Zac Efron Biography

Although you might not immediately recognize his name, Zac Efron is certainly doing everything in his power to change that. With increasing exposure in both television and film, Efron is quickly solidifying himself as one of America’s biggest rising teen stars. 

Zachary David Alexander Efron was born October 18, 1987, in San Luis Obispo, California. His parents are David Efron and Starla Baskett, an electrical engineer and secretary respectively. 

From a very early age, Efron displayed an interest in both school and acting. Purportedly, he was extremely distressed with a B grade rather than an A in his schoolwork. By age eleven, acting was very much a part of his life, with much of his time absorbed in numerous stage productions. These included Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man, and more. 

But it wasn’t until 2002 that Efron broke into commercial productions. His first appearance was on the short lived, but well-loved series Firefly. He guest starred for one episode alongside regulars Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau. 

He next appeared on the television production The Big Wide World of Carl Laemke starring Bob Odenkirk, Bob Bancroft, and Beth Littleford. This same year, he also had a guest appearance on the television show ER. 

The year 2004, though, really proved to be a breakout year for Efron. Not only did he guest star on the popular television series The Guardian with Simon Baker, but he also starred in the television film Miracle Run. Playing one of two autistic twins, Efron acted with Hollywood players Mary Louise Parker and Aidan Quinn. And for his efforts, Efron was rewarded with a Young Artist Award nomination. 

This was also the year he would land his first recurring role on a television production. It was entitled Summerland, and it ran for two successful seasons on the WB before being cancelled. His co-stars included Kay Panabaker and Lori Loughlin. 

With his show newly axed, Efron wasted no time getting another career boosting acting gig. In 2006, he took his arguably largest and most successful role with High School Musical. It was now both his acting and singing skills that were displayed to audiences. With the success of the show, Efron and costars Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman all rocketed to stardom. 

In 2007 Efron landed the role of Link Larkin in the film version of Hairspray. The all-star cast included John Travolta, Amanda Bynes, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brittany Snow, James Marsden, Allison Janney, and newcomer Nikki Blonsky. 

Thanks to the success of High School Musical, Efron had two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 2006—“Get’cha Head in the Game” and “Breaking Free.” 

Zac has also been signed up for the next High School Musical 2: Sing It All or Nothing! 

When he’s not singing or acting, Efron enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, golfing, and skiing. He also cites his autographed baseball collection as one of his most cherished possession.

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