Actor / Director Profile

Julianne was raised in Utah, the youngest child of 5 children. Her mother is Mari Anne and her father is Bruce Robert Hough, a twice chairman of the Utah Republican Party. Her parents met in college, when they were both part of a ballroom dancing team. Her parents divorced and she has 9 step-siblings from their second marriages. Her mother was instrumental in her career in entertainment, enrolling her and her siblings in various performing classes from a very young age. She began her training in Latin Ballroom dancing at the Center Stage Performing Arts Studio in Orem, Utah. At age 10, along with her brother Derek Hough, she went to London, UK, to study with coaches, Corky and Shirley Ballas. They attended the Italia Conti Academy with the Ballas' son. The three children performed as a pop music trio '2B1G' (2 Boys, 1 Girl) at dance competitions in the UK and the US. At age 15, Julianne won the Junior World Latin Champion and International Latin Youth Champion at the Blackpool Dance Festival. During this time in London, her parents divorced. She returned to America to live with her mother in Las Vegas, where she attended the Las Vegas Academy. After a year, she moved back to Utah to live with her father and graduated from Alta high school. She then moved to Los Angeles to begin her career in Entertainment.Julianne quickly landed her first job as a dancer on the ABC game show "Show Me the Money" (2006). She then went on tour as a company dancer with Dancing with the stars and joined the cast of "Dancing with the Stars" (2005/I) in season four. Julianne is also known as a country singer. She released her debut album in 2008, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart and #3 on the Billboard 200. Her first acting role was in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) at age 13. She is appearing in her first lead role in Footloose (2011).Julianne is also actively involved in charities and humanitarian efforts including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Clothes Off Our Back, St. Jude's Children's Hospital and serves on the American Red Cross Cabinet.