Zac Efron plays Dave Stangle in the raunchy comedy, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
Efron claims an impressive body of work that encompasses both film and TV, proving to be one of Hollywood’s most promising talents.
Accolades
Efron has received accolades throughout his career, including CinemaCon’s Comedy Stars of the Year (2016, shared with MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES co-stars Anna Kendrick and Adam Devine), ShoWest’s Breakthrough Performer of the Year award, the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance (2008) and Best Male Performance (2009), in addition to multiple Teen Choice and Kids Choice Awards.
In 2015, Efron starred in We Are Your Friends, for director Max Joseph. The film follows a young DJ as he works on what he hopes will be his first hit track but ultimately discovers that success may come at a price.
Efron worked alongside Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa, where he portrays an uptight groom who, just before his wedding, is tricked into driving his vulgar grandfather, a former Army general, to Florida for spring break.
Also this year, Efron reprises his role as Teddy in Neighbors 2.
In 2014, Efron starred opposite Seth Rogen in Neighbors, a comedy about a couple with a new baby who face unexpected challenges when they move in next to a fraternity house. The film received rave reviews and had one of the highest openings for an R-rated comedy ever.
Prior to that, Efron was seen in the romantic comedy That Awkward Moment alongside Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Imogen Poots. The film followed three friends who tackled the complications of modern day relationships. Efron also served as a producer on the film under his Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner.
Additional film credits include the historical drama Parkland, At Any Price, Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy, alongside Nicole Kidman, John Cusack and Matthew McConaughey, Liberal Arts, an independent film written and directed by Josh Radnor, The Lucky One, a film adaption of the Nicholas Sparks novel, the NBC Universal animated film Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, Gary Marshall’s New Year’s Eve alongside Michelle Preiffer, Robert De Niro, Halle Berry, Jessica Biel and Hilary Swank, Charlie St. Cloud, 17 Again, opposite Matthew Perry and Leslie Mann, the Richard Linklater film Me and Orson Welles, and the box office smash summer film Hairspray, which won the Critic’s Choice award for Best Ensemble.
TV Credits
Television credits include a recurring role on the WB series Summerland, and guest starring roles on The Suite Life of Efronk & Cody, ER, The Guardian and C.S.I. Miami.
High School Musical Movies
Efron became a household name with the launch of the 2006 Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel phenomenon High School Musical. He reprised his role as Troy Bolton, head of the basketball team, in High School Musical 2, which broke cable TV records garnering 17.5 million viewers. Efron also starred in the Disney feature film High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the third installment of the extremely successful High School Musical franchise. HSM3 set a box office record as the highest grossing opening weekend for a musical.
Theater
On stage, Efron starred in the musical Gypsy, and has appeared in productions of Peter Pan, Mame, Little Shop of Horrors and The Music Man.
Production Company: Ninjas Runnin’ Wild
Efron established his own production company, Ninjas Runnin’ Wild, with partner Jason Barrett in 2010. Ninjas Runnin’ Wild has a first look deal with Warner and currently has several projects in development.
That Awkward Moment marked their debut feature film.
A native of Northern California, Efron currently resides in Los Angeles.
ANNA KENDRICK (Alice) has a variety of accomplishments that showcase her impressive range of talent. She was the lead in Pitch Perfect 2, which broke the record as the highest grossing musical of all time. The song “Cups,” which she performed in the first Pitch Perfect, went multi-platinum, and was one of Billboard’s top songs of 2013.
Kendrick starred in Walt Disney Pictures’ film adaptation of the musical, Into the Woods, directed by Rob Marshall, where she plays Cinderella opposite Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp.
More recently, Kendrick starred in the wedding comedy Table 19, the action-thriller The Accountant, opposite Ben Affleck, The Hollars, opposite John Krasinski (who also directed), and Mr. Right, alongside Sam Rockwell, directed by Paco Cabeza. She is currently working on Trolls, a DreamWorks Animation feature.
Kendrick’s other recent credits include Radius/Weinstein’s film adaptation of the musical The Last Five Years, Cake, Happy Christmas, Drinking Buddies, in which she starred opposite Olivia Wilde and Ron Livingston, Summit Entertainment comedy-drama 50/50, with Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and David Ayerʼs intense crime-drama, End of Watch, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Kendrick was also in the blockbuster Twilight Saga franchise, including New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn part 1.
In 2010 Kendrick starred opposite George Clooney and Jason Bateman in the acclaimed film Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman, for which she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and was honored by The National Board of Review for Best Supporting Actress and by the MTV Movie Awards for Best Breakout Star. Kendrick also earned nominations from the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, The Golden Globes®, BAFTA, and the Screen Actors Guild.
Kendrick notably starred in Picturehouseʼs Rocket Science, directed by Jeffrey Blitz. Her performance as an ultra-competitive high school debate team member garnered critical acclaim, and the film received a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Kendrick was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in the film.
Kendrick made her feature film debut in director Todd Graffʼs Camp, a favorite at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. Her performance in the cult classic earned Kendrick an Independent Spirit Awards nomination, as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Annual Chlotrudis Awards.
An accomplished theatre veteran, Kendrick began her career as Dinah Lord in the 1997 Broadway musical production of High Society, for which she received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. At just 12 years old, the honor made Kendrick the second youngest Tony nominee in award history. Kendrick also garnered Drama League and Theatre World awards, as well as Drama Desk and FANY award nominations.
Kendrickʼs additional theatre credits include a feature role in the New York City Operaʼs production of A Little Night Music, starring Jeremy Irons, My Favorite Broadway/The Leading Ladies: Live at Carnegie Hall, and Broadway workshops of Jane Eyre and The Little Princess.
ADAM DEVINE (Mike Stangle) is quickly becoming one of the most sought after young comedians and actors in the comedy world. Devine is best known as a co-creator, writer, and star of the hit Comedy Central show Workaholics. Last year, he was seen in Universal’s Pitch Perfect 2, where he returned as Bumper Allen, the leader of the all-male campus singing champions.
Also last year, Devine appeared in Nancy Meyers’ The Intern opposite Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro, in the Warner Bros’ comedy about a seventy-year-old widower (De Niro) who enters an intern program. He will next be seen in Sony’s Final Girls opposite Nina Dobrev and Thomas Middleditch.
Devine starred in the Universal comedy Pitch Perfect, which follows the competitive world of collegiate a cappella and also stars Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson. He can also be seen in his scene-stealing reoccurring guest star role as a nanny in ABC’s Modern Family.
Devine’s sketch-comedy group, Mail Order Comedy, has headlined sold-out comedy shows all over the nation. Devine acts, writes and produces all of Mail Order Comedy’s material, including Workaholics.
Devine also performed in the “New Faces” show at the Montreal Comedy Festival, shortly after which he was cast opposite Jon Heder and Diane Keaton in Warner Bros’ Mamma’s Boy. He appeared on Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham and on TBS’ Frank TV and ABC’s Better Off Ted. Additionally, Devine was a recurring guest star on ABC’s Samantha Who?
AUBREY PLAZA (Tatiana) is an American actress and comedian known for her deadpan style. She portrayed April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation, and after appearing in supporting roles in several films, had her first leading role in the 2012 comedy Safety Not Guaranteed.
Plaza began her career as an intern. After performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, she appeared in the web series The Jeanie Tate Show. Plaza later appeared in films such as Funny People, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Life After Beth.
STEPHEN ROOT (Burt Stangle), one of the most prolific character actors working today, has collaborated with many of the biggest names in Hollywood. Born in Sarasota, Root majored in acting and broadcasting at the University of Florida and remains a die-hard Gator fan. After three years of touring the U.S. and Canada with the National Shakespeare Company, Root settled in New York, honing his craft in many regional theaters and starring off-Broadway in Journey’s End and The Au Pair Man. His Broadway debut came in So Long On Lonely Street, followed by the Tony award-winning production of All My Sons, with Richard Kiley.
A starring role as Boolie in the Broadway national touring company of Driving Miss Daisy with Julie Harris brought Root to Los Angeles, where he now resides. Back on the boards, he recently starred with Helen Hunt and Lyle Lovett in Much Ado About Nothing, an L.A. Shakespeare Production.
Root’s first acting role on screen came in George A. Romero’s cult horror classic Monkey Shines. After that, many more under-the-radar supporting roles came his way until he found some moderate fame in the acclaimed series NewsRadio, where he played the somewhat eccentric owner of a radio station, Jimmy James, with Dave Foley as the station manager. The show ran from 1995 to 1999.
Root has played more eccentric characters in recent years, voicing several characters in the hit animated TV series King of the Hill, a show created by and starring Mike Judge. Judge would later cast Root in another cult classic film, 1999’s Office Space, where Root played the squirrelly and unforgettable Milton Waddams, a man who is pushed around at work and has a fetish for Swingline staplers.
More recently Root has worked with such directors as the Coen brothers and Kevin Smith, creating more oddball characters as well as making guest appearances on numerous TV shows.
