Vanessa Hudgens

Actress and Celebrity Speaker Vanessa Hudgens rose to fame in Disney Channel’s High School Musical trilogy. The movie along with Vanessa and her co-stars Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale were almost instantly propelled to international fame; High School Musical was the second most watched Disney Channel film that year, and the first to premiere on BBC. Furthermore, numerous songs from the movie found their way onto the Billboard 100 list, such as Celebrity Speaker Vanessa and Zac Efron’s duet Breaking Free, which broke the Top 10. Shortly afterwards, the California native recorded her own debut album V, which landed in the top 50 of the Billboard 500. The album was later certified Gold. In 2008, when the last movie of the series, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, was released in theaters, and not even Disney Channel expected the success that followed—the film opened in the #1 spot both nationally and internationally, and beat out Mamma Mia! for the biggest opening ever for a musical.

The High School Musical star soon ventured out from the franchise that put her on Hollywood’s A-list, and in the process she proved to the world she could stand on her own two feet. From Beastly with Mary-Kate Olsen in 2011 to Journey 2: The Mysterious Island with Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa continued to garner acclaim from fans and critics. She also starred in 2012’s Spring Breakers alongside James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Ashley Benson, and continues to pursue a vast array of roles as she continues her acting career. In August 2015 the artist side of Vanessa told Flaunt that she is currently recording new music.

In 2014, Celebrity Speaker Vanessa’s untouched ad campaign for Bongo is a testament to the actress’s embracing her most important role as a positive role model; Vanessa’s pictures will be featured in national magazines like Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan as well as Sears and Kmart. The natural beauty is also a spokesperson for Neutrogena and regularly gives back to charitable causes like the Special Olympics, Best Buddies International, VH1 Save the Music Foundation, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.