10 People Who Won An Oscar For Their First Ever Film

10. Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

Before 2006, Jennifer Hudson was known by most as the unbelievably gifted singer who shockingly crashed out of the third season of American Idol. Yet, all of that quickly changed as soon as people got wind of her show-stopping performance as Effie White in musical drama Dreamgirls (2006).

In her first ever film role, Hudson brought down the house in cinemas all around the world with her awe-inspiring performance of And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, and it wasn't long before her impressive turn was being publicly celebrated by fans and critics alike.

This stellar showing eventually led to a ton of awards such as a Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. Yet things would go from great to unbelievable in the coming weeks as Hudson incredibly took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

That very same singer who didn't make it past the 'Top Seven' in American Idol had just picked up an Oscar, despite never appearing in a professional feature before then.

In the years since, Hudson has gone on to appear in films like Cats (2019) and Sex and the City (2008), and she's also set to star as Aretha Franklin in a biopic of her life called Respect (2021). Outside of film, she's also released three albums and appeared on TV shows like Empire and The Voice.