Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson was born in Chicago on September 12, 1981. She began singing in her church choir at the age of seven. Throughout her school years, she continued to hone her voice by performing at various venues around the Windy City. In 2002, she and 70,000 other hopefuls auditioned for American Idol during the hit TV show’s third season. Though she was a finalist and wowed the judges, Jennifer only came in seventh. Her early departure shocked manu people.ing.

Hudson’s singing career has blossomed nonetheless, and she is currently putting the finishing touches on her first CD. Perhaps more importantly, she is making quite a splash with her feature film debut in Dreamgirls, garnering universal critical acclaim for her spellbinding performance as Effie Melody White. Jennifer won an Academy Award for her amazing performance.