Jennifer Hudson

Born: September 12 1981
Where: Chicago, Illinois, USA

The runner-up in the American Idol competition confounded her critics by landing an acclaimed role in the musical drama Dreamgirls alongside Beyonce Knowles.

As a youngster she sang in gospel choirs and went on to act in community theatre as well as singing on cruise lines and touring with Disney's Hercules: The Musical.

In 2004, she entered the American Idol competition and made the final twelve contestants only to be voted a confidence-sapping sixth as a runner-up.

Nevertheless, she joined the subsequent American Idol tour and went on the road for two years in her own right before auditioning for Bill Condon's Dreamgirls.

Among the 780 hopefuls was her American Idol rival Fantasia Barrino but Hudson won through to step into the shoes of Tony-winning Broadway legend Jennifer Holliday in the big screen version of the musical.

In the movie, in which she stars as Effie White, she held her own alongside such Hollywood heavyweights as Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx and was rewarded with a Golden Globe nomination.

Offscreen, she attracted negative attention when comments she made about the gay community - her original fanbase - were perceived as homophobic. Hudson subsequently denied the claims.