American actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens made her film debut taking a supporting role in the drama Thirteen (2003). She had her career breakthrough taking the role of Gabriella Montez in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical (2006). She reprised the role in High School Musical 2 (2007) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). She then took leading roles in films such as Beastly (2011), Sucker Punch (2011), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), and Spring Breakers (2013). She later starred in a string of Netflix Christmas films such as The Princess Switch (2018), The Knight Before Christmas (2019), The Princess Switch: Switched Again (2020), and The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (2021).
On television, she starred in Fox's live musical productions of Grease Live! (2016) and Rent: Live (2019). She has served as a judge on Project Runway All Stars in 2016, So You Think You Can Dance from 2017 to 2018, and RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2018. She also competed on Drop the Mic in 2017 and The Masked Singer in 2024 winning both. She has hosted shows such as the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, the 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards, and the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards. She has also served as the pre-show host for the Academy Awards in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Hudgens made her stage debut playing Cindy-Lou Who in a San Diego production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (1998). She played Mimi Marquez in the musical revival of Jonathan Larson's Rent (2010) at the Hollywood Bowl. She made her Broadway theater debut in The 24 Hour Plays (2012). She took on the title role in the 2015 musical revival of Lerner & Loewe's Gigi both at the Kennedy Center and on Broadway. She played Vanessa in the Kennedy Center's production of the musical revival of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights (2018).
Credits
Film Year Title Role Notes 2003 Thirteen Noel 2004 Thunderbirds Tin-Tin Kyrano 2008 High School Musical 3: Senior Year Gabriella Montez 2009 Bandslam Sa5m The Ultimate Idol Herself Documentary 2011 Beastly Lindy Taylor Sucker Punch Blondie 2012 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island Kailani Laguatan Spring Breakers Candy 2013 Choose You Ex-girlfriend Short film The Frozen Ground Cindy Paulson Machete Kills Cereza Desdemona Gimme Shelter Agnes "Apple" Bailey 2015 Freaks of Nature Lorelei 2018 Dog Days Tara The Princess Switch Stacy De Novo / Lady Margaret Second Act Zoe 2019 Polar Camille The Knight Before Christmas Brooke Winters Also producer 2020 Bad Boys for Life Kelly The Princess Switch: Switched Again Stacy / Margaret / Fiona Also producer 2021 My Little Pony: A New Generation Sunny Starscout Voice role Tick, Tick... Boom! Karessa Johnson The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star Fiona Pembroke / Queen Margaret / Stacy Also producer 2022 Asking for It Beatrice 2023 Dead Hot: Season of the Witch Herself Documentary; also co-executive producer Downtown Owl Naomi 2024 French Girl Ruby Collins Bad Boys: Ride or Die Kelly TBD Herself Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2002 Still Standing Tiffany Episode: "Still Rocking" Robbery Homicide Division Nicole Episode: "Had" 2003 The Brothers García Lindsay Episode: "New Tunes" 2005 Quintuplets Carmen Episode: "The Coconut Kapow" 2006 Drake & Josh Rebecca Episode: "Little Sibling" High School Musical Gabriella Montez Television film The Suite Life of Zack & Cody Corrie Recurring role (season 2) 2007 High School Musical 2 Gabriella Montez Television film 2009 Robot Chicken Lara Lor-Van / Butterbear / Erin Esurance (voices) Episode: "Especially the Animal Keith Crofford" 2012Punk'dHerselfEpisode: "Lucy Hale" 2016 High School Musical: 10th Anniversary Herself Television special Grease Live! Betty Rizzo Project Runway All Stars Herself Episode: "Let it Flow"; guest judge (season 5) 2017 Powerless Emily Locke Lead role 2017 Billboard Music Awards Herself Television special; host Running Wild with Bear Grylls Herself Episode: "Vanessa Hudgens" Drop the Mic Herself Winner; Episode: "Vanessa Hudgens vs. Michael Bennett" 2017–2018 So You Think You Can Dance Herself Seasons 1415; judge 2018 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Herself Guest judge; episode: "All-Star Variety Show" (season 3) 2018–2019 Drunk History Joan of Arc / Marge Callaghan / Mata Hari Episodes: "The Middle Ages", "Baseball", "Femme Fatales" (seasons 5, 6) 2019 Rent: Live Maureen Johnson Television special 2020MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time Herself The Disney Family Singalong 2021 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula Guest judge; episode: "Nosferatu Beach Party" (season 4) Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 3 Television special 2022 94th Academy Awards 2022 Met Gala Live Livestream special; host 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards Television special; host Entergalactic Karina (voice) Television special; voice role Eli Roth’s Haunted House: Trick-VR-Treat Fairy/dollmaker VR web special 2023 95th Academy Awards Herself Television special Rennervations Herself Episode: "Chicago: Building a Mobile Music Bus (ft. Vanessa Hudgens)" Fright Krewe Madison (voice) Recurring role (season 1) 2024 The Masked Singer Herself / Goldfish Winner (season 11) 96th Academy Awards Television special
Theater Year Title Role Venue(s) 1998 Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical Cindy-Lou Who Old Globe Theatre The King and Irowspan=2 Various locations 1999 Damn Yankees The Wizard of Oz Dorothy Gale 2000 Cinderella Cinderella The Little MermaidSebastian (9:52–9:55) 2001 Charlotte's Web Fern Arable The Hunchback of Notre DameQuasimodo 2002 A Christmas Carolrowspan=4 Carousel 2003 Evita The Music Man 2010 Rent Mimi Marquez Hollywood Bowl 2012 The 24 Hour Plays Vanessa Broadway 2015 Gigi Gigi Kennedy Center / Broadway 2018 In the Heights Vanessa Kennedy Center 2019 The Notebook Middle Allie Susan Stein Shiva TheaterThe Notebook 2019 Workshop
See also Vanessa Hudgens discography
References
External links