Jennifer Hudson

Best Supporting Actress (2006) for Dreamgirls

Jennifer Hudson is living proof that TV talent show losers needn't always fade back into obscurity. After finishing seventh in the third series of American Idol, she managed to beat off competition from hundreds of professional singers and actresses to land the role of Effie White in the film version of the musical Dreamgirls, alongside Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy. She went on to deliver a powerhouse performance which won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and has since appeared as Carrie Underwood's assistant in Sex and the City, as well as in the acclaimed film, The Secret Life of Bees.

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