Early career and breakthrough (1989–2002) Lohan began her career as a child model with
Ford Models at the age of three. She modeled for
Calvin Klein Kids and
Abercrombie, and appeared in over 60 television commercials for brands like
Pizza Hut and
Wendy's, as well as a
Jell-O spot with
Bill Cosby. Lohan remained in her role on
Another World for a year, before leaving to star in
Disney's 1998 family comedy
The Parent Trap, a remake of the
1961 movie. She played the dual roles of twins, separated in infancy, who try to reunite their long-divorced parents, played by
Dennis Quaid and
Natasha Richardson. The film earned $92 million worldwide and received largely positive reviews. Lohan received unanimous acclaim for her debut performance. Critic
Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as
Hayley Mills was of the original", going on to say that "she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities." The film won Lohan a
Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film as well as a three-film contract with Disney. At the age of 14, Lohan played
Bette Midler's daughter in the pilot episode of the short-lived series
Bette, but she resigned her role when the production moved from New York to Los Angeles. Lohan starred in two made-for-TV movies:
Life-Size alongside
Tyra Banks in 2000, and
Get a Clue in 2002.
Rise to prominence (2003–2005) In 2003, Lohan starred alongside
Jamie Lee Curtis in the remake of Disney's family comedy
Freaky Friday, playing a mother and daughter who switch bodies and have to take on each other's roles. At Lohan's initiative, her character was rewritten and changed from a
Goth style to be more mainstream. Her performance was met with significant praise. Critic
Roger Ebert wrote that Lohan "has that
Jodie Foster sort of seriousness and intent focus beneath her teenage persona."
Freaky Friday earned Lohan the award for
Breakthrough Performance at the
2004 MTV Movie Awards and, , it remained her most commercially successful film, earning $160 million worldwide as well as an 87 percent approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes. Her role required her to learn how to play the guitar and to sing. She recorded a song for the film, "
Ultimate", which was released to
Radio Disney to help promote the film. In 2004, Lohan had lead roles in two major motion pictures. The first film, Disney's teen comedy
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, earned a domestic box office total of $29 million, with Brandon Gray of
Box Office Mojo commenting that it was "well above expectations as it was strictly for young girls."
Robert K. Elder of the
Chicago Tribune wrote that "though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do a little penance before she's forgiven for
Confessions." Her second lead role that year, in the teen comedy
Mean Girls, marked Lohan's first movie independent of Disney. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $129 million worldwide and, according to Brandon Gray, "cementing her status as the new teen movie queen."
Mick LaSalle from the
San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "Lohan is sensitive and appealing, a solid locus for audience sympathy." David Rooney from
Variety said that "Lohan displays plenty of charm, verve and deft comic timing." Lohan received four awards at the 2004
Teen Choice Awards for
Freaky Friday and
Mean Girls, including Breakout Movie Star.
Mean Girls also earned her two awards at the
2005 MTV Movie Awards. In 2021,
The New Yorker critic
Richard Brody placed Lohan's performance in
Mean Girls at number eleven in his list of "The Best Movie Performances of the Century So Far". With
Mean Girls, Lohan's public profile was raised significantly.
Vanity Fair described how she became a household name.
Paparazzi began following her, and her love life and partying became frequent targets of gossip sites and the
tabloid media, later becoming the basis of her debut single "
Rumors". Following the film, which was scripted by former
Saturday Night Live writer-actress
Tina Fey and featured several
Saturday Night Live performers, Lohan hosted the show three times between 2004 and 2006. Lohan's debut album,
Speak, was released in the United States on December 7, 2004. The album was the first high-seller from Casablanca Records in several years, selling 1 million units in the United States. The album received mostly negative reviews, with critics commenting that Lohan "isn't a bad singer, but not an extraordinary singer either." In the United States, the album peaked at number four on the
Billboard 200, selling 261,762 copies in its first week. In Germany the album debuted at number 53 and took four weeks to complete its chart run. The first two singles from
Speak, "Rumors" and "
Over", were both successes, with "Over" topping the
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, where it stayed for three weeks. The song also did well internationally in countries such as Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. "Rumors" peaked at number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and also did well in Australia and Germany, where it reached number 14. The music video for "Rumors" was nominated for Best Pop Video at the
2005 MTV Video Music Awards. Both songs received heavy airplay on
MTV's
Total Request Live. Lohan returned to Disney in 2005, starring in the comedy
Herbie: Fully Loaded, the fifth film in the series with the
anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle
Herbie; she played a college graduate who finds Herbie, the living car, at a junk yard. The film earned $144 million worldwide, but it received mixed reviews.
Stephen Holden of
The New York Times called Lohan "a genuine star who ... seems completely at home on the screen", while
James Berardinelli wrote that "as bright a starlet as she may be, Lohan ends up playing second fiddle to the car." In 2005, Lohan became the first person to have a
My Scene celebrity doll released by
Mattel. She also voiced herself in the animated direct-to-DVD film
My Scene Goes Hollywood: The Movie, based on the series of dolls. Lohan's second album,
A Little More Personal (Raw), was released in December 2005. It peaked at number 20 on the
Billboard 200 chart, and was eventually certified Gold. Lohan co-wrote most of the songs on the album, which received a mixed critical response.
Slant Magazine called it "contrived ... for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones." The video is a dramatization of the pain Lohan said her family suffered at the hands of her father.
Career setbacks and limited work (2006–2013) Lohan's next widely released film, the romantic comedy
Just My Luck, opened in May 2006 and, according to
Variety, earned her over $7 million. The opening weekend box office takings of $5.7 million "broke lead actress Lindsay Lohan's winning streak" according to Brandon Gray. The film received poor reviews and earned Lohan her first
Golden Raspberry nomination for
Worst Actress. Following
Just My Luck, Lohan focused on smaller roles in more mature,
independent movies.
Robert Altman's ensemble comedy
A Prairie Home Companion, based on humorist
Garrison Keillor's works, in which Lohan co-stars with
Meryl Streep and
Lily Tomlin, had a
limited release in June 2006.
Peter Travers wrote for
Rolling Stone that "Lohan rises to the occasion, delivering a rock-the-house version of '
Frankie and Johnny.'" Co-star Streep said of Lohan's acting: "She's in command of the art form" and "completely, visibly living in front of the camera." The
Emilio Estevez ensemble drama
Bobby, about the hours leading up to the
Robert F. Kennedy assassination, was released in theaters in November 2006. Lohan, who appeared as the character Diane, received favorable comments for her performance, particularly a scene alongside
Sharon Stone. As part of the
Bobby ensemble cast, Lohan was nominated for a
Screen Actors Guild Award. premiere of
Georgia Rule in May 2007 Lohan's next appearance was in
Chapter 27 as a
John Lennon fan who befriends
Mark David Chapman, played by
Jared Leto, on the day he murders Lennon. Filming finished in early 2006, but the film was not released until March 2008 due to difficulties in finding a distributor. In May 2007, the drama
Georgia Rule was released. In the film, Lohan portrays an out-of-control teenager whose mother (
Felicity Huffman) brings her to the house of her own estranged mother (
Jane Fonda).
Owen Gleiberman of
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "Lohan hits a true note of spiteful princess
narcissism." During filming in 2006, Lohan was hospitalized, her representative saying "she was overheated and dehydrated." In a letter that was made public, studio executive
James G. Robinson called Lohan "irresponsible and unprofessional." He mentioned "various late arrivals and absences from the set" and said that "we are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called 'exhaustion.'" In 2007, Lohan was cast in the film
Poor Things, however she would ultimately lose the role when she later entered rehab. In January 2007, production on the film
I Know Who Killed Me was put on hold when Lohan underwent
appendix surgery. While Lohan was in rehab, she continued shooting the film, returning to the facility at night. Shortly thereafter, Lohan withdrew from a film adaptation of
Oscar Wilde's
A Woman of No Importance, her publicist stating that Lohan needed to "focus on getting better." Lohan was replaced in
The Edge of Love in April 2007, shortly before filming was to begin, with the director citing "insurance reasons" and Lohan later explaining that she "was going through a really bad time then." Lohan withdrew from a scheduled appearance on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in which she had been due to promote
I Know Who Killed Me, a
psychological horror-thriller in which she stars as a
stripper with a dual personality. The film premiered in July 2007 to what
Entertainment Weekly called "an abysmal $3.5 million." It earned Lohan dual Golden Raspberry awards for Worst Actress, with Lohan coming first and second, tying with herself. Hollywood executives and industry insiders commented that it would be difficult for Lohan to find employment until she could prove that she was sober and reliable, citing possible issues with securing insurance. In May 2008, Lohan's single "
Bossy" was released onto digital outlets, and reached number one on the US
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. That month, she made her first screen appearance since
I Know Who Killed Me, on
ABC's television series
Ugly Betty. She guest starred in four episodes as Kimmie Keegan, an old schoolmate of the protagonist
Betty Suarez. In the comedy
Labor Pains, Lohan plays a woman who pretends to be pregnant. During the shoot, Lohan's manager worked with the paparazzi to encourage the media to show her work, as opposed to partying. It was originally planned for a theatrical release, but instead appeared as a TV movie on the
ABC Family cable channel in July 2009, another "setback for the star" according to
Variety. The premiere received 2.1 million viewers, "better-than-average" for the channel according to
E! Online.
Alessandra Stanley of
The New York Times wrote that "this is not a triumphant return of a prodigal child star. ... [
Labor Pains] never shakes free of the heavy baggage Ms. Lohan brings to the role." Lohan was a guest judge on US TV style contest
Project Runway sixth-season premiere episode, which aired in August 2009. Lohan narrated and presented the British television documentary ''
Lindsay Lohan's Indian Journey'', about
human trafficking in India. It was filmed during a week in India in December 2009, and transmitted on
BBC Three in April 2010. The BBC was criticized for having hired Lohan, and while reviewers called the documentary compelling, they also found Lohan's presence to be odd and distracting. Lohan said: "I hope my presence in India will bring awareness to the really important issues raised in making this film." In April 2010, Lohan was let go from the film
The Other Side where she had been set to star, with the director saying she was "not bankable." In June 2010, Lohan was the subject of a fashion shoot in the photographer docu-series
Double Exposure on
Bravo.
Robert Rodriguez's action exploitation film
Machete opened in September 2010. In the film, Lohan's character takes drugs, is naked in much of her appearance, and later dons a nun's habit while toting a machine gun. Its critical reviews were mixed.
The Washington Post described her character as "a campier, trampier version of herself – or at least her tabloid image." Premiere.com said she was "terrible" while
Variety called it "her best work in some time." Because of her rehabilitation and legal engagements, Lohan did not participate in promotion of the movie. Lohan filmed a sketch where she is dressed as
Marilyn Monroe for
Inappropriate Comedy in 2010. The film had issues finding a distributor and was not released until 2013, when it was met with poor box office and critical reception. Lohan appeared on the October 2010 cover of
Vanity Fair. She told the magazine: "I want my career back" and "I know that I'm a damn good actress." Lohan had not appeared on
Saturday Night Live since 2006 until she hosted the show for the fourth time in
March 2012. Her appearance received mixed to negative reviews. Critics appreciated the self-deprecating references to her personal troubles, but also commented that she largely played a supporting role. The episode had the second highest
ratings of the season with 7.4 million viewers. In May 2012, Lohan appeared briefly, as a celebrity judge, on the television series
Glee, in the episode "
Nationals". Lohan stars as a surfer in the art film
First Point by artist
Richard Phillips. It debuted at
Art Basel in June 2012 and features a score by
Thomas Bangalter from
Daft Punk. Comments from critics on Lohan's work were mixed. Lohan starred as
Elizabeth Taylor in the biographical made-for-TV movie
Liz & Dick, which premiered on the
Lifetime cable channel in November 2012. Reviews of Lohan's performance were largely, but not unanimously, negative.
The Hollywood Reporter said she was "woeful" while
Variety called her "adequate."
Entertainment Weekly described the premiere ratings of 3.5 millions as "a little soft." During the production, paramedics were called to Lohan's hotel room, treating her for exhaustion and dehydration. In April 2013, the horror comedy
Scary Movie 5 was released, where Lohan appears as herself alongside
Charlie Sheen in the opening sketch. While the movie itself was panned by critics, a few reviewers found Lohan's and Sheen's to be one of the better scenes. Lohan also guest-starred as herself in an April 2013 episode of Sheen's comedy series
Anger Management. In August 2013,
The Canyons was released, an independent erotic thriller directed by
Paul Schrader and written by
Bret Easton Ellis. It was made on a low budget, most of which was gathered through online fund raiser
Kickstarter. Lohan received $100 a day and a share of the profits, and she was also credited as a co-producer. The same month Lohan filled in for
Chelsea Handler as host of the cable talk show
Chelsea Lately. She received mostly positive reviews for her appearance and the show garnered its best ratings of the year.
Focus on television and career expansion (2014–2020) The 8-part docu-series
Lindsay was transmitted in March and April 2014 on
Oprah Winfrey's
OWN cable network. The series followed Lohan's life and work as she moved to New York City after leaving rehab. In the final episode, Lohan said that she had had a miscarriage which had interrupted filming of the series. The premiere had 693,000 viewers, described as "so-so" by
The Hollywood Reporter. The ratings then slipped and the finale only had 406,000 viewers.
New York Daily News called the series "surprisingly routine",
Variety described it as boring, while
Liz Smith said it was "compelling" and "usually painful to watch." In December 2013, Lohan introduced
Miley Cyrus before her set at ''
Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. In April 2014, Lohan guest-starred in an episode of the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls. Around this time, Lohan had also announced and began promoting a film she was set to star in titled Inconceivable'', which was never produced for unknown reasons. Lohan made her stage debut in October 2014, starring in the London
West End production of
David Mamet's
Speed-the-Plow, a satire about the movie business. She portrayed Karen, the secretary of a Hollywood executive, in a role originally played by
Madonna. Reviews of Lohan's performance were mixed, with the
Associated Press describing critical reception overall as "lukewarm."
The Stage said she was "out of her league" while
The Times wrote that she "can act a bit" and
The Guardian said she "holds the stage with ease." In 2015, English band
Duran Duran announced that Lohan was featured on the song "Danceophobia" from their fourteenth studio album,
Paper Gods. That year, she filmed an independent supernatural thriller,
Among the Shadows, in Belgium. The project saw a series of delays with its release and was eventually listed for sale at the European Film Market at the
Berlin International Film Festival in February 2018. It was released on March 5, 2019, by
Momentum Pictures. In July 2018, the second season of
Sick Note —in which Lohan had a recurring role— premiered on
Sky One. Lohan signed on to star in an MTV reality series, ''
Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club (2019) focusing on her business ventures in Greece, which aired on MTV for one season. In July 2019, it was announced that Lohan would be one of the panelists on the Australian edition of Masked Singer''. The reality singing competition series premiered in September 2019, and concluded in October that year. On July 7, 2020, it was revealed that Lohan would be unable to return to the judging panel for the second season, as she could not travel from
Dubai to
Melbourne due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and the
implementation of travel restrictions. In June 2019, Lohan re-signed with Casablanca Records, a subsidiary of
Republic Records, to release new music. On April 1, 2020, Lohan announced she would be releasing "
Back to Me", her first single in twelve years. The song was released on April 3 and received positive reviews from critics.
Return to film and resurgence (2021–present) In May 2021,
Netflix announced that Lohan would return to acting by starring in a Christmas romantic comedy in which she would play a hotel heiress suffering from amnesia after a skiing accident.
Falling for Christmas was released on November 10, 2022, marking her first role in a major production in over a decade. Lohan performed original songs for the film's soundtrack, as well as "
Jingle Bell Rock", which was released as a promotional single.
Falling for Christmas was the most-watched holiday movie released in 2022 in the United States. Lohan's performance in the film received generally positive reviews. In 2022, she also served as the narrator for
Amazon Prime Video's reality dating show
Lovestruck High. In March 2022, Netflix revealed that Lohan had signed a deal to star in two more films for the streaming service. In September 2022, it was announced Lohan was set to star as a
book editor in the romantic comedy
Irish Wish, which was released in March 2024. Owen Gleiberman of
Variety said that "Lohan hasn't lost her ability to light up a scene; she has a seasoned radiance."
Stephanie Zacharek of
Time agreed, and believed that "there's something both appealing and touching about this performance". The second film under the deal,
Our Little Secret, began production in January 2024, and was released on November 27, 2024. Lohan reunited with Jamie Lee Curtis for
Freakier Friday (2025), in which she reprised her role as Anna Coleman. Her fifth feature-film with Walt Disney Pictures, it also marked her first
theatrical release since
The Canyons (2013), and her third highest-grossing film, with a global revenue of $135 million to date. She is set to star in and produce
Hulu's drama series
Count My Lies, her first starring role in a series. ==Other ventures==