Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens began performing in musical theater in 1998, appearing in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man and Cinderella. In 2000, she began auditioning for television commercials and shows before moving to Los Angeles with her family. She made her television acting debut in an episode of the CBS sitcom Still Standing in 2002, portraying Tiffany. That year, she also appeared in an episode of the CBS series Robbery Homicide Division.

Hudgens made her feature film debut as Noel in the drama Thirteen (2003). She followed this with a role as Tin-tin in the science fiction adventure film Thunderbirds (2004), based on the 1960s television series.

In January 2006, Hudgens starred as Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, alongside Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale. She recorded several songs for the film, including "Breaking Free," a duet with Efron that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. On Sept. 26, 2006, she released her debut studio album, V, which debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 2007. The album included the singles "Come Back to Me" and "Say OK."

Hudgens reprised her role as Gabriella in High School Musical 2, released in August 2007. The film became the most-watched Disney Channel Original Movie at the time of its premiere. Her second studio album, Identified, was released in the United States on July 1, 2008, and debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Sneakernight," reached No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, Hudgens returned as Gabriella in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the first film in the franchise to receive a theatrical release. The film opened at No. 1 at the North American box office in October 2008 and grossed $252 million worldwide.

In 2009, Hudgens starred as Sa5m, a 15-year-old student, in the musical comedy Bandslam. In August 2010, she played Mimi in a production of the musical Rent at the Hollywood Bowl. In 2011, she starred as Linda Taylor in Beastly, an adaptation of Alex Flinn's novel, and played Blondie in Zack Snyder's action film Sucker Punch.

In 2012, Hudgens starred alongside Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson in the adventure film Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. The following year, she appeared in Harmony Korine's crime drama Spring Breakers, alongside Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco. She also released the song "$$$ex," featuring YLA and produced by Rock Mafia, with a music video featuring clips from the film. Her other 2013 film credits included The Frozen Ground, in which she portrayed Cindy Paulson, and Robert Rodriguez's action film Machete Kills. She also appeared in Spike Jonze's short comedy-drama Choose You (2013), which was performed live as a skit at the first YouTube Music Awards.

In 2014, Hudgens starred as a pregnant teenage runaway in the drama Gimme Shelter, written and directed by Ron Krauss. In 2015, she appeared in the comedy horror film Freaks of Nature and played the title role in the musical Gigi. The production opened at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 16, 2015, before transferring to Broadway on April 8. It closed on June 21, 2015.

On Jan. 31, 2016, Hudgens portrayed Rizzo in Grease Live!, Fox's live television production of the musical Grease. In 2017, she played Emily Locke in the NBC comedy series Powerless, which was canceled after one season. That year, she was featured on Shawn Hook's single "Reminding Me" and appeared in its music video. She co-hosted the Billboard Music Awards with Ludacris and served as a judge on the 14th season of the dance competition series So You Think You Can Dance.

In 2018, Hudgens starred in the romantic comedy Dog Days, alongside Finn Wolfhard and Nina Dobrev. She collaborated with electronic dance music duo Phantoms on the single "Lay With Me," released in September 2018. In November, she starred in the Netflix romantic comedy The Princess Switch, portraying both a European duchess and a Chicago pastry chef. She also appeared opposite Jennifer Lopez in Peter Segal's comedy Second Act (2018). That year, Hudgens returned as a judge for the 15th season of So You Think You Can Dance and portrayed Vanessa Morales in a Kennedy Center production of Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical In the Heights.

In January 2019, Hudgens portrayed Maureen Johnson in Fox's live television production of Rent: Live. That year, she appeared opposite Mads Mikkelsen in the Netflix action film Polar, based on Víctor Santos' graphic novel, and starred in and produced the Netflix romantic comedy The Knight Before Christmas.

In 2020, Hudgens appeared in Bad Boys for Life, the third installment of the Bad Boys film franchise. In November, she starred in and produced The Princess Switch: Switched Again, the sequel to The Princess Switch. She also hosted the MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time television special in 2020.

In 2021, Hudgens voiced Sunny Starscout, the lead character in the animated Netflix film My Little Pony: A New Generation. That November, she portrayed Karessa Johnson, a friend of playwright Jonathan Larson, in Lin-Manuel Miranda's film adaptation of the musical Tick, Tick... Boom! She also contributed vocals to the film's soundtrack. Later that month, she reprised her roles in The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star and served as a producer on the Netflix film.

In 2022, Hudgens starred alongside Alexandra Shipp, Kiersey Clemons and Ezra Miller in the action thriller Asking for It. That year, she co-hosted the red carpet pre-show for the 94th Academy Awards with Terrence J, Sofia Carson and Brandon Maxwell. She also co-hosted Vogue's Met Gala red carpet livestream with La La Anthony and Hamish Bowles, and co-hosted the 30th MTV Movie & TV Awards with Tayshia Adams. Hudgens appeared in the film Downtown Owl, directed by Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe.

In 2024, Hudgens competed as Goldfish on the 11th season of The Masked Singer. She won the season, with Scott Porter finishing in second place as Gumball.