Zac Efron was first seen in Episode: "Safe" of the American space Western drama television series âFireflyâ in 2002. He made his silver screen debut in the 2003 film âMelinda's Worldâ directed by David Baumgarten. The following year, he joined the main cast of the American drama television series âSummerlandâ created by Stephen Tolkin and Lori Loughlin. He played the role of âCameron Baleâ and remained a part of the show until it went off-air in 2005. He next played the role of âLink Larkinâ in the 2007 American musical romantic comedy film âHairsprayâ directed by Adam Shankman. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a major commercial success, grossing over $203.5 million on a $75 million budget. In 2008, he portrayed âTroy Boltonâ in the American musical film âHigh School Musical 3: Senior Yearâ directed by Kenny Ortega. The film, despite opening to mixed reviews, was a massive box office success and grossed over $252.9 million on a budget of $11 million. The same year, he was also seen in the period drama film âMe and Orson Wellesâ which received a positive response from critics. In 2009, he starred as âMike O'Donnellâ in the American fantasy comedy film â17 Againâ directed by Burr Steers. Even though the film received mixed reviews from critics, it managed to do decent business at the box office.
Efron continued to star in films like âCharlie St. Cloudâ (2010), âNew Year's Eveâ (2011), âAt Any Priceâ (2012), âLiberal Artsâ (2012), âThe Paperboyâ (2012), âParklandâ (2013), âNeighborsâ (2014), âWe Are Your Friendsâ (2015), âDirty Grandpaâ (2016), âNeighbors 2: Sorority Risingâ (2016), âBaywatchâ (2017), âThe Greatest Showmanâ (2017), âExtremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vileâ (2019), âScoob!â (2020), and âGoldâ (2022). He was last seen in the 2022 American science fiction thriller film âFirestarterâ directed by Keith Thomas. The film was panned by critics and received an 11% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Efron is all set to appear in the upcoming war drama film âThe Greatest Beer Run Ever.â