ZAC EFRON
Name: Zachary David Alexander Efron
Born: 18 October 1987 San Luis Obispo, California, USA
Zachary David Alexander Efron (born October 18, 1987) is an American actor and
singer. He began acting in the early 2000s, and became known to young audiences
after his roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the
WB series Summerland, and the film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray.
Speaking to Newsweek in June 2006, director Adam Shankman described Efron as "arguably
the biggest teen star in America right now." In 2007, right before the
release of High School Musical 2, Rolling Stone declared him the "poster boy for
tweenyboppers" and featured him in their late August issue.
Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, California and later moved to Arroyo Grande,
California. His father, David Efron, is an engineer at a power plant, and his
mother, Starla Baskett, is a former secretary who worked at the same power plant
as Efron's father. Although of Jewish ancestry, Efron was raised agnostic
and has never been religious. Efron had a self-described "normal childhood"
in a middle class family, and has a younger brother, Dylan. He has said that
he would "flip out" if he got a 'B' and not an 'A' in school, and that he was a
"class clown." Efron's father encouraged him to begin acting when Efron was
eleven. He subsequently appeared in theater productions at his high school,
worked in a theater called The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, and
began taking singing lessons. Efron performed in plays such as Gypsy, Peter
Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man and
Mame, appearing at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and
graduating from the same. Efron was recommended to an agent in Los Angeles
by his drama teacher, Robyn Metchik (the mother of actors Aaron Michael Metchik
and Asher Metchik).
Efron was accepted into the University of Southern California, but deferred his
enrollment to Spring 2007 while he worked on film projects. He plans to return
at some time.
Efron has also graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, a
community college located in Santa Maria, California, which provided him with a
two-year vocational certificate program specializing in all aspects of acting.
PCPA Course Curriculum He attended during the years of 2000 and 2001. The PCPA
Alumni Page
In 2002, Efron began to appear in guest roles on several television series,
including Firefly, ER, and The Guardian. He portrayed Cameron Bale on the now-cancelled
WB series Summerland. Originally introduced as a recurring character, Efron
became a regular cast member on the show in the second season in 2004, starring
opposite the likes of Kay Panabaker and Lori Loughlin. Since appearing in
Summerland, he has also had guest roles on the shows CSI: Miami, NCIS: Naval
Criminal Investigative Service, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The
Replacements. In 2003, Efron starred in the Lifetime original television movie
Miracle Run. He played Steven Morgan, one of two autistic twins. For his
performance, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a
TV Movie, Mini-series or Special - Supporting Young Actor. In 2005, he
played a main character in Hope Partlow's music video for her song "Sick Inside."
Also in 2005, he played horse-loving Patrick McCardle in The Derby Stallion,
where his character wants to beat the town bully at the steeple chase race.
In 2006, Efron starred in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical
as Troy Bolton. The film, which he initially made with "low expectations",
helped Efron gain recognition among teenage audiences as both an actor and a
singer. As a result, he placed as high as #4 on the IMDBPro's STARMeter for the
week of January 29, 2006. In August 2006, Efron won a Teen Choice Award in
the Breakout Star and the TV - Choice Chemistry categories, shared with Vanessa
Anne Hudgens. The film's cast, along with Efron, toured Sydney, Australia,
London, England, and other locations to promote the film.
Shortly after High School Musical aired, Efron debuted with two simultaneous
charted songs on Billboard Hot 100 on February 4, 2006, with "Get'cha Head in
the Game" and "Breaking Free," a duet with Vanessa Anne Hudgens from the film.
On the following week's chart, Efron had five simultaneous song credits from
High School Musical: "Get'cha Head in the Game," "Start of Something New," "What
I've Been Looking For: Reprise," "We're All in This Together" and "Breaking Free."
"We're All in This Together" was credited to the whole High School Musical cast.
"Breaking Free," at the time, made the fastest climb in the history of the
Billboard charts, from #86 to #4 between the two weeks; the record has since
been beaten by Eminem and Akon's "Smack That." Efron also appeared in the
2006 Disney Channel Games as captain of the Red Team.
Efron's singing talents were disputed when it was revealed that Andrew Seeley's
voice was blended with his on the soundtrack of High School Musical. An
August 23, 2007 interview in Rolling Stone magazine revealed that he had been
cast in High School Musical after the songs were written, and the songs (written
for a tenor) were somewhat out of his baritone vocal range. Efron's subsequent
singing performances in Hairspray and High School Musical 2 were genuine, though
arguably not as polished as those of Seeley's. Efron stated in interviews that
he feels his future is that of a serious dramatic actor, not necessarily a
singer.
On April 7, 2007, Efron appeared in an episode of Punk'd. Efron also starred in
the music video for Vanessa Hudgens's single "Say OK", where he played her love
interest. The video aired on March 16, 2007 on Disney Channel. That year, he was
named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007. A picture and
short profile of him was in the section "Coming of Age". In it, he related how
he was always the shortest kid in school (he is now 5'8") and was teased for
the "huge gap" in his teeth.
In 2006, Efron was cast as Link Larkin in a film version of Hairspray released
on July 20, 2007. Efron performed all of his own vocals in the role, which
was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, from September 5 to December 2, 2006. He cut and
dyed his hair dark brown and gained about 15 pounds for the role. Both Efron's
performance and the film have received positive reviews. Because of this, he
was not able to perform with his fellow castmates in High School Musical: The
Concert. Drew Seeley took over for him.
Efron presented the 2007 Teen Choice Award for "Favorite Movie" alongside Queen
Latifah.
Efron's upcoming roles include Seventeen, a high school-set drama/comedy
produced by Adam Shankman and based on a pitch by Jason Filardi; the plot
involves an adult who is transformed into a 17-year old (to be played by Efron).
Efron is also scheduled to star in Paramount's musical remake of the film
Footloose; he has said that he would like to add his "own little bit of
flair" to the role originated by Kevin Bacon.
For his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray, Efron (along with his co-star
Nikki Blonsky) won the "One to Watch" award of the Young Hollywood Awards.
Efron appeared on the cover of the August 2007 edition of Rolling Stone. The
article about him revealed that he hopes to someday play an action hero.
Efron has finalized negotiations with the producers of Seventeen, a film slated
to commence shooting in December 2007.
Before the release of High School Musical 2, Efron topped IMDBPro's Star Meter
at #1, indicating that he was the most searched celebrity. Additionally,
Lycos reported searches for Efron surged by 81%. Amid the frenzy surrounding
Zac Efron, the release of High School Musical 2 set a new record, becoming the
most watched basic cable program in U.S. history, with 17.2 million viewers.
Efron co-hosted the 2007 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards with The
Veronicas on October 10 in Sydney.
Efron will be reprising his role as Troy in the final High School Musical film
High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
Name: Zachary David Alexander Efron
Born: 18 October 1987 San Luis Obispo, California, USA
Zachary David Alexander Efron (born October 18, 1987) is an American actor and
singer. He began acting in the early 2000s, and became known to young audiences
after his roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the
WB series Summerland, and the film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray.
Speaking to Newsweek in June 2006, director Adam Shankman described Efron as "arguably
the biggest teen star in America right now." In 2007, right before the
release of High School Musical 2, Rolling Stone declared him the "poster boy for
tweenyboppers" and featured him in their late August issue.
Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, California and later moved to Arroyo Grande,
California. His father, David Efron, is an engineer at a power plant, and his
mother, Starla Baskett, is a former secretary who worked at the same power plant
as Efron's father. Although of Jewish ancestry, Efron was raised agnostic
and has never been religious. Efron had a self-described "normal childhood"
in a middle class family, and has a younger brother, Dylan. He has said that
he would "flip out" if he got a 'B' and not an 'A' in school, and that he was a
"class clown." Efron's father encouraged him to begin acting when Efron was
eleven. He subsequently appeared in theater productions at his high school,
worked in a theater called The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville, and
began taking singing lessons. Efron performed in plays such as Gypsy, Peter
Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man and
Mame, appearing at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and
graduating from the same. Efron was recommended to an agent in Los Angeles
by his drama teacher, Robyn Metchik (the mother of actors Aaron Michael Metchik
and Asher Metchik).
Efron was accepted into the University of Southern California, but deferred his
enrollment to Spring 2007 while he worked on film projects. He plans to return
at some time.
Efron has also graduated from the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, a
community college located in Santa Maria, California, which provided him with a
two-year vocational certificate program specializing in all aspects of acting.
PCPA Course Curriculum He attended during the years of 2000 and 2001. The PCPA
Alumni Page
In 2002, Efron began to appear in guest roles on several television series,
including Firefly, ER, and The Guardian. He portrayed Cameron Bale on the now-cancelled
WB series Summerland. Originally introduced as a recurring character, Efron
became a regular cast member on the show in the second season in 2004, starring
opposite the likes of Kay Panabaker and Lori Loughlin. Since appearing in
Summerland, he has also had guest roles on the shows CSI: Miami, NCIS: Naval
Criminal Investigative Service, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The
Replacements. In 2003, Efron starred in the Lifetime original television movie
Miracle Run. He played Steven Morgan, one of two autistic twins. For his
performance, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a
TV Movie, Mini-series or Special - Supporting Young Actor. In 2005, he
played a main character in Hope Partlow's music video for her song "Sick Inside."
Also in 2005, he played horse-loving Patrick McCardle in The Derby Stallion,
where his character wants to beat the town bully at the steeple chase race.
In 2006, Efron starred in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical
as Troy Bolton. The film, which he initially made with "low expectations",
helped Efron gain recognition among teenage audiences as both an actor and a
singer. As a result, he placed as high as #4 on the IMDBPro's STARMeter for the
week of January 29, 2006. In August 2006, Efron won a Teen Choice Award in
the Breakout Star and the TV - Choice Chemistry categories, shared with Vanessa
Anne Hudgens. The film's cast, along with Efron, toured Sydney, Australia,
London, England, and other locations to promote the film.
Shortly after High School Musical aired, Efron debuted with two simultaneous
charted songs on Billboard Hot 100 on February 4, 2006, with "Get'cha Head in
the Game" and "Breaking Free," a duet with Vanessa Anne Hudgens from the film.
On the following week's chart, Efron had five simultaneous song credits from
High School Musical: "Get'cha Head in the Game," "Start of Something New," "What
I've Been Looking For: Reprise," "We're All in This Together" and "Breaking Free."
"We're All in This Together" was credited to the whole High School Musical cast.
"Breaking Free," at the time, made the fastest climb in the history of the
Billboard charts, from #86 to #4 between the two weeks; the record has since
been beaten by Eminem and Akon's "Smack That." Efron also appeared in the
2006 Disney Channel Games as captain of the Red Team.
Efron's singing talents were disputed when it was revealed that Andrew Seeley's
voice was blended with his on the soundtrack of High School Musical. An
August 23, 2007 interview in Rolling Stone magazine revealed that he had been
cast in High School Musical after the songs were written, and the songs (written
for a tenor) were somewhat out of his baritone vocal range. Efron's subsequent
singing performances in Hairspray and High School Musical 2 were genuine, though
arguably not as polished as those of Seeley's. Efron stated in interviews that
he feels his future is that of a serious dramatic actor, not necessarily a
singer.
On April 7, 2007, Efron appeared in an episode of Punk'd. Efron also starred in
the music video for Vanessa Hudgens's single "Say OK", where he played her love
interest. The video aired on March 16, 2007 on Disney Channel. That year, he was
named one of People magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People in 2007. A picture and
short profile of him was in the section "Coming of Age". In it, he related how
he was always the shortest kid in school (he is now 5'8") and was teased for
the "huge gap" in his teeth.
In 2006, Efron was cast as Link Larkin in a film version of Hairspray released
on July 20, 2007. Efron performed all of his own vocals in the role, which
was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, from September 5 to December 2, 2006. He cut and
dyed his hair dark brown and gained about 15 pounds for the role. Both Efron's
performance and the film have received positive reviews. Because of this, he
was not able to perform with his fellow castmates in High School Musical: The
Concert. Drew Seeley took over for him.
Efron presented the 2007 Teen Choice Award for "Favorite Movie" alongside Queen
Latifah.
Efron's upcoming roles include Seventeen, a high school-set drama/comedy
produced by Adam Shankman and based on a pitch by Jason Filardi; the plot
involves an adult who is transformed into a 17-year old (to be played by Efron).
Efron is also scheduled to star in Paramount's musical remake of the film
Footloose; he has said that he would like to add his "own little bit of
flair" to the role originated by Kevin Bacon.
For his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray, Efron (along with his co-star
Nikki Blonsky) won the "One to Watch" award of the Young Hollywood Awards.
Efron appeared on the cover of the August 2007 edition of Rolling Stone. The
article about him revealed that he hopes to someday play an action hero.
Efron has finalized negotiations with the producers of Seventeen, a film slated
to commence shooting in December 2007.
Before the release of High School Musical 2, Efron topped IMDBPro's Star Meter
at #1, indicating that he was the most searched celebrity. Additionally,
Lycos reported searches for Efron surged by 81%. Amid the frenzy surrounding
Zac Efron, the release of High School Musical 2 set a new record, becoming the
most watched basic cable program in U.S. history, with 17.2 million viewers.
Efron co-hosted the 2007 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards with The
Veronicas on October 10 in Sydney.
Efron will be reprising his role as Troy in the final High School Musical film
High School Musical 3: Senior Year.