Jennifer Hudson
An image from Respect, one of the productions that also features Jennifer Hudson.
Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson

September 12, 1981 — Chicago, Illinois, USA

Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest African-American to win in a competitive acting category. After signing to Arista Records, Hudson released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified Gold in the US and the UK, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album.

Hudson's subsequent studio albums, I Remember Me (2011) and JHUD (2014), both charted within the top ten of the Billboard 200, with the former also being certified Gold in the US. Meanwhile, her other acting roles include the films Sex and the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Winnie Mandela (2011), Black Nativity (2013), Sing (2016), Cats (2019) and Respect (2021), the television shows Smash (2012), Empire (2015) and Confirmation (2016), and her Broadway debut with the musical The Color Purple. Hudson also contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice from 2017 up to 2019, becoming the first female coach to win the former.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City

2008

Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls

2006

Cats

Cats

2019

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees

2008

The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges

2012

Sandy Wexler

Sandy Wexler

2017

Respect

Respect

2021

The Voice

The Voice

2011