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Jennifer Hudson is an American actress, singer and model. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Darnell Hudson (who was shot dead on October 24, 2008) and Samuel Simpson (died 1999), who was a bus driver. She was raised Baptist and attended Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, graduating in 1999. She cites Whitney Houston as her musical and movie influence, as well as Aretha Franklin

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol, in Atlanta, Georgia and all the judges agreed it was the best voice they had heard so far in the competition. She was a member of the first group of semifinalists. She was not voted through to the final round, although she was brought back on the wild card round and put through as a "Top 12" finalist by Randy Jackson a contestant judge.

Jennifer Hudson struggled to gain popularity in the early stages of Idol's live shows, receiving the second-lowest number of votes in two of the first three shows. However, after a change in song choices, she soon became a favorite to win, receiving the highest number of votes in the "Top 9" after her performance of Elton John's "Circle of Life," on April 6, 2004. Among Hudson's worthy performances on the show was her rendition of Whitney Houston's, "I Have Nothing." Contestant judge Simon Cowellcommented that Hudson’s performance was sensational. During the "Top 7" show, Hudson sang a show-stopping rendition of Barry Manilow's, "Weekend in New England," which garnered praise from all three judges. Jackson called the song Hudson's best performance to date; and Simon Cowellnoted that Hudson's presence made the third season a "Battle of the Divas". Despite this praise, Hudson was eliminated, finishing the competition in seventh place.

In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the prized role of, "Effie White," the role originally created in a legendary Broadway performance by Jennifer Holliday, for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, which also starred Jamie Foxx Beyoncé Knowles and Eddie Murphy This role marked Hudson's debut screen performance. She won the role over hundreds of professional singers and actresses, including Raven-Symoné and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino Hudson has won particular praise for her show-stopping onscreen rendition of the hit song, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going", the signature song of the role, which had earlier been recorded, and had already reached the status of musical standard, because of the definitive performance of Jennifer Holliday. As Effie White, Hudson has garnered 29 awards from film critics as Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performer of 2006. She won the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In addition, she has been named Best Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and also by the Screen Actors Guild.

With the March 2007 issue, Jennifer Hudson became the third African-American celebrity, and the first African-American singer, to grace the cover of Vogue magazine. On February 25, 2007, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this film. At 25-years-old, Hudson became the eighth-youngest winner of the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Upon winning this award, Hudson also became one of the very few performers ever to win an Oscar for a debut screen performance.

In September 2007, Hudson began work on Sex and the City, as Louise, Carrie Bradshaw's assistant. Filming finished in December 2007 and the movie premiered on May 30, 2008. In 2008, Hudson appears as Kathy Archenault in Winged Creatures, a film based on the novel by Roy Freirich, with Forest Whitaker Guy Pearce Kate Beckinsale Dakota Fanning Josh Hutchersonand Jackie Earle Haley. In January 2008, she began filming her fourth film The Secret Life of Bees as "Rosaleen," the mother figure of "Lily Owens" (Dakota Fanning. Also starring in the film are fellow Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Sophie Okonedo, as well as Alicia Keys.