• "High School Musical" was released in January 2006, starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens.
• The success of the Disney Channel film led to two sequels released in summer 2007 and fall 2008.
• Efron is now a bona fide movie star, currently playing Kevin Von Erich in "The Iron Claw."

Zac Efron starred as Troy Bolton.

He was the most popular guy at East High, equally talented at singing and playing basketball. Troy fell in love with Gabriella after meeting her at a ski resort and reluctantly being paired up for karaoke. 

Efron plays real-life former wrestler Kevin Von Erich in A24's new biopic "The Iron Claw."

It's unclear when Efron and costar Vanessa Hudgens began dating in real life, but they split in 2010. 

Since "HSM," Efron showed off his smooth moves as Link Larkin in the 2007 movie "Hairspray." He also led R-rated films like "That Awkward Moment," "Neighbors," "Dirty Grandpa," "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates," and "Baywatch."

In December 2017, the actor starred in "The Greatest Showman" alongside Zendaya and Hugh Jackman. The actor also voiced the character Gary on the animated Facebook Watch series "Human Discoveries."

He played real-life serial killer Ted Bundy in Netflix's 2019 movie "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile."

Efron has a YouTube channel, where he posts fitness and travel videos, too. His love for adventure led to a Netflix travel series titled "Down to Earth With Zac Efron," which debuted on the streamer in 2020. The show returned for a second season in November 2022.

Efron also starred as Andy McGee in a 2022 reboot of Stephen King's "Firestarter" and played Chickie Donohue in the 2022 film "The Greatest Beer Run Ever," based on a book of the same name by John "Chickie" Donohue and Joanna Molloy. He's set to appear in a remake of "Three Men and a Baby" for Disney+. The actor will also star alongside Nicole Kidman and Joey King in an upcoming rom-com for Netflix. 

In preparation for his role as Kevin in "The Iron Claw," Efron gained 15 pounds of muscle and used old-school body-building techniques. 

In recent years, the actor has sustained injuries, including tearing his ACL, dislocating his shoulder, and shattering his jaw.

He told Men's Health in 2022 that his jaw injury occurred after running through his house, slipping, and hitting his chin against a granite fountain. Efron denied plastic surgery rumors, telling the publication that the change in the appearance of his jawline is due to the masseters, which are muscles in the face, growing larger.