Vanessa Hudgens is well-known for her role as Gabriella Montez in the popular Disney film High School Musical. Vanessa has often mentioned that she owes her success to her late father, Greg Hudgens.
Greg Hudgens worked as a firefighter in San Diego, California, while his family lived near Los Angeles. Vanessa has been open about the sacrifices her parents made for her career. She shared in an interview with Marie Claire, “My parents gave up so much.” Greg would commute long distances to work to support his daughter’s dreams.
Although Vanessa’s career was a priority for her parents, they made sure she focused on her education first. Greg mentioned in an interview with The Washington Post in 2015, “As long as she still applied herself to school and kept her head out of the clouds, we would continue to help her.”
Tragically, Greg Hudgens passed away on January 30, 2016, after battling stage 4 cancer. Vanessa announced his passing just hours before her appearance on Fox’s Grease: Live musical special. Despite his sacrifices, Vanessa expressed her gratitude for her father’s support, stating, “I will never be able to repay him with all the time he spent helping me reach my goals.”
Vanessa’s mother, Gina Guangco, has also been supportive of her daughter’s career. Vanessa has credited her mom’s optimism for helping her cope with the loss of her father. Gina and Greg met as pen pals when Gina was living in the Philippines and Greg was in America. They married soon after Greg visited Gina.
In 2023, Vanessa revealed that she is working on a documentary highlighting her close bond with her mother and her mother’s experiences as an immigrant in the United States.
Vanessa expressed the importance of sharing relatable stories to empower women all over the world.
