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High School Musical Trivia Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born in Salinas, California on December 14, 1988. She is the daughter of Greg and Gina Hudgens. Greg is of an Irish and Native American descent, and Gina was born in the Philippines and is of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent. She has a younger sister, Stella whom she is close with. Hudgens was home-schooled since her seventh-grade level at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Starting age eight, Vanessa began performing in various musical theater and local productions. Her first professional job was doing a local production of The Wizard of Oz as a munchkin and was paid $50. She has also appeared in local productions of Evita, Carouse, The King and I, The Music Man, Cinderella and Damn Yankees among others. Vanessa got her first gig successfully by auditioning for a friend who couldn't make it.
After making appearances on several TV shows, Vanessa made a huge bang in the showbiz industry by starring in the hit Disney Channel movie High School Musical. A hit sequel aired on the Disney Channel in 2007, followed by a third film released in theaters in 2008. Her role as Gabriella Montez opposite Zac Efron’s Troy Bolton earned them numerous awards, like the Teen Choice Award for Best Chemistry. Hudgens has also appeared on other television shows during her career. In 2002, she had a small role in the sitcom Still Standing, as well as in the drama series Robbery Homicide Division. She was also cast in the film Thirteen, and appeared in two episodes of The Brothers Garcia. In 2004, she landed a role in the movie Thunderbirds. Hudgens was also in other series like Drake & Josh and Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack and Cody with High School Musical co-star Ashley Tisdale and Monique Coleman.
Life became rough for Vanessa after naked pictures of her were released on the Internet in 2007. While handling the scandal, Vanessa made herself busy by preparing for her second album, released in late 2008. She has also signed up to endorse the clothing line Red by Marc Ecko.