Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer and actor.
In 2004, she auditioned for the third season of American Idol, making it to sixth place before being eliminated. Despite the setback, she was cast as Effie White in Dreamgirls in her onscreen debut, a role for which she earned critical praise and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She would soon go on to sign a contract with Arista Records, releasing her debut album in 2008. Tragedy soon struck, however, when her mother, brother, and nephew were murdered by her older sister's husband, causing her to take some time off.
Hudson leveraged her fame into further acting roles, and became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. Since 2017, she has been a coach for both the US and UK versions of The Voice.
Hudson also belongs to the rarified company of The EGOTs winners. In addition to her Dreamgirls Oscar, she has earned Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album (Jennifer Hudson, 2008) and Best Musical Theater Album (The Color Purple, 2017); a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program (Baba Yaga, 2021); and a Tony Award for Best Musical (A Strange Loop, 2022).
Discography:
- Jennifer Hudson (2008)
- I Remember Me (2011)
- JHUD (2014)
Filmography:
- Dreamgirls (2006) as Effie White
- Sex and the City (2008) as Louise
- The Three Stooges (2012) as Sister Rosemary
- Smash (2012) as Veronica Moore
- Chi-Raq (2015) as Irene
- Sing (2016) as Young Nana (voice)
- Sandy Wexler (2017) as Courtney Clarke
- Cats (2019) as Grizabella
- Respect (2021) as Aretha Franklin
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2023) as Mane (voice)
