Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, the daughter of Gina (née Guangco) and Greg Hudgens. She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens. Hudgens's father is an American of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, who grew up in Manila, is a Filipino-born of Filipino, Spanish, and Chinese descent. Hudgens has been home-schooled since after her seventh-grade year at the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others. She got her first gig when her friend couldn't go to an audition for a commercial and asked if Vanessa could go.
Hudgens confirmed, in an interview with Teen Magazine as of October 2007, that she is dating her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron . In an interview, Hudgens' publicist stated that her music video for "Say OK" was their official "come-out" as a couple. At 2008, she was ranked as FHM's 62nd Most Sexiest Woman and Maxim's number 12 in their 100 Hot List.
Nude photo controversy
On September 6, 2007, controversy erupted after provocative photos of Hudgens surfaced online. Two showed her posing in suggestive lingerie, and another showed her nude. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was "unfortunate" that they were released on the Internet. Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos." Disney Channel spokeswoman Patti McTeague indicated that Disney will still be working with Hudgens, stating, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson." After the scandal blew out, she quoted, "I'm much better now. But truthfully I don't like talking about it. It was something that was meant to be private, and even though it isn't anymore, I'd still like to keep it as private as I can. It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened. I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions. But I wouldn't have been able to get through it if it wasn't for my family, friends, and fans, who supported me all along the way,"
Quick Info
Birth name Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Born December 14, 1988, Salinas, California, United States
Genre(s) Pop, teen pop, dance-pop
Occupation(s) Actress, singer
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