Vanessa Anne Hudgens (born December 14, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is mostly known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical film series. She pursued a solo music career and released her debut album V on September 26, 2006. The album debuted at number twenty four in the U.S. and was later certified Gold. She reprised her role as Gabriella Montez in High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Hudgens had released her second album, Identified in July 1, 2008 in the U.S. She will be portraying the role of Sam in the film Bandslam, in theaters August 14, 2009. As of 2009, she has two upcoming films this 2010, namely, Beastly and 2011 Sucker Punch!