High School Musical was a Disney Channel Original Movie-turned-worldwide phenomenon when it premiered in 2006. After the first film took Disney Channel by storm, they went on to make a sequel DCOM and a third film that made its way to theaters.
While HSM has spawned a Sharpay-led direct-to-video film and a popular Disney+ series, the first three movies are where it all began for the superstar cast. But aside from famous names like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale, the HSM movies also featured several well-known and up-and-coming names in Hollywood.
*Warning: this article touches on subject matter relating to domestic abuse*
Max Ehrich
Actor Max Ehrich rose to fame when he starred as Fen Baldwin on the CBS soap opera Young and the Restless, then rose even higher when he got in a short-lived engagement with singer Demi Lovato.
But long before people knew his name, Ehrich scored an unexpected role in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Ehrich was a principal dancer in the film, performing in musical numbers alongside Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel.
Allison Holker
Allison Holker has worked as a professional dancer in several productions, including making it to the Top 8 on Season 2 of So You Think You Can Dance and becoming a pro on Dancing With The Stars for four seasons.
But before joining the big leagues in dance, Holker played a dancing cheerleader in "We're All In This Together," the famous closing number from High School Musical, as well as the opening number of High School Musical 2 titled "What Time Is It?"
Shane Harper
Shane Harper became a big name on Disney Channel for his character of Spencer on Good Luck Charlie, part of a Disney Channel super couple with Bridgit Mendler's Teddy.
But Harper was already known in the world of Disney for his role in High School Musical 2. Harper played a principal dancer in the number "What Time Is It?" alongside Tisdale, and later had a small acting role just before the number "Everyday."
Tanya Chisholm
Tanya Chisholm is best known for her role of Kelly Wainwright, the levelheaded assistant to Gustavo who always made sure the band's career ran smoothly on Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush.
While Chilsolm got her big break on Nickelodeon, she first had a minorly major role in High School Musical 2. Chisholm played Jackie, one of the girls in Sharpay's posse with parts in the numbers "Fabulous" and "Humuhumunukunukuapua'a."
Drew Seeley
While Drew Seeley has appeared in several movies and television shows in his career, it's his unexpected role in High School Musical that put him on the map, despite not once appearing in the film.
For the first film, rather than using Zac Efron's singing voice, they dubbed in the singing voice of Seeley for all of Troy's parts. While Efron managed to perform his own songs for the next two films, this decision did allow Seeley to join the rest of the HSM cast on their 2006 tour.
Britt Stewart
Britt Stewart is best known for becoming the first black female pro on Dancing With The Stars starting in Season 29, and appeared as a dancer in several shows and films before that.
Stewart was a principal dancer in all three High School Musical films. "They were what started and set the tone for my professional dance career," the dancer told Distractify in 2020.
Matt Prokop
Before seemingly destroying his career by committing domestic abuse against his then-girlfriend Sarah Hyland of Modern Family fame, Matt Prokop starred in High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
The actor played Jimmie "The Rocket Man" Zara, the Troy Bolton wannabe who just joined the East High basketball team and takes Troy's place last minute for the number "Just Want To Be With You" in the school's musical.
Mollee Gray
Dancer and actress Mollee Gray is better known for her breakout role of Bubbles in DCOMs Teen Beach Movie and Teen Beach 2, but she had a memorable role long before that.
Gray was credited as Brainiac Dancer for the High School Musical number "Stick To The Status Quo," during which she dances and performs alongside HSM star Kaycee Stroh.
David Reivers
While David Reivers is a well-known actor who played Charlie Danforth, Chad's father in High School Musical 3: Senior Year, there's a special reason why he got the role.
Reivers is the real-life father of Chad's portrayer Corbin Bleu, and has starred alongside his son in other films like DCOM Jump In! and Lifetime's A Christmas Dance Reunion, which also starred Blue's HSM girlfriend Monique Coleman.
Miley Cyrus
Millennials most likely don't forget this one, but for the uninformed, Miley Cyrus did indeed appear in a High School Musical movie. She played "Girl at Pool" in High School Musical 2 with a short cameo during the closing number "All For One."
After rising to fame the same year as High School Musical, Cyrus beat out other Disney Channel stars like Raven Symone and The Jonas Brothers for the guest spot in a fan-voted poll asking which celeb they wanted to see make a cameo in the HSM sequel.