Actor Zac Efron's career began when he was just 11 years old, when his parents took note of his tremendous singing talent. They let him audition for a production of Gypsy, and he won a small role in a production that would run for 90 performances. He would eventually graduate to on-screen acting, scoring a recurring role on the hit series Summerland in 2004. This would seem like his big break, but an even bigger role would come the next year, in the hugely popular Disney feature High School Musical. Efron immediately earned a strong, loyal fan base, going on to star in big screen projects like Hairspray, 17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud, and The Lucky One.
Zac Efron
Share on
Biography by AllMovie
Movie Highlights
Factsheet
- Began acting in community theater when he was 11.
- Accepted to University of Southern California, but deferred his spot in order to concentrate on acting.
- Duet with Vanessa Hudgens, "Breaking Free" (from High School Musical), jumped from No. 86 to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in one week, the biggest leap at that point in the chart's history.
- The first new artist to have two songs ("Breaking Free" and "Get'cha Head in the Game") debut simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Cast in the 2011 remake of Footloose, but dropped out of the project before filming began in order to tackle more diverse projects.
- Donated his first car (and a chance to hang out with him) to a Make-A-Wish auction in 2014.