Hilarie Burton as Peyton Sawyer
Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer in The CW's
One Tree Hill is played by Hilarie Burton. As a baby, she was adopted by a young couple who raised her as their own. However, her adoptive mother was killed in a car accident when Peyton was just seven years old.
A beautiful and talented young woman, Peyton was the girlfriend of Ravens basketball team captain, Nathan Scott. However, the two broke up when she realized that their relationship was more of the benefits than the love. She then developed feelings for Nathan's older half-brother, Lucas, who was likewise attracted to her. However, after he confessed his feelings for her, she became scared and ran away from him. After realizing her mistakes, she returned to him, but this time Lucas was seeing Brooke. Upon Peyton's return, Lucas agreed to see her behind Brooke's back. Peyton was about to tell Brooke the truth when Lucas got into a car accident, causing Peyton to relive the trauma of her mother's death. When the relationship between Peyton and Lucas was revealed, Brooke was crushed, and Peyton realized that what they did was a mistake. She refused to continue the relationship, leaving Lucas crushed after losing the two women he loved.
In season 2, Peyton became addicted to cocaine after feeling so alone. Her father was away and her new love interest, Jake was nowhere to be found. However, before she could finally throw her life away, Jake came back and was there for her through her tough ordeals. The two fall in love, and a poser from a magazine later contacts Peyton for an interview. It was later revealed that the poser was really Peyton's biological mother, whom she has never seen in her whole life.
(Photo courtesy of The CW)