "Confessions of an Heiress," in 2004. Hilton has also been an increasing presence on-screen in TV commercials, and in the movies, including "Zoolander" (2001), "Wonderland" (2003). She had a more substantial role in the horror film "House of Wax" (2005).

* Hilton, charged in September 2006 with drunken driving, was caught in February driving with a suspended license. A judge sentenced her in May to 45 days in jail, later cut to 23 days.

Sources; Reuters/www.who2.com/International Movie Database.