Biography
Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born on
December 14,
1988; her sister,
Stella Hudgens, is also an actress. She has been home-schooled since the seventh grade. Her parents are Greg Hudgens and Gina Guangco.
[2] In regards to her ethnic background, Vanessa was quoted:
Pretty much I'm
Filipino and
Caucasian, but within that, I'm
Spanish,
Chinese,
American Indian,
Irish.
[3]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.
[4] Hudgens successfully auditioned for a commercial and subsequently moved to
Los Angeles with her family, with whom she is still close. She has a few close celebrity friends, namely
Hannah Montana's
Miley Cyrus,
Zoey 101's
Alexa Nikolas,
High School Musical's
Ashley Tisdale, and
Zac Efron.
[citation needed]Career
Film & 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 summer film,
Thunderbirds as Tintin. 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. Vanessa was only 16 at the time.
Hudgens' largest role among teenage audiences has been starring in the
Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical, which premiered in
January 2006;
BBC News specified that the film's success turned Hudgens into a "household name" in North America.
[5] Hudgens and Efron had won "Best Chemistry" award at the
Teen Choice Awards for their roles.
[6]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.
[7] 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 participated in the
Disney Channel Games 2006, which was filmed in
April 2006 and aired two months later. However, Hudgens will not be participating in the 2007
Disney Channel Games.
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 is scheduled to be shown on the Disney Channel on
August 17,
2007.
Music
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,
[8] and Let's Dance for Dancing With The Stars
