Julianne Hough

Julianne Alexandra Hough (; born July 20, 1988) is an American dancer, singer, actress and television personality. In 2007, she joined the cast of ABC's Dancing with the Stars as a professional dancer, winning two seasons with her celebrity partners. After leaving the show in 2009, she returned in 2014 to serve as a judge, a position she held until 2017. She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on the series, winning once in 2015 with her brother, Derek Hough.

Hough made her acting debut in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but played her first major role in the 2010 film Burlesque, which was followed with leading roles as Ariel in Footloose (2011), Sherrie in Rock of Ages (2012), and Katie in Safe Haven (2013). Hough portrayed Sandy in the 2016 live Fox television production of Grease. She also served as a judge on America's Got Talent for its 14th season. In 2022, she made her Broadway theater debut in the political farce POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. In the same year, she hosted The Tony Awards: Act One alongside Darren Criss. In 2023, Hough returned to Dancing with the Stars as co-host, alongside main host Alfonso Ribeiro.

Early life

Hough was born in Orem, Utah, the youngest of five children in a Mormon family. Her parents are Bruce and Marianne Hough; her father was twice chairman of the Utah Republican Party and ran for Utah's 2nd congressional district in 2023. Her brother, Derek Hough, is also a professional dancer. She has three older sisters. All four of Hough's grandparents were dancers. She is the second cousin of musicians Riker, Rydel, Rocky, Ryland, and Ross Lynch from the band R5; their maternal grandmothers are sisters.