The word overnight success gets thrown around a lot in Hollywood, but success is rarely as easy as that. Mischa Barton is one of those “overnight success” stories. Seemingly, she gained popularity instantly in 2003 with the Fox hit teen drama The O.C. However, Mischa Barton had been acting for close to a decade in tv, film and on stage before her name became well known.

Mischa Barton was born in London England on January 24, 1986. When she was four her family moved her and her two sisters, Hania and Zoe, to New York City where her father worked in finance. She attended the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan where she graduated from in 2004.

She got her start in show business in New York Theatre at age nine when she had a lead role, co-staring with Marisa Tomei, in Tony Kushner’s Slavs! That led to other stage roles and eventually to roles in television and movies. In 1996 she landed the role of autistic Lily Montgomery on the soap opera All My Children. When that role ended after a year she set her sites on film and landed roles in Lawn Dogs (1997), Notting Hill with Julia Roberts (1999), The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis (1999), Tart (2001) and Lost and Delirious (2001).

She also had a recurring role on the critically acclaimed television show, Once and Again from 2002-2003. It wasn’t until The O.C. hit the small screen in 2003, however, that Mischa Barton became a true celebrity. Her celebrity status was cemented when she was named #21 on Maxim’s Hot 100 list for 2006 and #64 on FHM’s Sexiest Women in the World List the same year.

Mischa Barton has been romantically linked to oil heir Bradon David whom she dated for a year. The relationship was a very public one. Since her relationship with David ended she has been involved with musician Cisco Adler, the son of producer Lou Adler. She has also been linked to 37 year old Norwegain preacher, Runar Sogaad and soccer player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In Hollywood, who you are linked to platonically is almost as important as who you are linked to romantically. Mischa Barton is a young celebrity who has well known friendships with other young celebrities such as Evan Rachel Wood, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie. Because of Richie’s much publicized break-up with best friend Paris Hilton, rumors have swirled that there is animosity between Mischa Barton and Paris Hilton. Mischa Barton has denied these rumors

In the season 2006 season finale of The O.C., Mischa Barton’s character, Marissa Cooper, was killed in a fatal car accident. She has no plans of returning from the dead on the series and is further pursuing a career in movies.