Zachary David Alexander Efron (born October 18, 1987) is an American television actor and singer.
Biography
Early life
Efron was born in San Luis Obispo, California to David Efron and Starla Baskett, of Jewish descent.[1] He has a brother, Dylan, and owns two Australian Shepherds named Dreamer and Puppy, as well as a Siamese cat named Simon. At age eleven, his singing talent was discovered and encouraged, and he was cast in the musical Gypsy for 90 runs. He went on to have roles in stage productions of Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, and Mame.
Career
In 2002, Efron began to have guest roles on television series, including Firefly, ER, and The Guardian.
Efron is best known for portraying Cameron Bale on the now-cancelled WB series Summerland. Originally introduced as a guest star, Efron became a regular cast member on the show in the second season in 2004. Since appearing in Summerland, he has also had guest roles on the shows CSI: Miami, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
In 2004, Zac starred in the Lifetime original TV movie Miracle Run. He played Steven Morgan, one of two autistic twins. Overcoming incredible odds, with his mother's support, he achieved the unimaginable, winning a cross country competition and seeking the heart of the girl of his dreams, Jennifer. For his performance, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special - Supporting Young Actor.[1]
In 2006, Efron starred in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical as Troy Bolton alongside actresses Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale and actor Lucas Grabeel. This role helped Efron gain recognition among teenage audiences as both an actor and a successful singer. Combined with his simultaneous appearances on The Suite Life and NCIS, Efron placed as high as #4 on the IMDBPro's STARMeter for the week of January 29, 2006.[2]
Efron became the first artist to debut with two charted songs in the same week on the February 4, 2006 Billboard Hot 100, with the songs, Get'cha Head In the Game (a solo) and Breaking Free, a duet with Vanessa Anne Hudgens, from High School Musical. On the following week, Efron had five simultaneous song credits, all from High School Musical, including, once more, Get'cha Head in the Game, and three duets with Hudgens, Breaking Free (which made the fastest climb in the history of the Billboard charts, from #86 to #4 between the two weeks), Start of Something New and What I've Been Looking For, as well as We're all in this Together, which was credited to the High School Musical cast.
Efron's singing talents were disputed when it was revealed that Andrew Seeley's voice was blended with Efron's voice on the soundtrack. Efron has also commented on the irony of his playing a top basketball player in "High School Musical", as he himself had been bad at the sport throughout his life.[3]
Television roles
Year | Film/Television | Role | Other notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | The Big Wide World of Carl Laemke | Pete Laemke | |
2004 | Summerland | Cameron Bale | |
2004 | Miracle Run | Steven Morgan | |
2005 | The Derby Stallion | Patrick McCardle | |
2006 | High School Musical | Troy Bolton | |
2006 | The Suite Life of Zack and Cody | Trevor | |
2006 | Heist | Pizza Delivery Guy | Episode aired March 22, 2006 |
2006 | If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home Now | Cody | |
2007 | High School Musical 2 | Troy Bolton |
Guest appearances
- MTV April 26, 2006 - As himself.
- The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2006) - Trevor
- Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service (2006) - Danny
- CSI: Miami (2005) - Seth Dawson
- The Guardian (2004) - Luke Tomello
- ER (2003) - Bobby Neville
- The Big Wide World of Carl Laemke (2003) - Pete Laemke
- Firefly (2002) - Young Simon
- Sick Inside (Music Video)- Hope Partlow- Cheating Guy
Discography
Singles
- 2006: Breaking Free with Vanessa Anne Hudgens #4 US
- 2006: Start of Something New with Vanessa Anne Hudgens #28 US
- 2006: We're All In This Together (with High School Musical Cast feat. PJ Schwartz) #34 US
- 2006: I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You (with Vanessa Anne Hudgens , Ashley Tisdale , and Lucas Grabeel)
Albums
- 2006: High School Musical: The Soundtrack #1 US (2x Platinum)(US Sales: 1,680,000)
References
Footnotes
- ^ "IMDB". IMDB Awards for Zac Efron. Retrieved March 13.
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