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Zac Efron

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Celebrity Profile Examiner

ZAC EFRON

Teen heartthrobs come and go, and only a select few ever make the transition to serious adult actor.  Zac Efron intends on being one of them.

Zachary David Alexander Efron was born on October 18th, 1987 in San Luis Obispo, California.  Not long after, Zac’s parents (David and Starla) moved the family, including younger son Dylan, to Arroyo Grande, California.  Even though he was a self-described “class clown,” Zac was also obsessive about his grades ... getting a B instead of an A would make him “flip out.”  Zac was barely into double-digits when his father noticed the boy’s proclivity for singing, and so encouraged him to pursue the performing arts.  Zac did, quickly finding acting roles not only in school plays, but at a local theater called The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville.  He performed in The Music Man, Gypsy, Auntie Mame, Peter Pan, and Little Shop of Horrors.  Zac soon found an agent and was signed by the Creative Artists Agency.  Also during this time, Zac attended the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, CA.

In his mid teens, Zac made several guest appearances on TV fare like ER, Firefly and The Guardian.  He turned a guest spot as girl-crazy Cameron Bale on the WB’s Summerland into a regular gig, and thereafter was also seen on CSI: Miami, NCIS, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and The Replacements.  In 2004, Zac starred as an autistic child in the TV movie Miracle Run -- a role which garnered critical raves.


ZAC EFRON

Zac graduated from Arroyo Grande High School in 2006.  Though he was accepted by USC, Zac deferred his enrollment due to his increasing demand as an actor.  That same year, Zac played Troy Bolton in the Disney Channel original movie High School Musical.  Though Zac had low expectations for the film, this would prove to be the project that showcased his acting and singing chops to a mass audience, and catapulted him to stardom.  Zac even had two songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100, Get’cha Head in the Game, and Breaking Free, a duet with costar Vanessa Hudgens.  By the following week, Zac had a total of five songs on the charts, helped by the cast member’s promotional world tour of Australia, England and other locales.  Breaking Free, would for a time, hold the record for the fastest rising single in history: #86 to #4 (that record was later broken by Beyoncé and Shakira’s Beautiful Liar).  Zac was not able to go on the HSM promotional tour because he had already been cast in the film version of Hairspray.  He also said of his decision not to do the tour: "If I had to hear [those] songs anymore, I would have jumped off of something really tall."

Over the next couple of years, Zac starred in High School Musical 2, Me and Orson Welles (which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2008 and is scheduled for release in 2009), and High School Musical 3: Senior Year.  In early 2009, Zac starred in 17 Again, about a 37-year-old man (Matthew Perry) who is transformed into a 17-year-old ... hilarity ensues.

Although Zac was initially slated to star in Paramount Pictures’ remake of Footloose, he later dropped out of the project.

Zac lives in Los Angeles with his two dogs (Australian Shepherds named Dreamer and Puppy), one cat (a Siamese named Simon), and is visited frequently by his longtime girlfriend (and High School Musical costar) Vanessa Hudgens.


ZAC EFRON

In early 2008, Zac was rushed to L.A.’s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for an emergency appendectomy ... needless to say, he survived.  Also in 2008, the rising (and very rich) star was listed at #92 on Forbe’s Celebrity 100, for making 5.8 million from June ‘07 - June ‘08.  In April 2009, his earnings were estimated around $10 million (all by the time he was 21).

While outside, Zac enjoys golf, skiing, surfing, snowboarding, rock climbing, and playing with his dogs.  While inside, Zac enjoys playing piano, playing guitar, and (again) playing with his dogs.  He is also restoring a 1965 Mustang convertible, and a classic DeLorean (though he is having trouble finding a working flux capacitor).

Up next: Jonny Quest, Panic (based on the video game Full Metal Panic), and The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.

Zac Efron Quotes:

"I do not want to fall victim to partying too hard, it's too easy and too often done.  It's out of style anyway -- I think too many people have done it before me, I'm not going to.  It's uncool, yeah.  I think the rebellious thing to do would to actually be successful."

On why he chose 17 Again: "Everything else that was around was either a musical or a high school romance, you know, and this was actually the biggest risk and the biggest challenge.  I can relate to playing a kid -- I've had a first kiss, I've had awkward dates, I've had fights with my parents.  But one thing I've never done is gotten into a fight with my teenage daughter."

"In the back of my mind, I can never forget this could be gone tomorrow -- and at this point I think the odds are against me.  The chances of succeeding in this business are slim to none; there's only a handful of people that have long careers.  You have to put in the work, you can never be satisfied, never take it for granted."

EXAMINER’S NOTE: Given the legion of Zac’s young and rabid fans -- most of whom know far more about Mr. Efron than I -- if you spot any glaring errors in this profile, let me know by leaving a comment and I will adjust it accordingly and posthaste fix it fast.

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Andy Williamson is an author, artist, and entertainment journalist who lives among Colorado's beautiful Rocky Mountains. He recently published his first novel. Much more about Andy can be found at his website. Be sure to check out Andy's other Examiner page.

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