Vanessa Hudgens

1988–present

Actor and singer Vanessa Hudgens found fame as a teenager in Disney’s wildly popular High School Musical movie franchise and has also starred in Bad Boys for Life and The Princess Switch. Hudgens had an early love of show business that drove her to perform in local musical productions by the age of 8. Her big break arrived in 2006 when she landed the lead role of Gabriella in High School Musical. The actor followed with grittier roles in films like Sucker Punch, Spring Breakers, and The Frozen Ground. Hudgens has also released two albums, served as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, and starred in live televised productions of Grease and Rent.

FULL NAME: Vanessa Anne Hudgens
BORN: December 14, 1988
BIRTHPLACE: Salinas, California
SPOUSE: Cole Tucker (2023–present)
CHILD: 1 child
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Sagittarius

Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born on December 14, 1988, in Salinas, California, to secretary Gina Guangco and firefighter Greg Hudgens. She and her younger sister, Stella, grew up in San Diego. The family later moved to Los Angeles when Vanessa’s consistent auditioning began to yield results. She briefly attended Orange County High School of the Arts but then started homeschooling as her acting career took off.

In 2003, a teenaged Hudgens landed a small role in the critically acclaimed box-office movie Thirteen. In 2006, she played a recurring character on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse, before landing her breakthrough role as Gabriella Montez in High School Musical.

Directed by Kenny Ortega, the 2006 Disney Channel original movie became a global phenomenon. Hudgens starred as the brainy and bookish Gabriella with Zac Efron starring as Troy Bolton, the star athlete at a small-town high school, who falls for Gabriella at a holiday karaoke party. When her character serendipitously transfers to his high school, Troy and Gabriella reunite and audition for the upcoming school musical. Ashley Tisdale plays their nemesis, Sharpay Evans, who schemes to squelch their chances.

High School Musical’s cultural influence only expanded with the sequels: 2007’s High School Musical 2 and 2008’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Whereas the first two movies aired on the Disney Channel, the franchise had grown big enough that Disney released Senior Year in theaters. It earned nearly $253 million at the global box office, enough to claim a spot in the top 25 highest-grossing movies of 2008. The squeaky-clean films launched the careers of its cast of unknowns and also paved the way for Hudgens’ music career.

Hudgens and her High School Musical co-star Zac Efron scored a massive hit when their duet “Breaking Free” from the movie soared to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2006. Later that year, Hudgens released her debut album V, which was certified gold on the strength of the single, “Come Back to Me,” which samples from the song “Baby Come Back” by the 1970s rock band Player.

Hudgens’ second album, Identified (2008), debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200. It ultimately underperformed in comparison to V, leading Hudgens to part ways with her recording label, Hollywood Records, and focus on acting.

Hudgens’ high-profile exposure on the Disney Channel all but ensured future acting opportunities. Rather quickly, she was able to branch out from family fare, though her 2009 role in Slamband wasn’t a big leap from her High School Musical days. Hudgens portrayed the new kid who arrives in town and decides to put together a rock band to compete with other bands. The actor told The New York Times that she was attracted by the screenplay’s description of her character as “deadpan,” “introverted” and “a bit off.”

Sucker Punch (2011) provided more of a departure from her Disney image, as she played a young woman in a mental institution who fantasizes it’s a brothel. Edgier roles were still ahead.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Spring Breakers, and Gimme Shelter

In 2012, Hudgens went from the big-budget Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which put her opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Josh Hutcherson, to the vice-ridden Spring Breakers (2012), in which her character, Candy, participates in a wet-and-wild threesome with co-stars James Franco and Ashley Benson in a backyard pool. In 2013, she starred as a pregnant homeless teenager in Gimme Shelter and as a stripper in The Frozen Ground (opposite Nicolas Cage and John Cusack). She also had a small part as Sofia Vergara’s daughter in the star-studded Machete Kills.

Dog Days, Second Act, and The Princess Switch

After starring the short-lived comedy series Powerless, based on the DC Comics universe, Hudgens went back to movies in 2018. In Dog Days, she plays a disillusioned barista who, along with an ensemble cast, leans on their furry companions to help them get through life. She also had a supporting part in Second Act, starring Jennifer Lopez and Milo Ventimiglia, and took on two roles in the Netflix romantic comedy The Princess Switch.

Polar, The Knight Before Christmas, and Bad Boys for Life

Continuing her association with Netflix, Hudgens opened 2019 with a co-starring role in the film adaptation of the comic series Polar. Late that the year she headlined another holiday-themed romantic comedy for the streaming service with The Knight Before Christmas, before joining Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys for Life in January 2020.

Hudgens began working in musical theater productions when she was still a child, performing in various roles in shows such as The Wizard of Oz, The King & I, Carousel, The Music Man and Cinderella. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the titular role of the beloved Academy Award– and Tony Award–winning film and stage musical Gigi. Unfortunately, the show’s adaptation failed to resonate with critics and audiences and closed after 20 previews and 86 performances.

Hudgens bounced back in 2016 with her starring role as Betty Rizzo in Grease: Live!, which was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards and won five. She then served as a judge for two seasons of the competition series So You Think You Can Dance, before showing off her own dancing and singing skills once again with a show-stopping performance as Maureen Johnson in Rent: Live in January 2019.

In 2017, Hudgens teamed up with EcoTools and their national campaign #MyTrueBeauty, which aimed at telling young girls to celebrate their individual beauty. In an interview with Teen Vogue, she said, “It’s all about taking the intimidation out of makeup application. And it’s also about empowering women to embrace their own true beauty, which I think is so important. I also love the partnership they’re doing with The Girl Project—the proceeds are going to women’s education around the globe. I love what they stand for.”

Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker have been married since December 2023.

Hudgens is married to former professional baseball player Cole Tucker. The retired MLB shortstop played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Angels for a combined six seasons before shelving his glove for good in March 2025.

Hudgens and Tucker reportedly met on a Zoom meditation that musician and actor Joe Jonas hosted in 2020. Hints about their budding romance began to pop up that November, and they got engaged about two years later. The couple’s wedding was in early December 2023.

The pair are also parents to one child, who was born in July 2024. Hudgens is currently pregnant with their second baby. Beyond announcing her pregnancies, the couple has kept a tight lid on details of their growing family. The name and gender of their first kid remain private.

Prior to her marriage, Hudgens was in two other high-profile relationship. She and her on-screen love interest Zac Efron became a couple off-screen as well. Their romance lasted through both sequels of the High School Musical franchise, until 2010. Hudgens then began dating actor Austin Butler in September 2011. Their long-term relationship endured until it was reported they had split in early 2020.

Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn’t look right, contact us!

Biography.com Editors

Staff Editorial Team and Contributors

The Biography.com staff is a team of people-obsessed and news-hungry editors with decades of collective experience. We have worked as daily newspaper reporters, major national magazine editors, and as editors-in-chief of regional media publications. Among our ranks are book authors and award-winning journalists. Our staff also works with freelance writers, researchers, and other contributors to produce the smart, compelling profiles and articles you see on our site. To meet the team, visit our About Us page: https://www.biography.com/about/a43602329/about-us