What began as one of the most promising careers in Hollywood is as near selfdestruction as a hefty jail sentence . . .most are predicting six months . . . looms.

Lindsay was born in New York to IrishAmerican parents, Michael Lohan and Dina Sullivan. Aged three, she signed with the Ford Agency, appearing in Toys R Us ads and modelling Calvin Klein and Abercrombie clothes, as well as featuring in fashion shoots in Elle and Vogue.

Aged nine, she landed a role in the soap opera Another World. Michael Lohan had a pasta business which he sold to become an investment banker. Her mother worked on Wall Street but gave up her job as a financial analyst to manage her daughter's career.

After the success of The Parent Trap, Disney took Lindsay on for another lead role in the remake of Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis. It was a smash hit, taking $160m at the box office. But the critical acclaim came in 2004 with Mean Girls, a brilliantly sardonic teen film written by Saturday Night Live's Tina Fey. Toy company Mattel made a Lindsay Lohan doll and soon she was everywhere, burning up the boulevards of Hollywood and leaving a trail of desperate paparazzi in her wake.

Her dawn as a superstar, along with the fame of her associates Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and Britney Spears, began a new era in American tabloids as the US snappers mimicked the ruthlessness of their British counterparts, turning young and famous women's lives into a 24-hour broadcast.

Where Lindsay shopped, bought coffee, clubbed and partied, and who she dated, became more important than her film roles.

But she was still working and secured another commercial success with Herbie: Fully Loaded. A flop followed with the dreadful Just My Luck but she regained ground with A Prairie Home Companion and another well-received role in Bobby. She was kept busy with another facet of her career too, releasing two pop albums in as many years . . . both, although musically flimsy, charted and sold well.

Although just a teenager, Lohan didn't exactly object to her sexualisation in the media. She frequently appeared in the 'sexiest women alive' lists of men's magazines. She courted the press on many occasions, with some photo agencies saying she tipped off paparazzi on where she would be clubbing so they could get pictures of her. Her former best friend Paris Hilton was struck out of her circle after Hilton's friend, oil heir Brandon Davis, went on an expletiveriddled rant to paparazzi outside a club, calling Lohan 'firecrotch', a slur on the colour of her pubic hair.

Lohan later pioneered the 'crotch shot' . . . a new genre of tabloid photo that displays a female starlet without underwear getting out of their car. And speaking of cars, Lohan crashed three in 2005.

Her father, like Lindsay, has got himself into trouble with the law on more than one occasion. He spent most of his eldest daughter's childhood in jail for various white-collar crimes. He returned to prison more recently on driving and assault charges, divorcing Lindsay's mother in 2005. Her younger siblings, Michael, Dakota and Aliana, look set to follow Lindsay into the limelight. All are either aspiring models, actors or singers.

Last year, her partying began to spiral out of control. She flitted between Las Vegas, New York and LA, dating older men, including Jude Law and Calum Best. Alleged drug binges on cocaine, ecstasy and weightloss pills became the talk of the tabloids. Before long, her spraytanned mother (who has earned the nickname 'the Orange Oprah') began to appear alongside Lindsay on her frequent nights out clubbing in Hollywood.

During the shooting of Georgia Rule, where she starred opposite Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda, her behaviour was slammed in an accidentallyon-purpose leaked memo from the film bosses. Lohan was frequently late on set after long nights in LA clubs. She collapsed more than once and was often admitted to hospital citing 'dehydration' and 'exhaustion', although those in the know muttered that these incidents were down to an enthusiastic penchant for white powder. "We are well aware that your ongoing all-night heavy partying is the real reason for your socalled 'exhaustion', " the memo read.

This year began with a rocky January, as Lohan checked into rehab for alcohol addiction and began to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In late May, she crashed her car leaving a nightclub and fled the scene. Arrested at hospital for driving under the influence, police produced cocaine that was found in her car.

Again, Lohan went into rehab. She emerged with a new accessory . . . an alcohol monitoring strap wrapped around her ankle, definitely one up on Paris Hilton's brief jail-release-inspired electronic tag. Almost immediately, she was back on the clubbing circuit.

Her relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson (sister of DJ and producer Mark Ronson) has also come under scrutiny.

Lohan and Ronson are near inseparable and Ronson was in the passenger seat during Lohan's first car crash this year.

While she was in rehab, Lohan's personal MySpace account was hacked and intimate messages between Ronson and Lohan leaked, with Lohan revealing her undying love for the lesbian DJ, saying that she wanted to marry and have children with her. Lohan's previous highprofile relationship was early in her tabloid career with That 70s Show star Wilmer Valderama.

Last Tuesday, just 11 days after discharging herself from rehab, she got involved in a car chase with her former assistant. The assistant's mother rang 911 and when the police arrived on the scene, Lohan failed a sobriety test. She refused to be breathalysed until she was taken to a police station. Her blood alcohol level was 0.13, far above the legal limit of 0.08.

When searched, police allegedly found a bag of cocaine in her pocket. She was also charged with driving on a suspended licence and released on bail of $25,000.

Her parents have been all too eager to talk to the media during Lindsay's troubles. Her father has used the American tabloids to try and resurrect their relationship, and her mother has recently been given her own entertainment TV programme. In light of the latest arrest, Dina Sullivan has informed various media outlets that Lindsay is under medical care.

Lohan's next film, I Know Who Killed Me, is a dodgy thriller in which she stars as a stripper. She was due to appear on Jay Leno's talkshow the day she was arrested. Many industry insiders are now saying her career is over, as studio executives become dubious about the merits of hiring her for their productions due to her escalating insurance cost. It could be an all-too-obvious end to the rise of a child star with promising talent and industry versatility. But given the unpredictable nature of her life story, there are surely more twists and turns to come. And the media will be watching all the way.

CV
Occupation: actress and singer
Born: 2 July 1986 in The Bronx, New York
In the news: She is facing six months in jail following her second arrest in the last three months