Jennifer Hudson (Jennifer Keith Hudson), a girl from a simple American family who became popular after participating in the singing TV show American Idol.
Biography
Jennifer's rise to fame and fortune began in hot southern Chicago, far from the Hollywood Hills. Born on September 12, 1981, the girl became the youngest of three children in the Hudson family. She first discovered that she had vocal talent at the age of six. “The story goes that I sat on my godmother’s lap in church during the choir rehearsal, and when she couldn’t hit the right note, I sang it for her,” Jennifer recalls. Then she told my mother: "This girl will be a singer."
Her mother, Darnell, and her father, bus driver Samuel, who died when she was a teenager, raised her in an atmosphere of respect and reverence for traditional values centered around family and church. From the age of seven, Jennifer has been honing her vocal skills in the church choir. She often had to sing at weddings, christenings and funerals. At school, she took part in musical performances and shows where students could showcase their talents. Inspired by the examples of her idols, such as stars such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, the girl was already striking with her beauty and power of her voice.
Later, Jennifer continued to improve her powerful mezzo-soprano at Langston University in Oklahoma, and then at Kennedy-King College of Chicago. After working at Burger King, she managed to get a job at the Disney Cruise Line, which gave her the opportunity to perform in front of a large audience. But, while her career may have been limited to singing on the high seas, Jennifer's mother had other plans. After noticing an advertisement for American Idol auditions in 2004, she convinced her daughter to fly to Atlanta and try her luck.
During these years, Jennifer's career was at the forefront of her life. But in October 2008, her family was overtaken by a terrible tragedy, after which the singer took time to recover. Her mother Darnell Donerson, brother Jason Hudson and nephew Julian King were shot by her former brother-in-law, William Balfour. The offender was sentenced to three life terms without parole, and then 120 years for other crimes. Now Jennifer Hudson continues to build a professional career on stage and in cinema.
Career and creativity
In 2004, Jennifer auditioned for the third season of the American Idol television show in Atlanta. She successfully passed stage by stage, and on April 6, 2004 she received the most votes after performing with Elton John's song "Circle of life". However, it was dropped two weeks later after performing Barry Manilow's "Weekend in New England". Her departure was called the most shocking of the show.
In 2006, Jennifer Hudson was invited to play the role of Effie Wyne in the musical drama Dreamgirls, based on the musical of the same name. The work of the actress was awarded with Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild of the USA, National Council of Film Critics of the USA and others. Each of the received awards was given in the category "Best Supporting Actress". American magazine Entertainment Weekly called her performance one of the best in the last decade, noting that the actress looked more than worthy against the background of such professionals as Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy. In 2008, Jennifer was invited to play the role of Louis, assistant to the main character Carrie Bradshaw, in the American comedy melodrama "Sex and the City". The same year was spent in the filming of the movie "The Secret Life of Bees", where she played the role of Rosalyn Daisy. For this work, the actress was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress. And the cast, including Queen Latifa, Sophie Okonedo and Alicia Keys, only added significance to this picture, making it possible to act on a par with such stars. During this period, Jennifer is trying to realize herself as a vocalist.
The result of her labors was the debut album called "Jennifer Hudson". Despite great success in his career, 2008 was a tragic year for Hudson because of the terrible tragedy that claimed the lives of his mother, brother and nephew. She paid tribute to them with tears in February 2009 when she won the Grammy for Best R&B Album. Subsequent vocal compilations of her songs "I Remember Me" (2011) and "JHUD" (2014) were also very successful.
Jennifer continued to act in films. In 2013, the musical drama "Black Christmas" was released, where she appeared as Naima Cobbes. A little later, a work called "Lullaby" was released. It touches the difficult question of the right to die from cancer. Hudson played the role of nurse Carrie. Irene became a film actress in the American musical gangster "Chi-Cancer." Critics and has been named one of Spike Lee's greatest works of the past 10 years. As a talented girl, Jennifer has managed to prove herself as a voice actress in the computer-animated comedy musical "Sing" (young Naina).
In addition, in 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the musical "The Color Purple" and earned recognition for her portrayal of singer Sug Avery. Jennifer Hudson continues to realize herself professionally, discovering new facets of creative talent.
Personal life
In 2008, Jennifer became engaged to David Daniel Otunga, an American lawyer, actor, and former wrestler. In 2009, the couple had a son, David Deniel Otunga Jr.
After 10 years of a relationship that did not end with an official marriage, they broke up. Following the termination of the relationship, a litigation began for the right to be the main guardian of a joint child. But in November 2017, Otunga was granted primary custody of her son, as Jennifer has to travel a lot due to the specifics of the creative profession.
