Zac Efron

Born: 18 October 1987
Birthplace: San Luis Obispo, California
Best known as: Troy Bolton in the High School Musical movies
Name at birth: Zachary Efron
Zac Efron played the singing teen basketball star Troy Bolton in the hit TV movie High School Musical. Efron grew up in Southern California and began acting in his early teens, making his way into guest-starring roles on the TV shows E.R. and Firefly. He played an autistic twin in the made-for-cable movie Miracle Run (2004, with Aidan Quinn) and starred as a reluctant jockey in the formulaic racehorce flick The Derby Stallion in 2005. The same year he

joined the cast of Summerland, as hunky boyfriend Cameron Bale, and his blue eyes and tousled brown hair made him an instant hit with young female fans. He took another heartfelt teen role in the 2006 Disney cable movie High School Musical (with Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale); the movie was a surprise hit and Efron starred in sequels in 2007 and 2008. He also played the role of Link Larkin in the 2007 remake of John Waters's Hairspray (starring John Travolta and Amanda Bynes, and in 2009 he starred with Claire Danes in the Richard Linklater film Orson Welles and Me

Career
Early work
In 2002, Efron began to appear in guest roles on several television series, including Firefly, ER, and The Guardian. He portrayed Cameron Bale on the now-cancelled WB series Summerland. Originally introduced as a recurring character, Efron became a regular cast member on the show in the second season in 2004, starring opposite the likes of Kay panabaker, Lori Loughlin and Jesse McCartney. Since appearing in Summerland, he has also had guest roles on the shows CSI: Miami, NCIS(TVserues), The Suite Life of Zack &cody and The Replacements. In 2003, Efron starred in the Lifetime original television movie Miracle Run. He played Steven Morgan, one of two autistic twins. For

his performance, he was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie, Mini-series or Special Supporting Young Actor.In 2005, he played a main character in Hope partlow's music video for her song "Sick Inside." Also in 2005, he played horse-loving Patrick McCardle in The Derby Stallion, where his character wants to beat the town bully at the steeple chase race.