Julianne Alexandra Hough (/hʌf/; born July 20, 1988)[1] 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.

[3] She received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her work on the series, winning once in 2015 with her brother, Derek Hough.

[15][16] Hough's formal training began at the Center Stage Performing Arts Studio in Orem [9] where she danced with Josh Murillo, among others, in Latin Ballroom.

She won season four of the U.S. edition of Dancing with the Stars with her partner, Olympic gold medal-winning speed skater Apolo Ohno, making Hough the youngest professional dancer to win on the program.

In July 2008, Hough was nominated at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in the category of "Outstanding Choreography" for her mambo "Para Los Rumberos" (performed with partner Hélio Castroneves) on Dancing with the Stars.

[27] On August 25, 2008, the cast of season seven was announced, and Hough was partnered with Hannah Montana actor Cody Linley.

[28][29] She subsequently had surgery to have her appendix removed after being diagnosed with endometriosis, causing her to miss several performances, Edyta Śliwińska stood in for her.

She appeared on the November 12 results show dancing the jive to "Great Balls of Fire" with her brother for the "Design-A-Dance" contest.

[40] Hough's first country-music single, "Will You Dance With Me", was released to iTunes and Wal-Mart in May 2007 to raise money for the American Red Cross.

Her 2008 self-titled debut album was recorded in Nashville and produced by David Malloy, who has worked with Reba McEntire and Eddie Rabbitt, among others.

Hough, LeAnn Rimes, Jessica Simpson, and Kellie Pickler announced the 2009 Academy of Country Music Award nominees in February 2009.

However, she also stated that, due to the underperforming lead single and having "a lot of momentum" in her film career, no plans have been made to release Wildfire.

In the film, which chronicles a small-town girl (Aguilera) who finds success at a Los Angeles burlesque club, Hough plays a dancer named Georgia.

[51] Hough's first leading role was as Ariel Moore in the 2011 remake of the Paramount film Footloose, opposite Kenny Wormald as Ren McCormack.

Hough played the role of Sherrie Christian in the 2012 film adaptation of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, alongside Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Malin Akerman.

[53] That same year she filmed her starring role opposite Josh Duhamel in the romantic drama Safe Haven, based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, which was released on February 14, 2013.

Hough starred as protagonist Mallory Rutledge in the 2015 thriller film Curve opposite Teddy Sears.

[57][58] In 2018, she was cast as Jolene in the episode of the same name from the Netflix anthology series Heartstrings, based on the Dolly Parton song.

[61] Hough made her Broadway debut as Dusty in Selina Fillinger's comedic play POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.

"[64] Critic Elizabeth Vincentelli also praised her adding, "she who didn't miss a step...[she] had a sparkly showbiz quality peppered with an adorably enthusiastic nerdiness".

[66][67] In October 2013, Hough told the New York Post that although she was no longer a practicing Mormon, she was glad that she was raised in the church.

[79] Hough attracted controversy in October 2013 when she donned blackface as part of a Halloween costume depicting Uzo Aduba's character Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren from the Netflix comedy-drama Orange Is the New Black.