Vanessa Anne Hudgens was born to Greg and Gina Hudgens on December 14, 1988 in a small town in Salinas. With a Filipino, Chinese, and Latina background from her mom and a mix of Irish and American Indian from her dad, Vanessa is able to incorporate both backgrounds into her daily lifestyle. Both sets of grandparents were musicians during the Big Band Era so it is no surprise that Vanessa has a love for both music and acting. Her career began in musical theater when she was 8. She played roles in various plays such as Evita, Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, Cinderella, and Damn Yankess, as well as much more. Vanessa loved musical theater, but it was her friend that gave her the opportunity to have her first big break. One of her friends from musical theater was unable to attend a commercial audition. Instead, she had asked Vanessa to go for her. That was the start as Vanessa got the commercial, signed with her agent, and snagged many more commercials later on. As Vanessa's career took a start, the Hudgens family moved from San Diego to Orange County, then later to Los Angeles. Finally in 2003, Vanessa made her feature film debut with a part as Noel in Thirteen. Later on, she had her first big role, co-starring in the 2004 summer adventure film, Thunderbirds. She has also made several guest appearances on shows such as Quintuplet and Brothers Garcia, and most recently, she will guest star in an upcoming episode of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody on Disney. Her most recent project has been the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical in which she showcases her abilities as a triple threat; acting, singing, and dancing. Vanessa roles should continue to increase and grow as her career grows. She wants to be a big movie star and there's no doubt that her talent will get her there. "I sing and dance as well, and I would like to do the whole Hilary Duff thing." -Vanessa in a 2004 interview. Facts taken from various sources.