Julianne Hough

Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American dancer, actress, singer, and television personality. Born on July 20, 1988, in Orem, Utah, she was raised as the youngest of five children in a family where all four of her grandparents were dancers. She began formal dance training as a child before moving to London at age ten to study performing arts, singing, and gymnastics at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. At fifteen, she achieved international recognition by becoming the youngest performer and first American to win both the Junior World Latin Champion and International Latin Youth Champion titles at the Blackpool Dance Festival.

Hough gained widespread television prominence in 2007 after joining ABC's reality competition series Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer. She secured consecutive victories in her early seasons, winning season four alongside Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno and season five with race car driver Hélio Castroneves. After briefly departing to focus on other projects, she returned as a guest judge and later served as a permanent panelist from 2014 to 2017. Her choreography on the show earned her a Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 alongside her brother, Derek Hough. In 2023, she rejoined the production as a co-host alongside Alfonso Ribeiro.

In addition to her dance career, Hough established herself in the country music industry. In 2007, she released her debut single, Will You Dance With Me, to raise funds for the American Red Cross. She subsequently signed with Mercury Nashville and released a self-titled debut album in 2008, which reached the top spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Her musical achievements were recognized at the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in 2009, where she won the Top New Artist award.

Hough expanded her career into film and musical theater following an uncredited appearance in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She secured her first major screen role in the 2010 musical film Burlesque, followed by leading roles in the 2011 remake of Footloose, the 2012 musical adaptation Rock of Ages, and the 2013 drama Safe Haven. In 2016, she starred as Sandy in Fox's live television production of Grease.

Beyond her film and television projects, Hough has participated in joint nationwide dance tours with her brother and served as a judge for the fourteenth season of NBC's America's Got Talent in 2019. In 2022, she made her Broadway debut in the political farce POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive and hosted the Tony Awards pre-show.