Ten Things You Never Knew About Zac Efron

Zac Efron is a phenomenon. The High School Musical star can barely move without being mobbed by screaming fans after Disney's mega-hit made him a teen sensation. One in three girls in the US has a poster of him on their wall, he's graced the cover of every tween magazine (not to mention the Rolling Stone) and he even had the honour of being voted Gay Spy's "fitty fitster" of 2007. Could he be more popular? With the HSM sequel premiering on BBC One this Friday, there's never been a better time to find out more about Hollywood's hottest heartthrob.

1. Zachary David Alexander Efron was born in California 20 years ago, the eldest son of power plant workers David and Starla. He has a 16-year-old brother Dylan, with whom he admits he used to have "full-on fist brawls”.

2. One of Zac's early roles was on ER. Unfortunately, his character died on the operating table!

3. Zac had a poster of supermodel Tyra Banks on his bedroom ceiling when he was a boy. “I had that famous poster of [her] in a purple bathing suit in my room seventh or eighth grade, ” he recalls. “I thought she was so hot. She was my first love.”

4. But who floats our hero's boat these days? Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul, Summerland co-star Lori Loughlin and Jessica Alba are top of his list. And, it goes without saying, his sometime girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens.

5. The dogtag Zac wears around his neck was a present from Ms Abdul from her very own jewellery collection. It says "Reach for the Stars" on the front and "You might just become one!" on the back. Aww!

6. Zac turned down a record deal from Simon Cowell, telling him: "Acting is my main priority."

7. Zac's pals nicknamed him "Hollywood", but blogger Perez Hilton oped for the more feminine "Zacquisha" as part of an ongoing attempt to out him as gay.

8. Zac says screen legend Liza Minelli is one of his greatest inspirations. Hmm, that may not do much to alleviate those rumours!

9. Zac assures us that fame hasn't gone to his head and he's still a regular guy. “I could show you 500 kids in LA who are my height, weight, hair colour and age. We’re a dime a dozen," he says. "Why did I get the parts I did? Who knows? But the minute I start thinking it’s because I was special, that’s when I know I’m in trouble.”

10. What is Zac's party trick? "I can blow bubbles with my spit," he boasts. Nice!