Revisiting High School Musical: Where Are the Stars Now?

Here is an updated look at the cast of Disney’s High School Musical.

19 years ago, the cherished franchise featuring actors like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, and many others, made its debut on Disney Channel, uniting us all. Since the movie first aired on January 20, 2006, these talented individuals have consistently excelled in their careers and personal lives.

Indication? Indeed, Hudgens took a fresh step when she exchanged vows with baseball player Cole Tucker at a private ceremony held in Mexico during the month of December 2023. It’s only natural that Coleman and Grabeel were among the guests.

Vanessa expressed her delight to Vogue following her wedding, saying “I couldn’t have imagined it any more perfect.” She had expected the day to be magical, but it surpassed her expectations. Three months after the wedding, she shared that they were expecting their first child, making her and Ashley Tisdale, who announced her second pregnancy in March, both preparing for motherhood. Vanessa’s baby was born in the summer of 2024, although the name is still undisclosed. Ashley and her husband Christopher French welcomed their little one, Emerson, only a few months later that fall, expanding their family with big sister Jupiter.

In December 2023, Efron was thrilled beyond measure when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. During his speech, he reminisced, “I’ve been acting, singing, and dancing for as long as I can remember. Yet, I never dreamt that one day, I would be standing right here.

You could rephrase it like this: Attributing some of it to Kenny Ortega’s creation, “High School Musical,” seems reasonable. After all, as the actor from “Ironclaw” confessed, “I sing the songs in the shower. Go Wildcats!

You can confidently anticipate that we’ll do the same thing. So, gather your Turkish-imported towels and Maine-imported turkeys, and stick around for some fantastic news about the cast of High School Musical…

In the realm of cinema, the High School Musical films catapulted Zac Efron into the limelight as a bona fide Hollywood heartthrob. This led him to secure roles in various movies, including 17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud, That Awkward Moment, Neighbors, and its sequel, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. He also starred in the big-screen version of Baywatch, where he displayed his now-famous muscular physique alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

In the year 2017, he reconnected with his original musical career (having also sung in the 2007 movie “Hairspray”), by taking on a role in “The Greatest Showman”. Following his portrayal of the notorious Ted Bundy in the 2019 Netflix film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”, he agreed to participate in an adventure documentary series called “Killing Zac Efron”, interestingly enough, which almost proved fatal for him. Later on, Efron appeared in the 2023 movie “The Iron Claw” and the 2024 film “A Family Affair”. By the way, did you know that he received a significant honor when he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in December 2023?

Personal Life: Efron had a relationship with Vanessa Hudgens, who portrayed his on-screen love interest Gabriella Montez, for approximately four years before they parted ways in 2010. After that, he dated model Sam Miro from 2014 to 2016. In the year 2020, he started dating Australian model Vanessa Valladares but they separated after less than a year.

In the realm of entertainment, following her roles in all three High School Musical movies, Hudgens continued to shine in films like Bandslam, Beastly, Sucker Punch, Spring Breakers, Machete Kills, Second Act, and most recently, Bad Boys for Life.

In an interview with The Guardian in August 2018, she shared that her experience with “High School Musical” was an incredible adventure, but it veered her off course from the path she had envisioned for her career. From a young age, around 11, her dream had been to become an indie actress, starring in films where she would portray characters like a drug addict, stripper, or prostitute.

In 2015, Vanessa Hudgens made her first appearance on Broadway in a revival of the musical “Gigi.” The following year, she went back to her roots as a performer and played Rizzo in the live broadcast of “Grease” by Fox. Later in 2019, Hudgens was part of another live production by Fox, this time for “Rent.” She also starred in the film adaptation of the autobiographical musical “tick, tick…BOOM!” created by Jonathan Larson, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda. In 2024, she won “The Masked Singer” competition. Apart from her acting and singing career, Hudgens co-founded brands such as Caliwater and Know Beauty.

2011 saw Vanessa Hudgens part ways with Zac Efron, following which she started dating actor Austin Butler. However, they called it quits in early 2020. Three years later, in December 2023, Hudgens tied the knot with MLB player Cole Tucker after a long courtship. In May 2024, Hudgens revealed her pregnancy at the Oscars red carpet event. The couple then welcomed their baby that summer.

After the era of High School Musical, Ashley Tisdale pursued a pop music career for a few years, achieving a reasonable level of success. Her album, Symptoms, was launched in May 2019. Besides music, she also starred in her own direct-to-video High School Musical spinoff film titled Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure. In the year 2010, she appeared in the popular yet short-lived cheerleader series called Hellcats.

Over time, Tisdale accumulated minor roles in shows like “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Crazy Ones”, and was featured in “Scary Movie 5”. Moreover, she provided the voice for Candace Flynn on “Phineas and Ferb” for over a decade. Notably, she played Maddie on Disney’s “Suite Life”. Additionally, Tisdale has expanded her career to include producing, with credits like executive producer of the Bravo series “Miss Advised” and the ABC Family-turned-Freeform sitcom “Young & Hungry”, as well as being the founder of Frenshe.

In the context of her personal life, actress Tisdale tied the knot with Christopher French back in 2014. In September 2020, she shared the news about her first pregnancy. Jupiter Iris French was born to them in March 2021. In a March 2024 announcement, they revealed they were expecting their second child. Emerson came into the world for Tisdale and French that following September.

Career Path: Following his High School Musical (HSM) days, Lucas Grabeel starred as Toby Kennish on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth, which later became Freeform. He has also lent his voice to characters in animated series like Family Guy, Elena of Avalor, Sheriff Callie’s Wild West, Spirit Riding Free, and Pinky Malinky. In 2019, he made an appearance as himself in Disney+’s series that delves into the world of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

In his personal life, the actor had been involved with actress Emily Morris for quite some time. However, he is currently in a relationship with both a writer and producer named Rahim El-Ounsi.

In his professional career, Corbin Bleu appeared in various television shows such as Ashton Kutcher’s short-lived drama series, The Beautiful Life: TBL, and portrayed Jeffrey King on One Life to Live. He also had roles in The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Castle, Drop Dead Diva, The Fosters, The Middle, Chicago Med, and Supergirl. In 2013, he participated in the dance competition show, Dancing With the Stars, where he finished as the second runner-up with his partner, Karina Smirnoff.

In 2010, Bleu started his Broadway career with the show “In the Heights”. The year after that, he was seen in a reprise of “Godspell”, and in 2016, he headlined in the original musical production of “Holiday Inn”. More recently, in 2019, Bleu appeared once again on stage in a remake of “Kiss Me, Kate”.

In December 2021, he acted alongside Monique Coleman, another alumnus from High School Musical (HSM), in the Lifetime movie titled A Christmas Dance Reunion. Two years later, Bleu made an appearance on High School Musical: The Series.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, I’d like to share a personal milestone from my life: in the year 2016, I tied the knot with Sasha Clements, a radiant star who graced our screens in the Disney Channel movie “How to Build a Better Boy.” This union has been a beautiful journey ever since.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’ve had quite the journey! After making waves in the world of entertainment with my roles on the sitcom “Here We Go Again” and the comedy film “We Are Family”, I continued to expand my horizons. In 2018, my online talk show “Gimme Mo” found a new home on TV for a while on Discovery Life. Fast forward to December 2021, and I was thrilled to reunite with my fellow HSM alum Corbin Bleu for the Lifetime movie “A Christmas Dance Reunion”. To top it off, I even made an appearance in the final season of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”. It’s been a wild ride!

Personal Life: Though she married Walter Jordan in 2012, they ultimately divorced in 2022.

In his career, Bart Johnson has showcased his acting skills on various productions such as “The Client List”, “NCIS: Los Angeles”, and “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street” (on Amazon). He also played a role in the 2018 movie version of “Little Women”. Since then, he has continued to appear on shows like “On Call”, “Yellowstone”, “Landman”, and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”.

For a period, Johnson managed the Johnson Mill Bed & Breakfast, which is situated near Park City, Utah.

In his personal life, he has been in marriage with Robyn Lively, the sister of Blake Lively, since 1999. Together they have three kids.

Career Highlights: Chris Warren Jr. appeared in television shows like “Good Luck Charlie”, “The Hard Times of RJ Berger”, and “The Fosters”. In 2019, he played a role in ABC’s brief drama series “Grand Hotel”. Since 2020, this actor has been part of the cast for the show “Sistas”.

Personal Life: In 2019, Warren married British TV host and actress Layla Kayleigh.

As a thriving actress, I found myself in an even more vibrant phase of my career when High School Musical made its grand entrance. Following that, I graced the screens on hit shows like Desperate Housewives, Bones, Modern Family, Silicon Valley, and the intriguing Hulu series Chance.

Personal Life: In 2019, the successful theater actress made a stop at the set of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. She expressed her admiration for the show, saying, “It’s fantastic! It’s smart, it’s innovative, it’s creative, and there’s so much emotion behind it. It’s simply wonderful.

In her professional journey, Olesya Rulin gained recognition by appearing in series like Greek and the PlayStation Network’s Powers. Furthermore, she made appearances on NCIS: Los Angeles, SEAL Team and various other productions.

In the personal realm, Rulin tied the knot with businessman Joseph Noel Pauline in the year 2021. The subsequent year, they made an announcement that they had become parents to a little girl named Ondine Michelle Pauline.

After finishing high school (HSM), KayCee Stroh embarked on a career in acting, featuring in shows such as The League, Shapetown, USA, and Andi Mack. In addition, she made guest appearances on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019) and The Disney Family Singalong (2020).

Personal Background: Back in 2009, she tied the knot with Ben Higginson. Since then, they’ve expanded their family to include two lovely daughters named Zetta Lee and Lettie Louise.

2025-01-20 18:49

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