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The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is a trade organization based in the United States whose members are the owners of movie theaters.^{[citation needed]} Most major theater chains are members, as are many independent theatre operators; collectively, they account for the operation of over 26,000 motion picture screens in all 50 U.S. states and numerous other countries.^{[citation needed]}

NATO was founded in 1965 by the merger of the largest movie-theater trade organizations, the Theater Owners of America and the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors.^[1]

In 2011, Sony announced that it would no longer provide theatres with free 3D glasses, suggesting that theatre owners foot the bill themselves. NATO characterized the move as "insensitive" to its customers and operators indicated that fewer theatres would show 3D films.^[2]

The official magazine of NATO is Boxoffice.

Events[link]

ShoWest[link]

ShoWest, one of several Nielsen Business Media's Film Group events, is a movie theater industry trade show or exposition established by NATO in 1975,^{[citation needed]} usually held in March.^[3]

As presented on the website for the Nielsen Media Film Group, hosted by Nielsen Business Media,

The Nielsen Film Group events — ShoWest, Cinema Expo International, ShowEast and CineAsia — are the only conventions and tradeshows dedicated to the needs of the movie theatre industry worldwide. Our events bring together the key decision makers from every major, regional and independent theatre circuit with the major International Film Distributors, as well as the manufacturers of products, services and technologies for the movie theatre industry. All of our events include screenings of upcoming films, product reel presentations, educational seminars, special events and awards galas.^[3]

According to Rick Lyman, of The New York Times, it is "the largest and most important gathering of theatre operators" in the world, at which "the theatrical distribution business takes stock of its problems, which have been legion, and assesses its future, always through the rosiest glasses available."^[4]

American Movie Awards[link]

In 1980, NATO initiated the American Movie Awards, held at the Wilshire Theater, Beverly Hills, California, and broadcast on NBC, with the winners selected based on voting by theater patrons.^[5] Various legal difficulties prevented the awards from being presented in 1981, and the event was discontinued after the 1982 awards due to competition from other awards shows.^{[citation needed]}

CinemaCon[link]

CinemaCon, founded in 2011, is NATO's official convention of theater owners. The first gathering took place March 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the second held April 23 – 26, 2012, at the same venue.^[6]

CinemaCon Awards 2011[link]

Source:^[7]

• Cameron Diaz - Female Star of the Year Award
• Vin Diesel - Action Star of the Year Award
• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley - Female Star of Tomorrow Award
• Chris Hemsworth - Male Star of Tomorrow Award
• Blake Lively - Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award
• Ryan Reynolds - Male Star of the Year Award
• Harry Potter Film Franchise - Hall of Fame Award
• Helen Mirren - Career Achievement Award
• Russell Brand - Comedy Star of the Year Award
• Morgan Spurlock - Documentary Filmmaker of the Year Award
• Tyler Perry - Visionary Award
• Jason Momoa - Rising Star of 2011 Award (male)
• Julianne Hough - Rising Star of 2011 Award (female)
• Sid Ganis - Inter-Society's 2011 Ken Mason Award
• Miky Lee - Global Achievement in Exhibition Award
• Richard Fox - CinemaCon Passepartout Award
• Dick Cook - Pioneer of the Year

CinemaCon Awards 2012[link]

Source:^[8]

• Jennifer Garner - Female Star of the Year Award
• Jeremy Renner - Male Star of the Year Award
• Dwayne Johnson - Action Star of the Year Award
• Anna Faris - Comedy Star of the Year Award
• Chloë Grace Moretz - Female Star of Tomorrow Award
• Taylor Kitsch - Male Star of Tomorrow Award
• Josh Hutcherson - Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award
• Charlize Thereon - Distinguished Decade of Achievement in Film Award
• Michelle Pheiffer - Cinema Icon Award
• Sylvester Stallone - Career Achievement Award
• Judd Apatow - Award of Excellence in Filmmaking
• Timur Bekmambetov - International Filmmaker of the Year Award
• Universal Pictures International's Jack Ledwith - Passepartout Award
• Ted Pedas - NATO Marquee Award
• Delfin Fernandez - International Achievement in Exhibition Award
• Jeffrey Katzenberg - Pioneer of the Year

See also[link]

• Nielsen Business Media (Nielsen Media Film Group)

References[link]

External links[link]

• NATO Online - Official site
• Nielsen Business Media – Official site
  • Nielsen Media Film Group – Official site (Index page) of host of ShoWest, ShoEast, and related film expositions (conventions and trade shows)
  • ShoWest – Official site published by Nielsen Media Film Group (a division of Nielsen Business Media)
• allbusiness.com

Zach Galifianakis
Galifianakis in Austin, Texas, March 19, 2009
Birth name	Zachary Knight Galifianakis
Born	(1969-10-01) October 1, 1969 (age 42) Wilkesboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, film, television, music
Nationality	American
Years active	1996–Present
Genres	Alternative comedy, observational comedy, musical comedy
Subject(s)	Everyday life, self-deprecation

Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis^[1] ( /ˌɡælɨfəˈnækɨs/ GAL-i-fə-NAK-iss; born October 1, 1969)^[2] is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special. While initially more of an "underground" comedian, he garnered mainstream attention for his role as Alan Garner in the comedy film The Hangover and its sequel The Hangover Part II.

Early life[link]

Zach Galifianakis was born in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.^[2] His mother, Mary Frances (née Cashion), ran a community center for the arts, and his father, Harry Galifianakis, was a heating oil vendor. Galifianakis' paternal grandparents emigrated from Crete, Greece,^[3][4][5] and Galifianakis was baptized in his father's Greek Orthodox faith.^[6][7][8][9] His mother is of Scots-Irish descent.^[10] He has two siblings, a younger sister, Merritt, and an older brother, Greg.^[11] His uncle, Nick Galifianakis, was a congressman from North Carolina between 1967 and 1973. He attended Wilkes Central High School, and subsequently attended but did not graduate from North Carolina State University, where he was a communications major.^[12]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Galifianakis' career began on television in 1996, when he played the recurring role of a stoner named Bobby in the short-lived sitcom Boston Common. Then he joined Saturday Night Live as a writer but lasted only two weeks.^[13] Galifianakis co-starred in the film Out Cold and had small roles in Corky Romano, Below, Bubble Boy, Heartbreakers, Into the Wild, Super High Me, Little Fish Strange Pond, and Largo.

He had his own episode of Comedy Central Presents, which first aired in September 2001. It included a stand-up routine and a segment with a piano, and concluded with an a cappella group (The Night Owls, introduced as his "12 ex-girlfriends") singing "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles while he made jokes.^{[citation needed]} In 2002, he was the host of his own VH1 talk show called Late World with Zach. It featured many of his friends and regular performers from the LA comedy and music venue Largo where he appeared frequently during this time period. One episode featured Largo regulars Jon Brion and Rhett Miller as musical guests. His next television role was as a coroner named Davis in the Fox drama Tru Calling, which lasted from 2003 to 2005.^[6] He has also appeared many times on Jimmy Kimmel Live and has made three appearances on Reno 911! as "Frisbee".

Galifianakis starred as Alan Finger on the Comedy Central show Dog Bites Man, a fake news program that caught people during candid moments thinking they were being interviewed by a real news crew. In addition, he was on an episode of the Comedy Central show The Sarah Silverman Program as Fred the Homeless Guy. He also had a recurring guest role as a doctor on the animated Adult Swim show Tom Goes to the Mayor and appeared in several episodes of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! in a recurring role as Tairy Greene.

In 2006, Galifianakis was featured in Fiona Apple's music video for the song "Not About Love" where he is seen lip-synching the lyrics to the song. A year later Kanye West employed Galifianakis and indie rock musician Will Oldham for similar purposes in the second version of the video for his song "Can't Tell Me Nothing". In June 2006 Galifianakis released the single "Come On and Get It (Up in 'Dem Guts)", a comedic rap/hip-hop/dance song which features Apple's vocals.

Galifianakis was, together with Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, and Maria Bamford, one of the four Comedians of Comedy, a periodic packaged comedy tour in the style of The Original Kings of Comedy and the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. They chose to perform at live rock clubs as opposed to comedy clubs to try to reach a different audience. Much of the tour was taped, and has been featured in both a short-lived TV series on Comedy Central and a full length movie that has appeared at SXSW and on Showtime.

On February 22, 2008, he made an appearance on the Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover. He interviewed various members of the Jackass cast.

Galifianakis starred in the independent film Visioneers which played in select cities in 2008. This was Galifianakis's first starring role in a film and was given a direct-to-DVD release. That same year, Galifianakis appeared in a web video series of advertisements for Absolut vodka, along with Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, creating a parody of the Golden Girls in which one has a deep anger issue, breaking the fourth wall in exasperation and outright violence on the set.^[14] He also completed the pilot Speed Freaks for Comedy Central.^[15]

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis[link]

Galifianakis has a series of videos on the Funny or Die website titled "Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis" where he conducts interviews with popular celebrities between two potted ferns. He has interviewed Jimmy Kimmel,^[16] Michael Cera, Jon Hamm,^[17] Natalie Portman,^[18] Charlize Theron, Bradley Cooper (with a brief appearance by Carrot Top), Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter (with a brief appearance by Andy Dick), Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, Tila Tequila, Jennifer Aniston and Will Ferrell. His interview style consists of typical interview questions, bizarre non sequiturs and sometimes inappropriate sexual questions and comments.^[19]

Mainstream performances: 2009–present[link]

Galifianakis co-starred as Alan Garner in the hit comedy The Hangover and earned the MTV Movie Award for the Best Comedic Performance.^[20] Following The Hangover's release, Galifianakis was prominently advertised in subsequent films that featured him in supporting roles. These included G-Force, Youth in Revolt, and the Oscar-nominated film Up in the Air.

Galifianakis is currently a member of the regular cast playing a supporting role in the HBO series Bored to Death. He hosted Saturday Night Live on March 6, 2010 during the show's 35th season, during which he shaved his beard mid-show for a sketch, and then closed the show wearing a fake beard.^[21] He hosted again on March 12, 2011 and shaved his head this time, in a Mr. T-like hairstyle, which was allegedly supposed to be used for a sketch that never aired due to time constraints.^[22] In 2010, he starred in several films, including Dinner for Schmucks, It's Kind of a Funny Story,^[23] and Due Date.

On October 29, 2010, while debating marijuana legalization on the show HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Galifianakis appeared to have smoked marijuana on live television;^[24] host Bill Maher denied that it was real marijuana in an interview with Wolf Blitzer during an episode of The Situation Room.

In 2011, he returned as Alan Garner in the sequel, The Hangover Part II, which was set in Thailand.^[25]

In 2011, he voiced Humpty Dumpty in DreamWorks Animation's Puss in Boots.

Galifianakis will star alongside Will Ferrell in The Campaign, a political comedy directed by Jay Roach in 2012.^[26]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Zach Galifianakis

• Official website
• Zach Galifianakis on Myspace
• Zach Galifianakis on Charlie Rose
• Zach Galifianakis at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Zach Galifianakis in libraries (WorldCat catalog)

Michael Bay
on the set of Transformers (May 30, 2006)
Born	Michael Benjamin Bay (1965-02-17) February 17, 1965 (age 47) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film director Film producer
Years active	1984–present

Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects.^[1][2] His films, which include The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor and the Bad Boys and Transformers series, have grossed over three billion dollars world-wide.^[3] He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a.k.a. The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness.^[4] He is co-chair and part-owner of the digital effects house Digital Domain.^[5] He co-owns Platinum Dunes, a production house which has remade horror movies including Friday the 13th, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.^[6]

Early life[link]

Michael Bay was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He was raised by his adoptive parents Harriet, a bookstore owner/child psychiatrist, and Jim, a CPA.^[7] Bay's grandfather was Russian.^[8] His cousin, Susan Bay, is the wife of Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy.^[9] He attended the exclusive Crossroads School, in Santa Monica, California.^[10] Bay often traces his interest in action films back to an incident during his childhood. As a boy, he attached some firecrackers to a toy train and filmed the ensuing fiery disaster with his mother's 8mm camera. The fire department was called and he was grounded.^[11]

Career[link]

Bay got his start in the film industry interning with George Lucas when he was fifteen, filing the storyboards for Raiders of the Lost Ark, which he thought was going to be terrible. His opinion changed after seeing it in the theater and he was so impressed by the experience that he decided to become a film director.^[12] He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1986, majoring in both English and Film.^[13][14] He was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and a favorite student of film historian Jeanine Basinger.^[15] For his graduate work, he attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where he also studied film.^{[citation needed]}

Michael Bay began working at Propaganda Films, directing commercials and music videos, two weeks after finishing his post-graduate degree.^{[citation needed]} His 90-second World War II-inspired Coca-Cola advertisement was picked up by Capitol Records. His first national commercial for the Red Cross won a Clio Award in 1992.^[16][17] He directed Goodby, Silverstein & Partners Got Milk? advertisement campaign for the California Milk Processors Board in 1993.^[18]

Bay's success in music videos gained the attention of producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who selected him to direct his first feature-length film, Bad Boys. The film was shot in Miami in 1994 and starred Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. The action film proved to be a break-out role for Smith, who was segueing from television to films at that time. Shooting in Miami was a good experience for Bay who would later own a home in the city and spend a great deal of time there.^[19] The film was completed for $19 million dollars and grossed a remarkable $141 million at the box office in the summer of 1995.^[20] Bay's success led to a strong partnership and friendship with Jerry Bruckheimer.^[21]

His follow-up film, The Rock (1996), was an action movie set on Alcatraz Island, and in the San Francisco Bay area. It starred Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. It was also produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, the latter of whom died five months before the film's release. The film is dedicated to him.^[22] Connery and Cage won 'Best On-Screen Duo' at the MTV Movie Awards in 1997 and the film was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Achievement in Sound category for the work of Greg P. Russell, Kevin O'Connell, and Keith A. Wester.^[23][24]

In 1998, Bay collaborated with Jerry Bruckheimer again, this time as a co-producer, as well as directing the action-adventure film Armageddon.^[25][26] The film, about a group of tough oil drillers who are sent by NASA to deflect an asteroid away from a collision course with Earth, starred Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler. It was nominated for 4 Oscars at the 71st Academy Awards including Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Song.^[27] The film earned 9.6 million dollars on its opening day and a total of 36.5 million through the first weekend.^[28] The production budget, $140 million dollars, was one of the highest of the summer of 1998. Armageddon went on to gross over $553 million dollars worldwide.^[29]

In 2001, Bay directed Pearl Harbor. It starred Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale and Cuba Gooding, Jr. The film was released on Memorial Day weekend in 2001. Again, Bay produced the film with Jerry Bruckheimer. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Song. Again, Kevin O'Connell received another nomination for Best Sound, but he did not win. Pearl Harbor won in the category for Sound Editing.^[30] Michael Bay also directed the music video for nominated track "There You'll Be" by vocal artist Faith Hill.^{[citation needed]}

Bay reteamed with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence for Bad Boys II, an event which also marked Bay's fifth collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer. The film grossed $138 million domestically, enough to cover the production budget, and $273 million worldwide, almost twice as much as the first movie.

In 2005, Bay directed The Island, a science-fiction film starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. It was the first film Michael Bay made without Jerry Bruckheimer. The Island cost $126 million to produce. It earned $46 million domestically and $172 million worldwide. Bay stated that he was not comfortable with the domestic marketing campaign as it confused the audience as to the true subject of the film.^[31]

In 2007, he directed and teamed up with Steven Spielberg to produce Transformers, a live action film based on the Transformers franchise. The film was released in the U.S. and Canada on July 3, 2007, with 8 p.m. preview screenings on July 2. The previews earned $8.8 million, and in its first day of general release it grossed $27.8 million, a record for Tuesday box office attendance.^{[citation needed]} It broke the record held by Spider-Man 2 for the biggest July 4 gross, making $29 million. On its opening weekend, Transformers grossed $70.5 million, amounting to a $155.4 million opening week, giving it the record for the biggest opening week for a non-sequel.^{[citation needed]} As of November 2007, the film has made over $319 million domestically and over $708 million worldwide.

Bay returned as director and executive producer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which was released on June 24, 2009 and went on to gross over $832 million worldwide. Although it received mostly negative reviews by critics,^[32] including aggressively critical reviews by American film critics such as Roger Ebert,^[33] Michael Phillips^[34] and David Denby (who referred to Bay as "stunningly, almost viciously, untalented"),^[35][35] the film was well-received by its intended audience and was one of the highest-grossing films of 2009.^[36][37] In 2010, it earned seven Golden Raspberry Award nominations and winning three: Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.^[38]

As of 2009, Michael Bay's worldwide box office totals make him the director with the eighth highest domestic US gross of all time (not adjusted for inflation).^[39] It was also one of the best selling DVD and Blu-ray Discs of 2009, second only to Twilight in DVD format and the number one of all time in Blu-ray format until it was surpassed by Blu-ray sales of James Cameron's Avatar in April 2010.^[40][41][42]

Bay directed Transformers: Dark of the Moon, released on June 28, 2011.^[43] He may direct a sequel to the Bad Boys franchise or a "small" film he's been developing for years, tentatively called Pain & Gain.^[44] The true crime story, based on events described in a Miami Herald article^[45] written by Pete Collins, concerns a group of bumbling bodybuilders working together to commit a robbery.

Bay produced DreamWorks' I Am Number Four, based on a series of novels by authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes published by HarperCollins Children's Books. D. J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) directed.^[46][47]

Bay will co-produce One Way Out, a reality series that pits ordinary people against each other as they try to keep their pasts hidden and builds toward a showdown where all those secrets will be revealed.^[48]

Gideon's Sword, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's novel set for release in February 2011, was optioned by Bay Films and will be produced by Michael Bay. The main character, Gideon Crew, avenges the death of his father.^[49][50]

In June 2011, Bay confirmed that Pain & Gain was his next project and that it would have a budget of $20 million.^[51]

On February 13, 2012, Paramount Pictures announced that Bay will produce and direct a fourth Transformers movie with a scheduled release date of June 2014.^[52]

Production and FX companies[link]

Platinum Dunes[link]

Bay founded this production house with fellow producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form in 2001.^[53] Platinum Dunes is named after one of Bay's first student films at Wesleyan University. Brad Fuller also graduated from Wesleyan and worked for Bay as an executive assistant before joining him in this business venture. The company's first film, a remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, grossed $107 million dollars worldwide.^[54] Platinum Dunes produced lucrative remakes of classic horror films and introduced new directors like Sam Bayer and Marcus Nispel to feature film audiences. Their most recent horror film production, A Nightmare on Elm Street starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger, was released April 2010. The film made 32.9 million dollars in its opening weekend, covering nearly its entire 35 million dollar budget and went on to gross over 100 million dollars worldwide.^[55]

Paramount Pictures signed a first look deal with Platinum Dunes in 2009.^[56] As part of this new relationship, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon have brought the Platinum Dunes producers on to produce a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, rebooting the film series launched by New Line in 1990. Bay, Fuller and Form will co-produce with Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Marina Norman.^[57]

Platinum Dunes is currently in the process of selling an unnamed TV series to a "major cable network" with Bay in talks to direct the pilot.^[58]

Digital Domain[link]

Bay and Wyndcrest Holdings, a Florida-based investment firm, acquired the digital effects company Digital Domain from James Cameron and Stan Winston in 1996, infusing the struggling business with a $50 million dollar investment.^[5] Digital Domain considered an initial public offering in 2009 but ultimately withdrew the offer, because of the lack of interest. Currently a work for hire visual effects production house, Digital Domain plans to expand its efforts in the video gaming industry and become a full-fledged motion picture production house. Headquartered in Venice, Los Angeles, California, the company is also working to open branches in Vancouver, Canada and the state of Florida.^[59]

The Institute[link]

After leaving Propaganda Films, Bay and producer Scott Gardenhour, also formerly at Propaganda, formed The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness^[60] (now known as The Institute), to produce commercials and other projects. Through The Institute, Bay has directed and produced spots for Victoria's Secret, Lexus, Budweiser, Reebok, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike. His most recent advertisement for Victoria Secret was the 2009 "A Thousand Fantasies" holiday campaign.^[61]

Awards and honors[link]

Bay has received five MTV Movie Awards: Best Movie and Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet for Transformers, Best Action Scene for Pearl Harbor, Best Action Scene for Bad Boys II, and Best Action Scene for The Rock.^{[citation needed]} In 1994, Bay was honored by the Directors Guild of America with an award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials.^[62]

Michael Bay received the ShoWest 2009 Vanguard Award for excellence in filmmaking at the confab of theater owners.^[63]

Personal life[link]

Bay lives in Los Angeles and Miami with his two bullmastiffs, Bonecrusher and Grace, named for characters in Transformers and Armageddon, respectively. As a boy, he donated his Bar Mitzvah money to an animal shelter and often includes his bullmastiff dogs in his films.^[64] He had another dog, Mason. Mason the dog's last appearance in a film was as Miles' dog in Transformers. He died during production of that film in March 2007.^[65][66]

Filmography[link]

Feature films[link]

Television[link]

• Miami Vice (TV series) (1986) (actor - Goon #3)
• No Way Out (TV series) (announced) (producer)
• Cocaine Cowboys (TV series) (announced) (producer)

Music videos[link]

• "Soldier of Love" by Donny Osmond (1989) (director)
• "Angelia" by Richard Marx (1989) (director)
• "I'll Be Holding On" by Greg Allman (1989) (director) ... from the film Black Rain
• "I Love You" by Vanilla Ice (1991) (director)
• "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls (1991) (director)
• "Love Thing" by Tina Turner (1992) (director)
• "Do It to Me" by Lionel Ritchie (1992) (director)
• "You Won't See Me Cry" by Wilson Phillips (1992) (director)
• "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf (1993) (director)
• "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through" by Meat Loaf (1994) (director)
• "Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are" by Meat Loaf (1994) (director)
• "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" by Aerosmith (1997) (director)
• "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill (2001) (director) ... Theme from Pearl Harbor

References[link]

Notes

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael Bay

• Official website
• The Institute
• Michael Bay at the Internet Movie Database
• Michael Bay at AllRovi

Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens at the Sydney premiere of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Born	(1988-12-14) December 14, 1988 (age 23) Salinas, California, United States
Genres	Pop, dance[1]
Occupations	Actress, singer
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Hollywood
Website	VanessaHudgensOfficial.com

Vanessa Anne Hudgens^[2] (born December 14, 1988)^[3] is an American actress and singer.

Hudgens rose to prominence playing Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series.^[4] Hudgens also has appeared in several television programs including Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García, Drake & Josh, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. In 2009, she earned critical acclaim for her role in the film Bandslam.^[5]

In addition to acting, Hudgens released her debut album V on September 26, 2006 which entered the Billboard 200 at number twenty four, and was later certified Gold.^[6] Her second album, Identified, was released on July 1, 2008 in the United States.^[7]

Early life[link]

Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, and has lived with her parents throughout the West Coast from Oregon to Southern California. Her mother, Gina (née Guangco), held a succession of office jobs, and her father, Gregory Hudgens, was a firefighter.^[2][3] She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress.^[8] She was raised as a Roman Catholic.^[9] Hudgens is of mixed ethnic background, as her father is of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, a native of Manila, Philippines, is of Chinese-Filipino-Spanish descent.^[3][10] All of her grandparents were musicians.^[11]

Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.^[12] Two years after her career in stage plays and musicals, she started auditioning for commercials and television shows, and her family moved to Los Angeles after she won a role in a television commercial.^[11][13] Her acting career started at the age of 15, and she briefly attended Orange County High School of the Arts, followed by homeschooling with tutors.^[14][15]