Actress and singer Jennifer Kate Hudson He was born on September 12, 1981 in the city of Chicago (Illinois), in the United States. He grew up singing in gospel choirs, performing in community theaters, and singing on cruise ships; he also toured with the Disney musical “Hercules.”
In 2002 she signed her first record deal with the Chicago independent label “Righteous Records” whose president David Johnson and his team put her through an intensive development program that included live performances, presences, music composition and writing, interviews, school of etiquette and charm and physical training. It was Johnson himself, whom Jennifer recognizes the credit for her subsequent success, who released her from her five-year contract so she could participate in “American Idol“.
In 2004, Hudson auditioned for the third season of the show “American Idol“, from Fox where, after a not very auspicious start and after a change in the choice of his songs, he became one of the favorites. Finally Jennifer she was eliminated the week she appeared in the “Top 7” segment of the show, in which her performance was praised by all three judges. Some argue that he received few votes from the public because a series of tornadoes struck the area of his native Chicago during those days. Jennifer he finished seventh in the competition.
In 2006 she made her cinematographic debut when she was selected to play Effie White in the film adaptation of the musical “Dreamgirls“, which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy. For their performance Hudson He received thirty awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.
Two years later he gave life to Rosaleen Daise in in the movie “The secret life of bees“along with Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning; that same year she also worked on”Fragments (Winged Creatures)“, a dramatic film whose cast was led by Kate Beckinsale, Forest Whitaker and Guy Pearce; and in”Sex and the city“, where she played the assistant Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Also in 2008 Jennifer began recording his debut album, whose first single, “Spotlight“, was released on June 10 of that year, ranking 24th in the Top 40. The album titled”Jennifer hudson“It was released on September 30, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard ‘200 with 217,000 copies sold in the United States alone. A year later it became a Gold Record, having surpassed 5,000,000 copies sold.”Jennifer hudson“, the album, won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, making Hudson in the third ex “American Idol“to obtain this award, and the first to receive it without having won that contest.
His second album “I remember me“, was released on May 22, 2011 debuting at number 2 on the Billbard 200 rankings and selling 165,000 copies in the first week thereafter.
His film career continued with the role of Winnie mandela, wife of Nelson Mandela (played by Terrence Howard) in the feature film “Winnie“(2011) and, the following year he gave life to the Sister Rosemarie on “The Three Stooges“(2012), film adaptation directed by brothers Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly of the famous series of the same name issued between 1934 and 1958.
Following the death of Whitney Houston, Jennifer performed, at the 2012 Grammy Awards, the song “I will always love you“In tribute to the singer, who died days before the awards ceremony.
In his personal life, after eight years of dating, Jennifer she separated from her boyfriend James Payton. Soon after, she began dating David Ontuga, a professional wrestler and Harvard Law University graduate. The couple got engaged in September 2008 and had their first child, David Daniel Otunga Jr. in August 2009.
Hudson He suffered a family tragedy when, on October 24, 2008, when his mother and brother were found dead, shot to death in the house where they lived. The main suspect was William Balfour, a baker who was separated from Jennifer’s sister, Julia Hudson, who had a 7-year-old son from a previous relationship. The boy was kidnapped at the time of the murders and a few days later he was found dead inside a truck, shot in the head. Despite pleading not guilty, Balfour was indicted for the three homicides in late December 2008 and is being held at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.
Recently Jennifer has written a book entitled “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down“, where he tells his personal experience to transform his life and his physique, adopting a healthy lifestyle, losing more than 35 kilos.