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Vanessa Hudgens as Gabriella Montez
Vanessa Anne Hudgens, who was born on December 14, 1988 in Salinas, California, is of various ethnicities, including Filipino, Spanish, American, Indian and Irish. At the age of eight, she discovered her talent in acting, and subsequently performed in productions such as
Carousel,
The Wizard of Oz,
The King and I,
The Music Man, and
Cinderella. Moving to Los Angeles, she landed roles on shows such as
Quintuplets,
Cover Me,
Still Standing,
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and
Drake & Josh.
Hudgens was catapulted to fame when she landed one of the lead roles as Gabriella Montez on the Disney hit made-for-TV film,
High School Musical. This paved the way for her to land endorsement deals with Neutrogena and Ecko. In 2007, she reprised her role in Disney's
High School Musical 2, and concluded negotiations for her part in the film's third installment.
Aside from acting, Hudgens is also into singing, and released her first album under Hollywood Records, entitled "V". The album included hits such as "Come Back to Me" and "Say OK," whose music video featured
High School Musical co-star and real life boyfriend,
Zac Efron.
The young star encountered scandalous controversy in September 2007, when a nude photo of her proliferated in various websites. Her publicist immediately released a statement saying that it was indeed the young actress in the photo, and that she was embarrassed that it made its way into the public. Hudgens also apologized for her lapse in judgment, saying that she regretted ever taking the photos. Disney Channel spokesperson Patti McTeague responded to rumors that Hudgens was removed from the
High School Musical lineup because of the scandal and the said that Hudgens will continue to work with the company.
(Photo courtesy of Disney)