Vanessa Hudgens Biography

Fast Facts

• Mother is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent; father is American Indian and Irish
• Began acting in musical theater when she was 8 years old, and has since appeared in numerous local productions, including Carousel, Damn Yankees, The King & I and The Wizard of Oz
• Was home-schooled from seventh grade on
• Made TV debut at age 13 in an episode of the series Still Standing
• Her first two films, 2003's indie drama Thirteen and 2004's sci-fi bomb Thunderbirds, also featured actor Brady Corbet
• Debut album V, released September 26, 2006, sold 34,000 copies during its first week and debuted at No
• 24 on the Billboard 200 album chart
• Signed on to endorse Neutrogena cosmetic products in 2007
• Starred in a 2010 production of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl
• The show was directed by Neil Patrick Harris
• Made her Broadway debut as the lead in the 2015 revival of Gigi
• Father Greg passed away the day before Hudgens was due to star in Grease: Live; despite this, she went on with the performance as scheduled