Hilarie Ross Burton (born July 1, 1982) is an American actress. A former host of MTV’s Total Request Live, she portrayed Peyton Sawyer on The CW drama One Tree Hill for six seasons. Burton gained wider recognition with leading roles in the films Our Very Own, Solstice and The List, and currently stars as Sara Ellis on the USA dramedy White Collar.
In June 2008 Burton starred in the Independent Thriller film The List. Burton portrayed the role of Jo Johnston and was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina whilst Burton was on production break for One Tree Hill. The film was released for a limited release and went on to make $132,863 US alone. That same year Burton had a small role in the Fox Searchlight Pictures Drama film The Secret Life of Bees. Burton played Deborah Owens the deceased mother to Dakota Fanning’s character.
In January 2009 Burton was cast in another Independent Drama film Bloodworth. The film is an adaptation of Provinces of Night by Author William Gay. Filming also took place in Wilmington, North Carolina in April and May that same year. The film also starred Hilary Duff and Val Kilmer and premiered at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2010. The film later went on to be released for a limited release on May 20, 2011 to positive reviews from critics and over $12,971 worldwide.
In July 2010 Variety announced Burton would have a recurring arc in the USA Network Crime Drama television series White Collar. Burton portrayed the role of Sara Ellis an insurance investigator. In February 2011 Burton was upgraded to a series regular for the series third season which premiered on June 7, 2011. The series was renewed for a fourth season in August 2011 with Burton expected to reprise her role.
In November 2011 Burton was announced to guest star in the ABC Crime television series Castle. Burton portrayed the role of a reality television star named Kay Cappuccio whom is accused of the murder of a famous dog trainer. The episode premiered on January 23, 2012 to 10.5 million viewers.
