Zac Efron

A teen heartthrob on the popular High School Musical series, Zac Efron (birthname: Zachary David Alexander Efron) has transitioned into fully adult—and sometimes much darker—roles as he moves into his 30s. His pattern has been to alternate light entertainments emphasizing his comedy and song-and-dance skills with character-driven dramas that reveal a solid performer turning into a very good actor.

2008 was a key year for Zac Efron’s move into major films, jumping from High School Musical 3: Senior Year to Richard Linklater’s overlooked biopic, Me and Orson Welles, with Claire Danes and Christian McKay. In 2012, he made fine impressions in Scott Hicks’ The Lucky One and Lee Daniels’ adaptation of Pete Dexter’s The Paperboy, with Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, John Cusack and David Oyewolo. Parkland (2013), a JFK assassination drama with Marcia Gay Harden, Billy Bob Thornton and Paul Giamatti preceded the comedy, Neighbors (2014) with Seth Rogen. That proved such a hit that it spawned  Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016).

While he has done his duty in blatantly commercial projects like the lambasted feature version of Baywatch (2017), Zac Efron has shifted into interesting terrain since that year, which included the release of the megahit musical, The Greatest Showman, with Hugh Jackman, and a wild double role in James Franco’s acclaimed The Disaster Artist.

This was followed by two incredibly different turns, first in Harmony Korine’s nutty yet charming The Beach Bum (2017), reuniting Efron with McConaughey, and then Efron portraying serial killer Ted Bundy in Joe Berlinger’s chilling Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019) with Lily Collins. Zac Efron continued his run of dark dramas with the thriller, Gold (2022) and as the star of Universal/Blumhouse’s new version of Stephen King’s Firestarter (2022). His pattern of alternating dramas and comedies continued in 2022 with Peter Farrelly’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever, with Efron teaming with Russell Crowe and Bill Murray.

Efron starred with Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, and Lily James in director/writer/producer Sean Durkin’s biographical pro wrestling drama, The Iron Claw (2023), released in the U.S. by A24. After co-starring with Nicole Kidman, Joey Long, Liza Koshy, and Kathy Bates in the Richard LaGravenese-directed rom-com for Netflix, A Family Affair (2024), Efron took on a title role previously considered by James Franco, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jim Carrey—Ricky Stanicky (date to be announced), with John Cena and William H. Macy, and directed by Peter Farrelly. Efron then starred in the Disney remake, Three Men and a Baby (date to be announced), directed by Maurice Marable.