One of Hudson's early films was in "Penitentiary II" (1982) starring Leon Isaac Kennedy. He landed various guest roles on television series such as "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The A-Team". He was on the television series "Fantasy Island" in a first-season episode as a voodoo man named Jamu. Hudson gained fame playing Winston Zeddemore, who enlists with the Ghostbusters in the feature film "Ghostbusters" (1984) and its 1989 sequel. He also auditioned to reprise the role for the animated series, "The Real Ghostbusters", but it was given to Arsenio Hall. He had a major supporting role as the mentally challenged handyman Solomon in "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" (1992).