Jennifer Hudson was born in Chicago, Illinois on Setpember 12, 1981. She is daughter of Darnell Donerson and Samuel Simpson, both of whom are now deceased. She was raised as a Baptist[4] and attended Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, which she graduated from in 1999. Jennifer Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol, in Atlanta, Georgia. She 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. On April 21, 2004 she was voted off of the show finishing the competition in seventh place. In November 2005, Jennifer Hudson was cast in the role of Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls. He co-stars included Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy. She won various awards for her role, including a Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Jennifer Hudson has also appeared in the movie Sex and the City, as Louise, Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant and The Secret Life of Bees as "Rosaleen. In September of 2008 she released her self titled debut album. The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with first week sales of almost a quarter million and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA for nearly 600,000 sold copies.
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