With his dreamy blue eyes and sexy smile, Efron became an instant teen heartthrob when he played a high-school basketball star who discovers his love for singing, dancing and an unpopular classmate in Disney's smash 2006 TV-movie
High School Musical. The up-and-coming actor had a similar revelation off screen at age 11, when he began appearing in community theater productions of musicals such as
Mame and
The Music Man. In the '00s, he began racking up small-screen guest spots, and even had a regular role on the short-lived drama
Summerland. But Efron started realizing his true potential under Disney's tutelage, headlining
HSM and appearing on the station's popular teen series
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. In 2007, he made a splash as an Elvis-like star in the movie musical
Hairspray.
Zac Efron Fast Facts:
- Duet with Vanessa Anne 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 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.
- Zac Efron Relationships:
- David Efron - Father
- Dylan Efron - Brother
- Starla Efron - Mother
- Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Significant Other
