Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer who gained widespread recognition for her role as Gabriella Montez in the *High School Musical* film series. She began her career in musical theater as a child and made her feature film debut in *Thirteen* (2003). Hudgens rose to mainstream fame with *High School Musical* (2006), which became a major hit on the Disney Channel and led to two sequels, including *High School Musical 3: Senior Year* (2008), the first theatrical release in the franchise. Her performance alongside Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale brought her critical and popular acclaim, and the duet "Breaking Free" reached number 4 on the US *Billboard* Hot 100[1][2]. Following the success of the *High School Musical* series, Hudgens released two studio albums, *V* (2006) and *Identified* (2008), under Hollywood Records, with singles like "Come Back to Me" and "Sneakernight." She eventually shifted focus toward acting, appearing in films such as *Bandslam* (2009), *Beastly* (2011), *Sucker Punch* (2011), *Journey 2: The Mysterious Island* (2012), *Spring Breakers* (2013), and *Machete Kills* (2013)[1]. Hudgens has also established a notable stage career, making her Broadway debut as Gigi in 2015 and starring as Rizzo in *Grease: Live!* (2016), which received multiple Emmy nominations and wins. She has appeared in television series including *Powerless* (2017) and has participated as a judge on *So You Think You Can Dance*. More recently, Hudgens has been involved in Netflix projects such as *The Princess Switch* series, *Polar* (2019), and *The Knight Before Christmas* (2019), as well as the film *Bad Boys for Life* (2020)[3][5]. Throughout her career, Vanessa Hudgens has demonstrated versatility as a singer, actress, and performer across film, television, and theater, maintaining her relevance in entertainment for over two decades[4].