Jennifer Hudson

With her incredible talent and genuine charm, Chicago native Jennifer Hudson made the leap from American Idol finalist to Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning actress in just two years. Hudson won the awards for her role as Effie in the screen adaptation of Dreamgirls , becoming one of the youngest-ever winners of the award. After pausing her vocal recording briefly to play a supporting role in the Sex and the City movie, Hudson finally released her highly anticipated eponymous solo debut last year to great acclaim.