Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Birth Name: Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Date of Birth: 14 December 1988, Salinas, California, USA

Nicknames: Nessa, V, Van, Baby V, Vanney

Height: 5' 3" (1.60 m)


Biography

Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens. She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress. Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish and Chinese descent. Hudgens has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.

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. Hudgens successfully auditioned for a commercial and subsequently moved to Los Angeles with her family, with whom she is still close.

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.

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, 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.

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 2008 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.

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. Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken photos". 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."


Trivia

In both her first two films - Thirteen (2003) and Thunderbirds (2004) - she appeared alongside Brady Corbet.

Parents: Greg Hudgens and Gina Guangco.

Ethnicities: Filipina, Chinese,and Spanish (from her mother); Irish and American Indian (from her father).

Her musical theater roles include leads in: Evita, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King & I, The Music Man, Cinderella, Damn Yankees, The Hunchback of Notre Dam, and The Little Mermaid, among others.

Her first job was acting in a local production of "The Wizard of Oz" where she played a munchkin and was paid $50.

She has been home-schooled since the seventh grade.

She has already graduated from high school.

At one point, she actually planned to audition for "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar" (2002).

Her favorite subject in school is science.

Her song "Whatever Will Be" is really a song that reflects on her motto.

Her favorite kind of music is rock.

Both sets of her grandparents were musicians during the Big Band era.