Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born to Greg and Gina Hudgens on December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California. With a Filipino, Chinese, and Latina background from her mom and a mix of Irish and American Indian from her dad, Vanessa is able to incorporate both backgrounds into her daily lifestyle. Both sets of grandparents were musicians during the Big Band Era so it is no surprise that Vanessa has a love for both music and acting.

Young Vanessa’s career began in musical theater when she was 8. She played roles in various plays such as Evita, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, Cinderella, and Damn Yankees, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, as well as much more. Vanessa loved musical theater, but it was her friend that gave her the opportunity to have her first big break. One of her friends from musical theater was unable to attend a commercial audition. Instead, she had asked Vanessa to go for her. Vanessa got the commercial, signed with an agent, and snagged many more commercials later on. As Vanessa’s career took a start, the Hudgens family moved from San Diego to Orange County, then later to Los Angeles.

Finally in 2003, Vanessa made her feature film debut with a part as Noel in Thirteen. Later on, she had her first big role, co-starring in the 2004 summer adventure film, Thunderbirds. She has also made several guest appearances on shows such as Quintuplets and The Brothers Garcia, as well as the recurring role of Corrie on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on Disney.

Her most recognizable role came in the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical in which she showcases her abilities as a triple threat; acting, singing, and dancing. This role shot her to stardom as she become known all over America. High School Musical has even gone world-wide, exposing Vanessa to the world! High School Musical became the biggest sensation for Disney as well as one of the biggest movies of the year 2006, being called the “Grease” of this generation. It first debuted on January 20, 2006 as 8 million viewers tuned in, becoming the top basic cable show of that week. The soundtrack became a quick chart topper, snatching the #1 spot on the Billboard charts Top 10 in just a few weeks after it’s release. Nine of the songs made the top singles chart simultaneously. Then the DVD was relased May 23, 2006, selling over 400,000 copies in its first day! High School Musical definitely became a cultural phenomenon and launched the careers of the movie’s 6 main stars. It is even taking off and premiering in many different countries around the world and in different languages! High School Musical also took home Emmys in 2006 for Outstanding Children’s Program and Outstanding Choreography! At the Teen Choice Awards in 2006, the HSM cast won Choice TV Comedy/Musical and Vanessa & Zac won Best TV Chemistry!

With the success of High School Musical, Vanessa was offered several record deals. She signed with Hollywood Records and was anxious to start on her first CD! Her CD included a variety of pop, rock, electronic, & R&B. Vanessa’ debut CD entitled “V” was released on September 26, 2006. Her first single off the album, “Come Back to Me” shot to the top and was adored by fans everywhere. Her first music video debuted on TRL with a big splash and made it to #3 in its first week! Vanessa released her sophomore album in 2008 entitled “Identified.”
In 2007, Vanessa reprised her spotlight role as Gabriella Montez in the disney sequel High School Musical 2, which shattered records for the most watched program on cable television previously held by Monday Night Football.

After the successes of the first 2 High School Musical movies, the franchise continued with a third, and final, installment with the original HSM cast. The final movie was appropriately entited High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which reflected the original cast graduating from the phenomenon that is High School Musical. The movie was released in theaters in October 2008.

With HSM behind her, Vanessa is currently recognized as one of today’s hottest young stars in Hollywood. In 2009, she stared as Sa5m in the summer movie Bandslam. Some of her future projects include Beastly and Suckerpunch.

“I sing and dance as well, and I would like to do the whole Hilary Duff thing.” -Vanessa in a 2004 interview.

*Compiled by the staff of Vanessa Anne Online. Facts taken from various sources.