Jennifer Hudson
Biography
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.
Acting (55 movies)
Dreamgirls
2006
Sex and the City
2008
The Secret Life of Bees
2008
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021
Winged Creatures
2009
Winnie Mandela
2011
The Three Stooges
2012
Always Whitney Houston
2012
Global Goal: Unite for Our Future | The Concert
2020
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
2013
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
2013
Black Nativity
2013
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
Lullaby
2014
Michael Jackson Memorial
2009
Christmas at Graceland
2023
Breathe
2024
Baba Yaga
2021
The Concert for Valor
2014
Diane Warren: Relentless
2025
Chi-Raq
2015
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
2012
Confirmation
2016
The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl
2025
Hairspray Live!
2016
Sandy Wexler
2017
VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul
2011
VH1 Divas 2009
2009
Sesame Street: Elmo's Christmas Countdown
2007
Sing
2016
A Very Pentatonix Christmas
2017
Monster
2021
Cats
2019
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
2017
Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul
2019
Respect
2021
HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé
2019
Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
2011
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
2019
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover
2020
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
2020
Happy Hour with Olly Murs
2018
Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk
2026
Roll Up Your Sleeves
2021
One World: Together at Home
2020
Tell It Like a Woman
2022
92nd Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center
2024
Josh Groban & Friends: Home for the Holidays
2024
Christmas with Andrea Bocelli & Friends: A Grammy Holiday Special
2024
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie
2026
GOAT
2026
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
2006
Grace for the World
2025