Garrett Clayton

Garrett Clayton was a rising teen actor who successfully made the transition from Disney star - appearing in the widely successful "Teen Beach Movie" (2013) and its sequel - to more adult fare, playing a gay adult-film actor in "King Cobra" (2016). Born Garrett Michael Clayton in Dearborn, Michigan, Clayton grew up in small town America with big screen-sized aspirations to perform. A drama kid from the start, Clayton honed his showbiz skills early on and spent the majority of his time at Crestwood High School performing in many of drama club's plays and musicals. While Clayton wasn't alone in his dream of going to Hollywood, he did luck out early on, making his feature film debut as a zombie in the 2008 film, "The Tower" and booking a role on "Days of Our Lives" (NBC 1965- ) at an open casting call of 1,500 people - all shortly after graduation. Clayton kept up his early momentum and was soon on his way to earning a SAG card for his role in the dramatic film "Virginia"(2010) appearing alongside Hollywood heavyweights Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris. But his big break was yet to come. After the breakout success of "High School Musical," Disney rebooted the formula and picked Clayton as the star for the TV musical "Teen Beach Movie." Like his expertly coiffed predecessor Zac Efron, the film also turned Clayton into an instant success and guaranteed his face would be plastered on the inside of every teen girl's locker nationwide. Playing the over-the-top Tanner, Clayton stole the show and provided the vocals for the show and the soundtrack. Clayton would reunite with his beach buds soon enough, starring in the successful sequel, "Teen Beach Movie 2" (Disney 2013) and landed a recurring role alongside his former co-star Maia Mitchell in the TV family drama, "The Fosters" (ABC Family/Freeform 2014- ) playing her love interest, Chase Dillon. Soon after, Clayton graduated from a family-friendly timeslot to the crime biopic "King Cobra," playing a gay porn star along with James Franco and Christian Slater, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Determined to shed his Disney image, Clayton dove headfirst into this true story of sex, murder and the porn industry of the early aughts. His boyish good lucks were the perfect fit for the role of suburban kid turned porn star, Sean Lockhart. While the film was received well by audiences, Clayton quickly returned to safer pastures, taking on the role of Link Larkin in the live NBC television broadcast of "Hairspray Live!" in 2016 along with Ariana Grande, Kristin Chenoweth and Martin Short.