Great talent, with a little high school lightning!

Like many young actresses, Vanessa Anne Hudgens became a hot chick on our radar with the overnight success of one film, but had actually been working for several years before hitting the big time in High School Musical. However, her talent doesn’t stop with acting: she is both an accomplished singer and dancer as well.

Vanessa was born on December 14, 1988, in Salinas, California, and remains close to her entire family, which includes her younger sister, Stella, and parents Gina and Greg Hudgens. She gets her exotic good looks from the mix of Chinese, Filipino, Mexican, Native American, and Irish that comes from both of her parents. She attended the Orange County High School of the Arts until the seventh grade, when her parents chose to home-school her.

Vanessa Hudgens – The Early Years

Every chick has to start somewhere, and Hudgens got an early start with roles in local productions of musical theater. She had roles in such shows as The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, and The King and I. Before long, Hollywood beckoned, and the entire Hudgens family made their way to Los Angeles so Vanessa could become the star she was meant to be.

And where does such a girl start her Hollywood career? Vanessa made her film debut as Noel in the critically acclaimed Thirteen with Evan Rachel Wood. She followed up with another movie role in Thunderbirds and several guest roles in a variety of TV shows, including Quintuplets, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Drake & Josh.

That Famous High School Movie and Beyond

While Hudgens may have been hard at work for a while, her star biography starts with that Disney Channel hit that also launched the careers of Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron. You guessed it, it’s High School Musical, along with the soon to follow sequel, High School Musical 2, and the soon to be released High School Musical 3: Senior Year. The High School Musical series managed to showcase all of her talents, and Vanessa sang, danced, and acted her way into the hearts of tweens everywhere. And with stardom like that, the money is sure to follow. She made number 7 in the Forbes list of Young Hollywood’s Top Earners at $2 million.

Vanessa and Her Singing Career

High School Musical has produced more than one aspiring pop star and Vanessa is no exception. She released her first album, entitled V (for Vanessa, of course!) in 2006. The singles included the songs “Let’s Go,” “Say OK,” and “Come Back to Me.” With some of the songs being used in commercials, she is sure to rake in the dough on her singing career. Committed to her music, Hudgens recently released her second album, Identified, and the first single, “Sneakernight,” which debuted on Radio Disney in April, 2008. Hudgens established a music career under Hollywood Records, citing that Celine Dion and Alicia Keys are her musical influences, were the reason why she pursued a music career.

Vanessa Has Won Awards Too

Vanessa is a Teen Choice Awards favorite, winning in 2006 for Choice Chemistry with Zac Efron and in 2007 for Choice Breakout Artist. You know you’ve made it when you beat the likes of Amy Winehouse and Katherine McPhee. Recently,she had won Female Hottie award in 2008 Teen Choice Award.

The Nude Photo Controversy

Every young female star needs a good controversy to keep her in the spotlight and Hudgens experienced hers in late 2007. Nude photos that she apparently had taken in private showed up all over the internet. Of course, Disney and her tween fans were appalled, but she quickly apologized and put it behind her. Disney opted to support her, and, in the end, like all good controversies should, it just upped her fame factor. In August 2009, more nude photos of Vanessa Hudgens posing surfaced online. It is unclear whether these photos are new, or simply part of the previous controversy. What is clear is that Hudgens' lawyer said posting the photos online was a violation of her privacy, which is just plain wrong.

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