Date of Birth : Oct 18th 1987
Efron’s father encouraged him to begin acting when Efron was eleven. He subsequently appeared in theater productions at his high school, worked in a theater called the Melodrama, and began taking singing lessons. Efron performed in plays such as Gypsy, Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors, The Music Man and Mame, appearing at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts. Efron was recommended to an agent in Los Angeles by his drama teacher, Robyn Metchik (the mother of actors Aaron Michael Metchik and Asher Metchik).
In 2006, Efron starred in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical as Troy Bolton. The film, which he initially made with “low expectations”, helped Efron gain recognition among teenage audiences as both an actor and a singer. As a result, he placed as high as #4 on the IMDBPro’s STARMeter for the week of January 29, 2006. In August 2006, Efron won a Teen Choice Award in the Breakout Star and the TV – Choice Chemistry categories, shared with Vanessa Anne Hudgens. The film’s cast, along with Efron, toured Sydney, Australia, London, England, and other locations to promote the film, although Efron did not participate in the High School Musical Concert that toured the U.S. and Canada throughout the fall and winter 2006 as he was filming Hairspray in Toronto at the time.
Efron’s singing talents were disputed when it was revealed that Andrew Seeley’s voice was blended with his on the soundtrack of High School Musical. An August 23, 2007 interview in Rolling Stone magazine revealed that he had been cast in High School Musical after the songs were written, and the songs (written for a tenor) were somewhat out of his baritone vocal range. Efron’s subsequent singing performances in Hairspray and High School Musical 2 were genuine, though arguably not as polished as those of Seeley’s. Efron stated in interviews that he feels his future is that of a serious dramatic actor, not necessarily a singer.
In 2006, Efron was cast as Link Larkin in a film version of Hairspray released on July 20, 2007. Efron performed all of his own vocals in the role, which was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, from September 5 to December 2, 2006. He cut and dyed his hair dark brown and gained about 15 pounds for the role. Both Efron’s performance and the film have received positive reviews.
He is involved in a relationship with his High School Musical and High School Musical 2 co-star Vanessa Anne Hudgens.