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Vanessa Anne HudgensBackground informationBirth name Also known as Born Genre(s)Occupation(s) Years active Label(s)Associated
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Vanessa Anne Hudgens performing at the High School Musical: The Concert tour

Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens

December 14, 1988 (1988-12-14) (age 19) Salinas, California, United States

Pop, teen pop, dance-pop

Actress, singer

2002–present

Walt Disney (2006–2008) Hollywood (2006–present)

High School Musical, Disney Channel Circle of Stars

Official website

Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988), also known simply as Vanessa Hudgens, is an American actress and singer. She made her screen debut in 2003 and appeared in the Hollywood films Thirteen and Thunderbirds, before reaching fame in the 2006 hit Disney Channel film High School Musical. Hudgens also began a music career and released her debut album, entitled V, in 2006. In 2007, Hudgens became the spokesperson for Neutrogena.[1]

Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Film and television 2.2 V (2006-2007) 2.3 Second album (2008-Present) 3 Personal life 3.1 Dating 3.2 Photo scandal 4 Filmography 5 Discography 5.1 Concert tours 5.2 DVDs 5.3 Other Albums 6 References 7 External links

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Early life

Hudgens was born in Salinas, California;[2] her younger sister, Stella Hudgens, is also an actress. She has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.[2] Her parents are Greg Hudgens and Gina Guangco.[3] In regards to her ethnic background, Vanessa was quoted:

"Pretty much I'm Filipino and Caucasian but within that, I'm Spain Spanish, Chinese, American Indian, Irish."[4]

Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.[5] Hudgens successfully auditioned for a commercial and subsequently moved to Los Angeles with her family, with whom she is still close, namely Gina Hudgens- her mom, Stella Hudgens- her sister and Greg Hudgens- her dad. Not only is she close with her family but also her friends, namely Ashley Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, the rest of the HSM cast and her not so famous Filipino friend Adrianne Galvez.

Career

Film and television

Hudgens began performing at an early age, appearing in musicals starting at age eight, by taking over a friend who couldn't go to the audition, and moved to Los Angeles after winning an audition for a commercial. She scored roles on shows such as Quintuplets, Cover Me, and Still Standing, then made her feature debut in Thirteen as Noel and appeared in the 2004 film Thunderbirds as Tintin. In both her first two films Hudgens appeared alongside Brady Corbet.
Her television appearances include guest roles on Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers Garcia and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, as Corrie, a classmate of Maddie and London. Hudgens also appeared on Drake & Josh, playing Drake's girlfriend, Rebecca.
Hudgens' largest role among teenage audiences has been starring in the Disney Channel movie High School Musical, which premiered in January 2006; BBC News said that the film's success turned Hudgens into a "household name" in North America.[6] Hudgens and Efron had won "Best Chemistry" award at the Teen Choice Awards for their roles.[7]
As a result of the film's popularity, Hudgens was offered a contract by Old Navy to appear in multiple commercials for the company. Hudgens had previously appeared in a swimwear commercial for the company in 2005.[8] She also appeared in a Blockbuster commercial for no late fees, as the teenage daughter. Also, Hudgens is set to be the new face of Neutrogena in 2007, appearing in both film and print ads. Hudgens is also an endorser of the Ecko line. Hudgens participated in the Disney Channel Games 2006, which was filmed in April 2006 and aired two months later.
Hudgens finished filming High School Musical 2 on April 13, 2007, in St. George and Salt Lake City, Utah. In both films, Hudgens stars as shy, intelligent Gabriella Montez. The film premiered on the Disney Channel on August 17, 2007. The first High School Musical spawned a hit soundtrack, a worldwide concert tour, a show at Walt Disney World, and even a book series that helped Hudgens land in Forbes magazine's list of top-earning stars under 21." In the list, the 18-year-old Hudgens was No. 7 with estimated earnings of $2 million.[9]
On January 11, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter announced that that Hudgens will star in the comedy, Will. Hudgens will play 15-year old Sam. The story is about an outcast, Sam, and a popular girl who develop mutual bond through their love of music. The duo gather up their friends to form a rock group to compete in the school's battle of the bands. Shooting is stated to start in February in Austin, Texas. Hudgens will still be in the third installment of High School Musical, even while filming Will.[10]

V (2006-2007)

Hudgens' debut album, entitled V, was released in early September 2006. She is signed with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned record label. A music video for her first single, "Come Back To Me", debuted after the world premiere of The Cheetah Girls 2 in late August. The official music video for her second single, "Say OK", was first shown following the premiere of Disney's Jump In! "Let Go" and "Let's Dance" have both been used in commercials for ABC, "Let Go" for a Desperate Housewives commercial,[11] and "Let's Dance" for Dancing With The Stars. "Say OK" has also been used in commercials for ABC Family's Lincoln Heights.
In August 2007 at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, Hudgens was named the Choice Breakout Singer - Female, beating out other noteworthy nominees including American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee, Amy Winehouse, Corrine Bailey Rae and Lily Allen.[citation needed]

Second album (2008-Present)

Hudgens has been seen stepping into the recording studio for work on her upcoming album which is expected to have a late May/early June release date. So far, two title tracks have been revealed - “Whisper” which is described as a sexy new style for Vanessa, and “It Feels Right”. Also, a song titled “I Will” which has been written by Hilary Duff has also been confirmed.[12]
The album is being currently planned for a summer release. A representative for the singer confirmed the news to E!:
"She is wrapping up in the recording studio right now". After finishing the work in the studio she'll be heading to Austin,Texas to film there the teen comedy movie "Will", then in April, the shoot for the new HSM movie will begin, and a couple of months later she'll start the new album promotion.[13]

Personal life

Dating

Hudgens confirmed in an interview with Teen Magazine that, as of October 2007, she is dating her High School Musical co-star Zac Efron.[14][15] In an interview, Vanessa's publicist stated that her music video for 'Say OK' was their official 'coming out' as a couple.

Photo scandal

On September 6, 2007, controversy erupted after nude photos of Hudgens surfaced online. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was "unfortunate" that they were released on the Internet.[16] Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos."[17] Disney Channel spokeswoman Patti McTeague indicated that Disney will still be working with Hudgens, stating, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."[18][19]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes

2002	Still Standing	Tiffany	episode "Still Rocking"
	Robbery Homicide Division	Nicole at 10	episode "Had"
2003	Thirteen	Noel
	The Brothers Garcia	Lindsey	episode "New Tunes"
2004	Thunderbirds	Tintin
2005	Quintuplets	Carmen	episode "Coconut Kapow"
2006	Drake & Josh	Rebecca	episode "Little Sibling"
	The Suite Life of Zack & Cody	Corrie	4 episodes
	High School Musical	Gabriella Montez	made for television (Disney Channel).
2007	High School Musical 2	Gabriella Montez	made for television (Disney Channel).
2008	Will	Sa5m (the 5 is silent)	pre-production
	High School Musical 3: Senior Year	Gabriella Montez	pre-production

Discography

• 2006:V

Concert tours

• 2006-2007: High School Musical: The Concert (Vanessa Anne Hudgens with High School Musical)

DVDs

• 2007: High School Musical: The Concert- Extreme Access Pass

Other Albums

• 2006: High School Musical Soundtrack
• 2007: Disneymania 5
• 2007: High School Musical 2 Soundtrack

References

External links

• Vanessa Anne Hudgens at the Internet Movie Database
• Vanessa Hudgens Official Site

[hide] Vanessa Anne HudgensStudio album Singles Soundtrack albums Filmography Related Concert tours

V (2006)

"Come Back to Me" · "Say OK" · "Let's Dance"

High School Musical (2006) · High School Musical 2 (2007)

Thirteen · Thunderbirds · High School Musical · High School Musical 2

Discography

High School Musical: The Concert (2006-2007)

Persondata

NAME	Hudgens, Vanessa Anne
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American actor
DATE OF BIRTH	December 14, 1988
PLACE OF BIRTH	Salinas, California United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH