Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, Hudgens made her screen debut in the 2003 drama film Thirteen as Noel. Hudgens starred in the 2004 science-fiction-adventure film Thunderbirds playing the character of Tin-Tin. But Hudgens' most prominent role was as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series. Hudgens was nominated for Imagen Foundation Awards and Young Artist Awards for her portrayal in the film series.

Her debut album V on September 26, 2006. The album debuted at number twenty four in the U.S. and was later certified Gold. Hudgens released her second album, Identified, on July 1, 2008 in the U.S. Hudgens garnered critical acclaim in the 2009 film Bandslam which released on August 14, 2009.

Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, and lived all over the West Coast – from Oregon to Southern California – with her parents, Gina (née Guangco) who held a succession of office jobs, and Gregory Hudgens, a firefighter, and a younger sister, Stella Hudgens. Hudgens and her family moved to Los Angeles after she won a role in a television commercial. Hudgens is of mixed cultural descents, as her father is of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, a native of Manila, is of Chinese-Filipino-Spanish descent. Both sets of Hudgens' grandparents were musicians.