Vanessa Hudgens Biography

Vanessa Hudgens, actress/singer

Birthdate: December 14, 1988

Birthplace: Salinas, California

Sign: Sagittarius

Vanessa Anne Hudgens is the daughter of American Greg Hudgens and Filipina Gina Guangco. She has a younger sister named Stella. Hudgens started performing in musical theater as a singer when she was just 8 years old. She appeared in local productions of several classic story plays like "The Wizard of Oz," "The King and I," and "Cinderella."

After finishing her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts, Hudgens continued her education through a home-schooling program.

She had her film debut in the 2003 film "Thirteen." After a year, she landed a role in "Thunderbirds." She also started appearing as guest star in TV sitcoms, including "Quintuplets," "Still Standing," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody," and "The Brothers Garcia."

It was in 2006 that she developed a fan base when the Disney Channel made-for-TV-movie "High School Musical" premiered in January. She played the shy and intelligent new student Gabriella Montez, who fell for the high school basketball star player Troy Bolton, played by Zac Efron. Hudgens and Efron, who became romantically involved in real life, won the "Best Chemistry" award at the Teen Choice Awards for their roles.

The show was a surprise hit and subsequently spawned two sequels: "High School Musical 2" in 2007 and "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which is scheduled to debut in theaters in 2008.

"HSM" also produced a successful soundtrack and a worldwide concert tour. Hudgens made the Forbes magazine's list of top earning stars under 21, landing in at #7 with an estimated $2 million wealth. She was named the Choice Breakout Singer-Female at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.

Hudgens released two albums, V in 2006 and Identified in 2008.

In September 2007, nude photos of her surfaced on the Internet. She apologized and claimed the pictures were taken privately and were not meant to be released publicly. The controversy had briefly threatened her career with Disney, a child and youth-focused channel.

She is set to star in her first post-HSM film, "Rock On," in 2009.