Zac Efron: Snapshot

Name
Zac Efron
Date of Birth
October 18, 1987
Birth Place
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Zac Efron is the king of the tweens! They fell in love with the floppy-haired cutie as singing jock Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel megahit High School Musical. After its premiere in January 2006, the TV movie became the most-watched program in Disney's history.

In the summer of 2007, Efron laced up his b-ball sneakers again for HSM 2 with his costar and first love Vanessa Hudgens. He also jumped to the big-screen in the star-studded remake of Hairspray and landed a sexy cover of Rolling Stone, which proclaimed him, "The New American Heartthrob."

After hitting the box office with the final HSM flick, Efron ditched Disney, headlining 17 Again, Me and Orson Welles and 2010's Charlie St. Cloud.

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Zac Efron: Five Fun Facts

  1. Growing up, Zac Efron had a crush on Tyra Banks. "She was the first poster I had on my wall. I had it on my ceiling!" he told Seventeen. "And I had a bunk bed, so she was, like, really close. It was the famous purple bathing suit shot."
  2. Not all of Zac Efron's vocals in High School Musical belong to him. "I didn't even sing on the first album," Efron tells Rolling Stone. "It wasn't my voice in the movie. Even though I wanted to do it...I felt extremely guilty."
  3. Zac Efron says no to sex scenes. "I want to save a little bit of that young image that I've earned from the Disney Channel," he told The San Luis Obispo Tribune.
  4. Zac Efron was Punk'd in April 2007 by High School Musical costar Ashley Tisdale and Ashton Kutcher. The set-up: He was accused of letting men steal a cash box from a clothing store.
  5. Zac Efron was scheduled to attend his first year at USC, but deferred after landing his HSM role.

Zac Efron: Biography

1987

Zac Efron

October 18

Welcome, Zac

David, an electrical engineer, and Starla Baskett, a former secretary, welcome son, Zachary David Alexander Efron. Younger brother Dylan soon joins the family, who lives in Arroyo Grande, Calif., 190 miles north of L.A.

1998

Zac Efron

The Acting Bug

Efron, 11, tries out for a minor role in the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts (PCPA) musical Gypsy and lands the part. "From day one, I got addicted to being on stage and getting the applause and laughter," he tells his hometown newspaper The San Luis Obispo Tribune in 2006. He goes on to audition for a slew of local plays, and undertakes singing lessons and drama classes.

2002

Trying Out

Efron and his mother Starla drive to L.A. three days a week for auditions, while he studies at Arroyo Grande High School in San Luis Obispo, Calif. "For every role that I have done on TV and movies, I've auditioned for 30 or 40," he tells the Tribune. The young actor makes the jump from local plays to national TV with TV series guest spots on Firefly, ER and The Guardian.

Read More on Zac Efron's Life

Photo Credits

Top Left: Lance Staedler

Edited by Janet Mock and Julia Wang

Zac Efron

Celebrity Central / Top 25 Celebs