The Rise of Zac Efron

24 October 2008

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A bit like Shia LaBeouf High School Musical star Zac Efron can't seem to do a thing wrong since shooting to fame in 2006 in the role of Troy Bolton in the franchise that has become a global phenomena. Now at the age of twenty one Zac has become the biggest teen idol winning the hearts of young girls everywhere.

Beginning his career in small television roles, including appearing in hit series ER, The Guardian and Firefly before becoming a cast member on Summerland. However it was his role as Troy Bolton in High School Musical that has propelled Efron to world wide fame. And this week see him reprise the role for a third time.

Popular basketball team captain Troy and smart, stunning academic Gabriella. Both shock the members of the social cliques to which they belong when they each decide to audition for the high school's musical.

By proving themselves to be brilliant performers, can these two teens lead their peers towards more open-minded thinking and acceptance of one another?

The film became the Disney Channel's most successful, at the time, with 7.7 million viewers. The soundtrack which accompanied the film was the biggest selling album in America in 2006.

In 2007 Efron moved onto the big screen as he landed the role of Link Larkin in Hairspray, the adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, alongside John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Set in 1960’s Baltimore overweight teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) has one dream, to dance on the Corny Collins Show. But Tracy’s mother Edna (John Travolta) doesn’t share her daughter’s dream. Edna hasn’t left the house since 1951, because she is embarrassed about her size, and she fears that Tracy will be ridiculed and disappointed due to her weight.

Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) does everything to spoil Tracy’s chances. She controls the Corny Collins Show, 1960’s version of the Mickey Mouse Club, with an iron fist. She uses the show to promote her daughter Amber and is trying to ban Negro Day, where once a month African American kids dance on the show.

Soon Tracy is fighting Amber for the (miss Hairspray title), calling for integration, and trying to win the heart of Link (Zac Efron), the most popular boy in school. For his role Efron, along with his co-star Nikki Blonsky, won the 'One to Watch' award at the Young Hollywood Awards.

Efron returned to the role of Troy Bolton for High School Musical 2 with the Disney Channel. The premier brought 17.3 million viewers making it the highest rated basic cable broadcast in U.S. History.

And after the success of the first two films in the franchise a big screen outing for the Wildcats seemed inevitable as High School Musical: Senior Year bagged itself a theatrical release.

On the verge of graduating from school Gabriella and Troy have to face the possibility of being separated as they go off to different colleges.

And the young star has a busy twelve months ahead of his as he stars in 17 Again, scheduled to be released in 2009, alongside Leslie Mann and Matthew Perry as well as Me and Orson Welles.

A remake of Footloose is also in development with Efron to take over the lead role of Ren McCormack, originally played by Kevin Bacon, and there are also talks of a fourth High School Musical, a second Hairspray and him appearing in a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

High School Musical 3: Senior Year is out now

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