Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer and actress. She was one of the finalists on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol. She will be starring as Effie White alongside Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx in the big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

Prior to American Idol, Hudson had worked as a singer and actor aboard cruise ships, but never had any formal musical training.

Hudson auditioned for the third season of American Idol in Atlanta, Georgia. She was a member of the first group of semifinalists, but was not voted through to the final round. However, she was brought back for the wildcard round and put through as a finalist by contest judge Randy Jackson.

Among Hudson's performances on the show, a notable standout was her rendition of Elton John's "The Circle of Life" on April 7, 2004. On April 21, 2004, Hudson became the sixth of the 12 finalists to be voted off the show. The bottom three that week were all African-American females, dubbed the "divas" because many believed them to be the best singers of that season. Hudson's ousting sparked controversy in the media as some, including previous guest judges Elton John and Barry Manilow, suggested that the vote's result was racist, while others thought that the "divas" merely split the same demographic. During that elimination, it was revealed by host Ryan Seacrest that Hudson received the highest number of votes in a previous show.

"Imagine" (John Lennon, 1971) (Semifinals; February 10, 2004)
"I Believe In You And Me" (The Preacher's Wife, Whitney Houston, 1996) (Wild card; March 9, 2004)
"Baby I Love You" (Aretha Franklin, 1967) (Soul week; March 16, 2004) (Bottom 3)
"No One Else On Earth" (Country; March 23, 2004)
"Heatwave" (Motown; March 30, 2004) (Bottom 3)
"Circle of Life" (Elton John, 1994) (Elton John songs; April 6, 2004)
"I Have Nothing" (The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston, 1992) (Movie songs week; April 14, 2004)
"Weekend in New England" (Barry Manilow, 1977) (Barry Manilow songs; April 20, 2004) (Bottom 3; voted off)

In November 2005 Hudson was cast in the role of "Effie White" in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls (also starring Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx) . Among others, she beat out hundreds of professional singers and actresses including major contender Fantasia Barrino, the winner of the third season of American Idol. Filming began on January 10, 2006, and the film is set to be released on December 22, 2006. Early reviews of the film have acclaimed Hudson's performance, and she has become the frontrunner for this year's Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In February 2006, Hudson was named ShoWest "Female Star of Tomorrow," which is the largest annual convention for the motion picture industry. The award has been won by the likes of Nicole Kidman, Hillary Swank, Cameron Diaz and Naomi Watts.

Hudson plans to reenter the studio and release her debut album in early 2007.