We wrote the biography of Zac Efron, who was interested in acting from an early age, gained a quick reputation with the movie 'High School Musical', and whose name we hear frequently nowadays.
Real name Zachary David Alexander Efron was born on October 18, 1987 in San Luis Obispo, California. He was born to David Efron, whose father was an electrical engineer, and Starla Baskett, whose mother was an administrative assistant. Efron has a younger brother named Dylan and a half-sister named Olivia from his father. While Efron said he had a "normal childhood" in a middle-class family, he described himself as Jewish.
Efron said about himself that he goes crazy if he fails in school, and that he cares a lot about his studies. Adding that he is the class clown, Efron has worked in theaters such as "The Great American Melodrama" and "Vaudeville". Meanwhile, he started taking singing lessons. Subsequently, he performed in shows such as "Gypsy", "Peter Pan or the Boy Who Didn't Want to Grow Up", "Little Shop of Horrors," and "Music Man." Actor Aaron Michael Metchik's mother was recommended to an agency in Los Angeles by drama teacher Robyn Metchik. And he signed an agreement with Creative Artists Agency.
He trained at the "Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts", a theater company operating at Allan Hancock College, a community college where he performed in 2000 and 2001. Efron, who graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 2006, was accepted to the University of Southern California but did not enroll.
He started acting in the early 2000s by making guest appearances in various productions such as the space western drama TV series "Firefly", the medical drama TV series "ER" and the drama TV series "The Guardian". In 2004, he resumed his career as a recurring character in the first season of the WB drama TV series "Summerland." The following year, he was cast in the main cast for the show's second season. That year, he appeared as one of two autistic twins in the Lifetime television movie "Miracle Run" (2004), directed by Gregg Champion. He also earned a Young Artist Award nomination for his performance.
The turning point in Efron's career came when he co-starred with Vanessa Hudgens as Troy Bolton in the teen musical television movie "High School Musical" (2006), which premiered on Disney Channel in January 2006. The film was a huge success, both critically and commercially, and made Efron popular with younger audiences. Additionally, the soundtrack of the film was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and became one of the best-selling albums of the year in the US.
He later became part of a large cast as Link Larkin in the musical romantic comedy "Hairspray" (2007), based on the Broadway musical of the same name. Released in July 2007, the film was a huge commercial and critical success. It also broke the record for the biggest sales for a movie musical in the weekend so far. In the same year, he reprized the role of Troy Bolton in the sequel "High School Musical 2" (2007), a television musical directed by Kenny Ortega and aired on Disney Channel in August 2007. The film, which broke many audience records, was also praised for its soundtrack.
Efron reprized his role in the musical "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (2008), the first movie in the series to be released theatrically. A major blockbuster at the box office, the film received mixed and positive reviews from critics. It was also a commercial success as it broke the record for the biggest opening weekend for a musical film and topped the charts with its soundtrack. He followed this up with the teen fantasy comedy "17 Again" (2009), about a 37-year-old man (Matthew Perry) who, after a coincidental accident, transforms into his 17-year-old self (Efron). The film also starred Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, and Michelle Trachtenberg, alongside Efron and Matthew Perry. While the film was commercially successful, it received mixed reviews.
Efron's next appearance was in Richard Linklater's period drama movie "Me and Orson Welles," co-starring with Christian McKay and Claire Danes. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2008, the film was screened widely in late 2009. The film, which received mostly positive reviews from critics, failed to show the same success at the box office. Later, he played the lead role in the supernatural romantic drama movie "Charlie St. Cloud" (2010). The film, which received mostly negative reviews from critics, was a moderate success at the box office. In 2010, Efron started his own production company called "Ninjas Runnin' Wild".
The following year, he starred as part of the major cast in the romantic comedy "New Year's Eve" (2011) directed by Garry Marshall, which depicted a series of holiday short stories with diverse cast of characters. While the film received generally negative reviews from critics, it was a huge success at the box office. He later appeared in a supporting role in the comedy-drama film "Liberal Arts" (2012), written and directed by Josh Radnor. Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012, the film had a limited release that same year and received generally positive reviews. He also starred in the crime drama film "The Paperboy" (2012), written and directed by Lee Daniels, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012 and received wider screening that year. The film garnered mixed and negative reviews from critics.
Later that year, he lent his voice in the commercially successful computer-animated fantasy musical comedy "The Lorax" (2012), based on the children's book of the same name. He then starred with Taylor Schilling in the romantic drama movie "The Lucky One" (2012), based on the novel of the same name and directed by Scott Hicks. Gathering negative reviews from critics, the film was a huge box office success. Later in the year, he appeared in the drama film "At Any Price" directed by Ramin Bahrani, which premiered at the 2012 Venice International Film Festival. The film was met with mixed and positive reviews. The following year, he starred in the historical drama film "Parkland", which premiered at the 2013 Venice International Film Festival and was written and directed by Peter Landesman. The film did not do well at the box office, receiving mixed reviews from critics.
His 2014 premiere came with Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan in the romantic comedy drama movie "That Awkward Moment" directed by Tom Gormican, for whom he also executive produced. The film was a moderate commercial success, grossing mostly negative reviews from critics. He was later seen in the lead role with Seth Rogen in the adult comedy movie "Neighbors" (2014), directed by Nicholas Stoller. The film was a huge commercial success, garnering mostly positive reviews from critics. Critics also praised Efron's groundbreaking performance, adding that he had gotten rid of his "Disney handsome" image.
Efron's only production in 2015 was with Max Joseph's drama film "We Are Your Friends" (2015), in which he plays a struggling DJ. The film, which was moderately successful, received mixed reviews, although Efron's performance was appreciated. In January the following year, he co-starred with Robert De Niro in the Dan Mazer-directed adult comedy "Dirty Grandpa," about a stray young man who reluctantly spoils his grandfather by taking him on vacation to Florida. While the film received mostly negative reviews from critics for its vulgar humor, it was a commercial success after its release. He then appeared in the comedy sequel "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" directed by Nicholas Stoller. Released in May 2016, the film became a commercial and critical success. He starred alongside Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza in the romantic comedy movie "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," released in July of that year. The film received mixed reviews upon release and grossed over $77 million worldwide.
In 2017, he co-starred with Dwayne Johnson in "Baywatch," the action comedy remake of the television series of the same name. The movie, which was released in May, achieved a successful revenue, but garnered negative reviews. Efron received a Worst Actor Award nomination at the 38th Golden Raspberry Awards, while the film received five nominations, including a Worst Picture Award nomination at the same ceremony. Also in 2017, he appeared in two biopics that were released in December. The first was "The Disaster Artist," a biographical comedy-drama film directed and starring James Franco. The second came in a supporting role as Phillip in the biographical musical drama film "The Greatest Showman." Both films earned Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy.
In 2019, Efron played a drug-addicted womanizer in the comedy movie "The Beach Bum," written and directed by Harmony Korine. He also co-starred with Lily Collins as serial killer Ted Bundy in the biographical crime drama film "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile." The film, which premiered at Sundance in early 2019, was released by Netflix on May 3 and received mixed reviews from critics.
The following year, he also voiced the character of Fred Jones the sequel animated mystery comedy "Scoob!". In 2021, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Daytime Host for the Netflix web documentary series "Down to Earth with Zac Efron." Later, he got the lead role in the survival thriller "Gold" directed by Anthony Hayes. The film was met with mixed to average reviews. In the same year, he also appeared in the lead role in the science fiction horror film "Firestarter", a remake of the novel of the same name and directed by Keith Thomas. The film was not very successful both critically and commercially. Also that year, he co-starred with Russell Crowe in "The Greatest Beer Run Ever," a biographical war comedy-drama film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Farrelly to mixed reviews.
Finally, he is scheduled to appear in "The Iron Claw," a sports biopic written and directed by Sean Durkin about Von Erich's family of wrestlers. He is also scheduled to star in the romantic comedy "A Family Affair" directed by Richard LaGravenese, alongside Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Liza Koshy and Kathy Bates.
Personal life
In 2005, Efron began dating co-star Vanessa Hudgens while filming High School Musical. The couple separated two years later. Later, he stepped into a relationship with model and entrepreneur Sami Miró in September 2014. The couple decided to separate after two years. In 2019, he was rumored to be dating Sarah Bro. The couple was seen laughing outside on March 2, 2019, but later separated. Efron is currently in a happy relationship with Vanessa Valladares, a model and fitness expert.
In 2008, Efron was ranked 92nd on Forbes magazine's "Celebrity 100" list for estimated earnings. He turned to transcendental meditation (TM) to detach himself from his role as a serial killer in a movie and to relieve the pressure. In 2011, he was ranked second in the list of "The Most Beautiful 2011" by People magazine. Efron received treatment in early 2013 after battling alcohol and substance abuse and has been sober ever since. Selling his Los Angeles home in early 2021, Efron moved to Australia.
Efron, who has been vegan for two years until 2022, has reintroduced meat to his diet after passing many food sensitivity tests. Also that year, he said he struggled with some mental illnesses like insomnia, agoraphobia, and depression. Efron, who worked hard to prepare for his role in the movie "Baywatch", added that he fell into insomnia and depression with this movie. In addition to his acting career, he has been involved in various personal and philanthropic projects, campaigns, and support funds.