# Hilarie Burton
**Hilarie Burton** (Hilarie Ross Burton, later Hilarie Burton Morgan; born 1982) is an American actress, television host, and author best known for playing [Peyton Sawyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/peyton-sawyer) on the teen drama *One Tree Hill* (The WB/[The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw), 2003–2012) and for hosting MTV's music video countdown *Total Request Live*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, in Sterling, Virginia[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) |
| Signature role | Peyton Sawyer on *One Tree Hill* (2003–2009); she left the show in 2009[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) • [14](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2009-05-12/chad-michael-murray-and-hilarie-burton-leaving-one-tree-hill) |
| Hosting career | VJ and host on MTV's *Total Request Live*; TV Insider gives 2002–2004, while a 2004 Washingtonian profile says she landed the job in 2000[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) • [2](https://washingtonian.com/2004/08/01/almost-famous/) |
| Education | Attended Fordham University and NYU while living in New York City[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) |
| Marriage | Married actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan in 2019; they have a son, Augustus[3](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/hilarie-burton.html) |
| Other series roles | Sara Ellis on *White Collar* (2010–2013), Anna Schaefer on *Extant* (2014), Dr. Lauren Boswell on *Grey's Anatomy*[4](https://thetvdb.com/people/331731-hilarie-burton) • [5](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/sophia-bush-pitched-one-tree-hill-co-star-join-greys-anatomy-james-lafferty) |
| Books | *The Rural Diaries* and *Grimoire Girl* (released October 3, 2023)[6](https://mainstreetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MSM_October2023.pdf) |
| Current hosting work | Host and executive producer of *True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here* on AMC/SundanceTV[7](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/hilarie-burton-morgan-true-crime-story-interview/) |
## Early life and start at MTV
Burton was born and raised in [Sterling, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/sterling-virginia), where she served in multiple student government roles in high school, was elected student body president, and was crowned Homecoming Queen in her senior year[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). A 2004 Washingtonian profile adds that at Sterling's Park View High she also worked as a checkout girl at Giant and waited tables at the Buffalo Wing Factory, and that her father, Bill, drove her to auditions in New York several times a year[2](https://washingtonian.com/2004/08/01/almost-famous/).
She relocated to New York City to attend college and pursue acting, attending both [Fordham University](https://www.edgepedia.org/fordham-university) and NYU while going to as many open casting calls for television roles as she could[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). Two weeks after arriving for college, her roommate took her to MTV to compete for a chance to interview then-host [Carson Daly](https://www.edgepedia.org/carson-daly); her 30-second interview won her a job[2](https://washingtonian.com/2004/08/01/almost-famous/). What was meant to be a one-day guest VJ spot on *Total Request Live* turned into a full-time VJ position and later the host's job; TV Insider dates her VJ and host service to 2002–2004[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). The Washingtonian called her the youngest VJ to host the show[2](https://washingtonian.com/2004/08/01/almost-famous/).
## One Tree Hill and film work
In 2003 Burton won her first major acting role as Peyton Sawyer on *One Tree Hill*, a cheerleader character described in a retrospective as an independent conformist who hated everyone and just wanted to listen to her music[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) • [8](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58be424fbebafbf4b3dbb0b9/t/58d05180e4fcb591d4c713cf/1490047361160/14spring-03-onetreehill.pdf). She left the show in 2009, the same year as co-star [Chad Michael Murray](https://www.edgepedia.org/chad-michael-murray), to explore other creative opportunities[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/) • [8](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58be424fbebafbf4b3dbb0b9/t/58d05180e4fcb591d4c713cf/1490047361160/14spring-03-onetreehill.pdf).
Her film roles included *Our Very Own* (2005), *The Secret Life of Bees* (2008) as Deborah Owens, *Solstice* (2008), *Bloodworth* (2010), and *Naughty or Nice* (2012)[4](https://thetvdb.com/people/331731-hilarie-burton) • [1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). On television she returned with a recurring role as Sara Ellis on the USA crime drama *[White Collar](https://www.edgepedia.org/white-collar-tv-series)*, appearing in 25 episodes from 2010 to 2013, followed by recurring roles on *Grey's Anatomy*, *Extant*, and the Fox series *Lethal Weapon*[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). On *Grey's Anatomy* she played Dr. Lauren Boswell in three episodes of season 9[5](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/sophia-bush-pitched-one-tree-hill-co-star-join-greys-anatomy-james-lafferty).
## The Walking Dead and later television
In 2020 it was announced that Burton Morgan would join season 10 of *The Walking Dead* as Lucille, the dead wife of Negan, played by her real-life husband [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-dean-morgan); the character is the namesake of Negan's barbed-wire-wrapped baseball bat[9](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/hilarie-burton-the-walking-dead). She said the couple had never shared scenes before, and that COVID-19 concerns made playing opposite her quarantined husband a practical choice[9](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/hilarie-burton-the-walking-dead).
After her *Lethal Weapon* run ended in 2017 she moved into made-for-TV Christmas films, including *The Christmas Contract* (2018) and *A Christmas Wish* (2019) with [Pam Grier](https://www.edgepedia.org/pam-grier)[1](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/). In December 2019 she tweeted that she had been let go from a [Hallmark Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/hallmark-channel) movie after requesting an LGBTQ character, an interracial couple, and diverse casting; a Crown Media spokesperson responded that she was not an employee of the company[10](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hilarie-burton-hallmark-channel-movie-dismissal-one-tree-hill/).
## True crime hosting and books
Burton Morgan studied forensic psychology at Fordham with the original aim of working in law enforcement, and that background informs her work as host of *True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here* on AMC/SundanceTV, which examines murder and injustice cases from small towns that did not receive national media attention[7](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/hilarie-burton-morgan-true-crime-story-interview/). She has said the series grew out of a local case near her [Hudson Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/hudson-valley) town, the trial of Nikki Addimando, and that public support generated by the show contributed to the exoneration of a man who spent two decades in jail for a Georgia murder he did not commit[7](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/hilarie-burton-morgan-true-crime-story-interview/).
She is also an author. *The Rural Diaries: Love, Livestock, and Big Life Lessons from Down on Mischief Farm* describes leaving Los Angeles for a rural farming community in upstate New York, and her second book, *Grimoire Girl*, was released on October 3, 2023[9](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/hilarie-burton-the-walking-dead) • [6](https://mainstreetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MSM_October2023.pdf).
## Personal life and public statements
Burton never married Ian Prange, and reports of a previous marriage and divorce are untrue[8](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58be424fbebafbf4b3dbb0b9/t/58d05180e4fcb591d4c713cf/1490047361160/14spring-03-onetreehill.pdf) • [15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-10-07/jeffrey-dean-morgan-wedding-hilarie-burton-walking-dead). She married Jeffrey Dean Morgan in 2019, and the couple have a son, Augustus, and live on a farm in New York's Hudson Valley[3](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/hilarie-burton.html) • [11](https://www.flyreagan.com/hilarie-burton-gets-it-done-screen-and).
In October 2017, after Burton described on Twitter an incident in which [Ben Affleck](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-affleck) groped her breast during a 2003 *TRL* interview when she was hosting the show, Affleck publicly apologized, writing, "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize"[12](https://time.com/4978214/ben-affleck-hilarie-burton-trl-groping/).
With former co-stars [Sophia Bush](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophia-bush) and [Bethany Joy Lenz](https://www.edgepedia.org/bethany-joy-lenz) she co-hosts the *One Tree Hill* rewatch podcast *Drama Queens*[4](https://thetvdb.com/people/331731-hilarie-burton). In August 2024 a *One Tree Hill* sequel series was announced with Bush, Burton, and [Danneel Ackles](https://www.edgepedia.org/danneel-ackles) signed on as executive producers and expected to reprise their former characters[13](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/chad-michael-murray-opened-up-one-tree-hill-reboot-hopes-very-meaningful).
## References
1. [Hilarie Burton - Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/hilarie-burton/)
2. [Almost Famous, Washingtonian (August 1, 2004)](https://washingtonian.com/2004/08/01/almost-famous/)
3. [Hilarie Burton - Age, Bio, Family, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/hilarie-burton.html)
4. [Hilarie Burton, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/people/331731-hilarie-burton)
5. [Sophia Bush Pitched A One Tree Hill Co-Star To Join Grey's Anatomy, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/sophia-bush-pitched-one-tree-hill-co-star-join-greys-anatomy-james-lafferty)
6. [Hilarie Burton Morgan talks magic and mischief in Grimoire Girl, Main Street Magazine (October 2023)](https://mainstreetmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/MSM_October2023.pdf)
7. [Hilarie Burton Morgan on Hosting 'True Crime Story: It Couldn't Happen Here', Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/hilarie-burton-morgan-true-crime-story-interview/)
8. [2000s TV Teens: Where are They Now? Part 2: 'One Tree Hill', The Burr](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58be424fbebafbf4b3dbb0b9/t/58d05180e4fcb591d4c713cf/1490047361160/14spring-03-onetreehill.pdf)
9. [Hilarie Burton on "The Walking Dead," Activism, and Responsibility, Interview Magazine (February 25, 2021)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/hilarie-burton-the-walking-dead)
10. [Hilarie Burton claims she walked away from Hallmark Channel movie, CBS News (December 17, 2019)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hilarie-burton-hallmark-channel-movie-dismissal-one-tree-hill/)
11. [Hilarie Burton Gets it Done On Screen and Off, flyreagan.com](https://www.flyreagan.com/hilarie-burton-gets-it-done-screen-and)
12. [Ben Affleck Says He's Sorry for Groping Actor Hilarie Burton, Time (October 11, 2017)](https://time.com/4978214/ben-affleck-hilarie-burton-trl-groping/)
13. [Chad Michael Murray Opened Up About What He'd 'Hope' A One Tree Hill Reboot Focuses On, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/chad-michael-murray-opened-up-one-tree-hill-reboot-hopes-very-meaningful)
14. [Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton leaving 'One Tree Hill'](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2009-05-12/chad-michael-murray-and-hilarie-burton-leaving-one-tree-hill)
15. ['Walking Dead's' Jeffrey Dean Morgan got married, and Norman Reedus officiated](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-10-07/jeffrey-dean-morgan-wedding-hilarie-burton-walking-dead)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Bu to Ce*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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