Lohan was born in Woodlawn section of the Bronx and grew up in Merrick and Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island. She is the eldest child of Donata (Dina), a former Rockette and Wall Street analyst, who now helps manage her daughter`s career, and Michael Lohan, a long-time Wall Street trader who developed his family`s multi-million-dollar pasta business, then sold it to pursue funding and development of major studios and independent Hollywood projects. Lindsay is of Irish and Italian heritage and was raised as a Catholic. She attended public school on Long Island, and finished her studies in Laurel Springs School of Ojai, California.
She started in show business at age three as a Ford model, and also made appearances in over sixty television commercials, including spots for The Gap, Pizza Hut, Wendy`s, and Jell-O. She then appeared in more than 100 print-ads for companies like ‘Toys "R" Us’. She also modeled for Calvin Klein Kids (usually with siblings Michael and Ali).
When ten, she made her acting debut in a soap ‘Another World’ (1964). Her first feature film, ‘The Parent Trap’ (1998), and a remake of the same was a modest commercial success, earning her widespread critical acclaim. Lohan rose to stardom with her leading roles in the film ‘Freaky Friday.
In 2004, Lohan launched a second career in pop music with her debut album ‘Speak’ (2004)