Julianne Hough

Biography of Julianne Hough

Julianne Alexandra Hough was born on July 20, 1988 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is an American actress, singer and dance athlete.

Julianne Hough was born the youngest child of her parents in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has four older siblings and was raised in a Mormon family. Her parents divorced when Hough was about 10 years old. At that time she was training in dance, singing and acting with her brother Derek in London. She has nine other step-siblings from her parents' subsequent marriages. Her cousin is singer, actor and dancer Ross Lynch.

After completing her education in England, she moved to her mother in Las Vegas, where she attended the Las Vegas Academy. After a year, however, she went back to her father in Utah and attended Alta High School there. After graduating from high school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career. One of her best friends is Nina Dobrev, known from the fantasy series Vampire Diaries. Hough has been married to Canadian ice hockey player Brooks Laich since July 2017.

In 2001, she landed a small role in the Harry Potter film adaptation The Philosopher's Stone as a Hogwarts schoolgirl, but the role went uncredited. After returning to the United States, she won the 2008 ABC dance show Dancing with the Stars where she performed with her brother Derek. In the same year she was also active as a star of the country scene. Her debut album hit #1 on the country charts in 2008. In 2009, she won Academy of Country Best New Singer and Best New Artist awards. She then appeared as the opening act for Brad Paisley and as a partner with George Strait.

In 2010, she starred as Georgia in the Steve Antin musical film Burlesque alongside Cher and Christina Aguilera. In the musical comedy Footloose she starred as Ariel alongside Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell. She plays singer Sherrie Christian in Adam Shankman's Rock of Ages. Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones star in this rock musical adaptation.