Jennifer Hudson

JenniferA source of perpetual inspiration to millions of young hopefuls, African-American pop diva-turned-actress Jennifer Hudson proved -- with glorious bravado -- that the most gifted and determined young talents can bounce back from a painful and public rejection and land squarely at the pinnacle of success, transcending even what they might have accomplished had the initial rejection never occurred.





Background

Jennifer Hudson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Hudson was blessed with an astounding vocal range of six octaves and a perfect musical ear as a young girl, and rigorously trained as a chanteuse from the age of seven, initially in her Baptist church choir, then in dozens upon dozens of stage musicals and talent shows during adolescence. After high school, she briefly attended college but dropped out not long after. In 2002, 21-year-old Hudson landed a job as featured vocalist on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. Hudson cites Whitney Houston as her musical and movie influence, and she has also said recently that her biggest wish is to collaborate with Houston. After seeing Hudson's performance in Dreamgirls, American Idol judge Simon Cowell taped a congratulatory message to her, which aired on The Oprah Winfrey Show. With the March 2007 issue, Jennifer Hudson became the third African American, and the first African American singer, to grace the cover of Vogue magazine.

American Idol

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a member of the first group of semifinalists. She was not voted through to the final round, although she was brought back on the wildcard round and put through as a finalist by contest judge Randy Jackson. Jennifer Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of the live shows, receiving the second-lowest number of votes in two of the first three shows. However, after a change in song choices, she soon became a favorite to win, receiving the highest number of votes in the Top 8 after her performance of Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing". Among Hudson's performances on the show was her rendition of Elton John's "Circle of Life" on April 6, 2004. American Idol judge Simon Cowell commented that she "finally proved why she was among the Top 12" and referred to the performance a week later as "sensational". On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show, finishing the competition in seventh place. It was one of the most controversial votes in the show's history where favorites "the three Divas" Fantasia Barrino, Latoya London, and Hudson received the lowest number of votes.

Movies

In late 2005, Hudson auditioned among 783 hopefuls for the lead role of Effi "Melody" White, a female vocalist unfairly ousted from the ranks of a three-member female pop group in the early '60s -- because, ironically, her "look" isn't right -- in Chicago scribe Bill Condon's hotly anticipated late 2006 film musical Dreamgirls, an adaptation of the early '80s Tony award-winning Broadway hit. An ecstatic Hudson landed the part while cutting her first album (roundly trumping the 2004 Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, in the process), and had to gain almost 25 pounds to perfect Effi's "look" onscreen. Production commenced in January 2006. A media blitz surrounded Hudson's triumph in the role that lifted her into the limelight even months prior to the stateside release of Dreamgirls in December 2006. This buzz included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and widespread comparisons to Jennifer Holliday, who originated the Effi role on Broadway in 1981. These predictions began to come true, starting with a win for Best Supporting Actress at that year's Golden Globes awards. The Cinderella story materialized in full on Oscar night when she captured the Best Supporting Actress trophy. Jennifer also became the fourth African-American actress to win an acting award in Oscar history. She was also the first African-American to win an Oscar for his or her screen debut (see Academy Award: Acting records). Currently, she is also the only person to have gone from participating in a reality television series to becoming an Academy Award winner. During her acceptance speech Hudson said through tears of joy, "Oh my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win." "If my grandmother was here to see me now. She was my biggest inspiration." She also concluded her speech by thanking Jennifer Holliday. The press helped Hudson land a record deal with Clive Davis' J Records, which slated the release of her premiere album for January 2007, mere weeks after the stateside debut of Dreamgirls.

In 2008, Hudson will appear as Kathy Hammett in Winged Creatures, a film based on the novel by Roy Freirich, with Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Josh Hutcherson, and Jackie Earl Haley. In September 2007, Hudson began work on the Sex and the City film, as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant. Hudson is being considered to play Aretha Franklin in a film version of the autobiography, . Hudson has also expressed interest in starring in a remake of The Jackie Robinson Story. Missy Elliott has tipped Hudson to play her in a movie of her life. She said, "Being as she's a heavier-sized artist, she is in the same lane as I was when I first came out. She'd be closest to me."

Discography

Albums Singles

Filmography