(Black PR Wire) Jennifer Hudson is an incomparable actress and singer. Throughout her career, Hudson has received various accolades for both her music and acting, including an Academy Award, two Grammy Awards, a Daytime Emmy Award, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Her Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins made her the second black woman to receive all four of the major American entertainment awards (EGOT). In 2020, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

A native of Chicago, Jennifer Hudson grew up singing in the church choir and graduated from Dunbar Vocational Career Academy in 1999. She cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration. She has also credited Mariah Carey as being one of her musical “heroes.”

After singing for a year on a Disney cruise ship, Hudson auditioned for the third season of FOX’s American Idol in 2004, where she rose to fame after earning a spot on the show, gaining exposure and a loyal fan base. In 2006, she played a Motown-era singer in the film Dreamgirls. Her scene-stealing performance, including an unforgettable, rapturous rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” earned the young singer a Golden Globe and an Oscar in the Supporting Actress categories. In September of 2008, Hudson also released her self-titled debut album, which went on to win a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

Hudson’s film and television career has been just as stellar. She appeared in the hit movies Sex in the City, The Secret Life of Bees, Fragments, Winnie Mandela, The Three Stooges, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete, Black Nativity, Sing, Cats, Sandy Wexler, and the Aretha Franklin Biopic, Respect. Hudson’s television appearances have included Smash (2012), Empire (2015) and Confirmation (2016). Hudson also contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice from 2017 up to 2019, becoming the first female coach to win the former.

There are numerous other notable accomplishments of Jennifer Hudson. She became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers and published the 2012 book I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down. She also started her own clothing line and contributed to the soundtrack for Think Like a Man. In 2015, Hudson starred in a famed musical as Shug Avery in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple. The well-received production won the 2016 Tony for Best Revival, and Hudson claimed another Grammy for her contributions to the soundtrack. Continuing on her Broadway path, Hudson joined the cast of NBC’s Hairspray Live! in 2016, earning strong reviews for her performance as Motormouth Maybelle.

Without a doubt, Jennifer Hudson is unstoppable. She already had an Emmy, Grammy and Oscar, but recently won a Tony, thanks to her role as a co-producer of “A Strange Loop” which won for best musical. Let’s continue to look for more great things from J.Hud, as she is set to star in the upcoming action-thriller, Breathe.

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