The cast of characters from Disney's High School Musical, High School Musical 2, and High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
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Troy Bolton
Troy Bolton
Portrayed By: Zac Efron, Drew Seeley (singing voice; first film) Other Languages
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Big Man on Campus and captain of East High's basketball team, the Wildcats. He meets Gabriella at a New Years Eve karaoke party, sparking his feelings for her and a new-found interest in singing.
- The Ace: Captain of the basketball team, a good singer and really popular with girls. Though later we find out that he's not particularly happy about his position.
- Affectionate Nickname: Wildcat by Gabriella.
- Big Man on Campus: Handsome, athletic, and very well-liked and admired in school. At East High, though the whole school turns against him when he decides he wants to be something other than the star basketball player. He lampshades this to Gabriella.Gabriella: You pretty much have the school wired, don't you, Troy? Seems to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend.Troy: Unless we lose.
- Broken Ace: Frequently shown to be unhappy with the pressure from his friends and Dad. The final film even has his ripping down huge posters of himself around the school, and a huge part of his feelings for Gabriella are that she doesn't know him as the basketball guy and he can be himself.Troy: My parents' friends are always saying, "Your son's the basketball guy, You must be so proud"....Sometimes I don't wanna be the "basketball guy," I just wanna be a guy.
- Chick Magnet: Almost every girl at East High swoons over him, including Alpha Bitch Sharpay Evans.
- Clueless Chick-Magnet: He's constantly bewildered by Sharpay's advances, doesn't realize Kelsi is star-struck just talking to him, and is adorably awkward with Gabriella, even though she's obviously as smitten as he is.
- "Gender-Normative Parent" Plot: How the Be Yourself message manifests itself in Troy, especially since his father is the basketball team's coach and a former player.
- Generation Xerox: Starts out this with his Dad, as they're both East High basketball captains leading their team in the state championships and he plans on going to his Dad's alma mater. However his interest in singing makes him realize they're Not So Similar after all.
- Hidden Depths: He and Gabriella's interest in singing kick-starts the whole plot.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: They reflect his optimistic and slightly naive personality.
- Jerkass Ball: Troy is usually a nice guy, but he holds on to this for a while in the second film. He treats his friends and Gabriella like crap in favor of Sharpay's promise of a scholarship. He does learn from this.
- Large Ham:
- Watch "Bet On It" and you'll see.
- "Scream" really nails Troy firmly into this trope.
- The Leader: Of the basketball team, which puts a lot of strain on him once he realizes his calling towards musical theater.
- Lovable Jock: He's very nice, despite being the star player on the basketball team.
Gabriella Montez
Gabriella Montez
Portrayed By: Vanessa Hudgens Other Languages
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Shy Teen Genius and New Transfer Student, Gabriella meets Troy at a New Years karaoke party. At East High she struggles with her attempts to perform in the musical, her desire to not stand out like she did at her old school, and her burgeoning feelings for Troy.
- Affectionate Nickname: Gabby by her mom.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Source material says that she's the youngest of her and Troy's friend group.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Gabriella had tolerated Sharpay's behavior until the latter banned the Lava Springs employees from performing at the annual Star Dazzle talent show. Gabriella angrily confronts Sharpay due to the fact that her friends (including Ryan's) hard work will all go to waste.
- Book Smart: A member of the Scholastic Decathlon Team who is eventually admitted to Stanford.
- Brainy Brunette: A brunette math genius, albeit one who wants to be more than just the "freaky math genius girl."
- Break the Cutie: At least once a movie. Particularly in the sequel when she endures bullying from Sharpay on a much more vicious level, and watches as she outright tried to steal her boyfriend. She leaves the club that night in tears, breaking up with Troy.
- Broken Ace: In the first film. She's an outstanding student, but shy and insecure as a result, suffering from stage fright. It doesn't hit her quite as bad as Troy, as she seems to get over it as the series continues, but she definitely has some issues.
- Bully Hunter: In the second film, when she tells Sharpay to back away from the rest of the wildcats."You're messing with my friends, my summer, and that's not okay with me!"
- Bully Magnet: It's stated that at her old school, Gabriella was bullied for her love of academics.
- Class Princess: She becomes this in the sequels. In the first film, she's a pretty, sweet, and smart girl but also a Shrinking Violet with no friends. In the sequels, she's super-popular and outgoing (being the star of a school play and dating the Big Man on Campus helped), but still keeps her kind personality.
- The Confidant: To Troy, throughout the three films, as the only one who knows about him wanting to be more than a basketballer and his worries about college.
- Cute Bookworm: Her opening scene has her bringing a book to a party and hiding with it in the corner.
- Disappeared Dad: Her father neither shows up nor is he mentioned aside from a comment in the 3rd movie that says he taught Gabriella how to waltz. Though based on how she tells Troy that she's "good at saying goodbye," it's heavily implied that he either died or left the family.
- Friendless Background: From moving around so much and her advanced intellect.
- Give Geeks a Chance: Her relationship with Troy, who is utterly smitten with her even after she admits to being a freaky genius.
- Good with Numbers: Can do the complicated equation on the board in her head.
- The Heart: Develops into one for the wildcats. They acknowledge this in the third film, when they admit they wouldn't have done the musical without her and that East High doesn't feel right with her gone.Troy: East High is a place where one person - if it's the right person - changes us all.
- Hidden Depths:
- Along with Troy, her auditioning for the musical drives most of the film.
- Another example is her confidence around Sharpay in the first movie. Unlike your archetypal nerd, she seems unsurprised and amused by Sharpay's early antics.
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: She was viewed as the 'freaky math girl' at all her other schools, which changes at East High.
- New Transfer Student: Beginning of the first movie.
- Nice Girl: Gabriella is kind and sweet, and The Heart of the group.
- Shrinking Violet: Painfully so. Performing in musical theater helped her grow out of this, though she does freeze up during final callbacks during the climax of the first movie.
- Silk Hiding Steel: A Nice Girl, but isn't afraid to stand up for herself or call people out on their mistakes.
- Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Subverted. She doesn't know Troy is the Big Man on Campus until much later, and life would have been easier for her if he was less popular.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: She stops talking to him when he turns into a jerk because of the other wildcats and says straight up she prefers the real him to the 'The-Basketball-Guy'.Gabriella: You're a cool guy Troy...but not for the reasons your friends think.
- Teen Genius: She's extremely brilliant and academically-gifted, particularly in science and math.
Sharpay Evans
Sharpay Evans
Portrayed By: Ashley Tisdale
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure
Blonde, bubbly, and domineering, Sharpay is the resident primadonna and very much obsessed with Troy, which, it seems, is his bad luck.
- Abhorrent Admirer: Troy sees her as this. It's not because of how she looks. It's because she doesn't take the hint that Troy isn't into her.Sharpay: You know, Troy, I've always known you were special. And it's pretty obvious that I'm special too. I think we were meant to sing together, don't you?
Troy: (horrified) I need some air.
Sharpay: Don't be long! We're going to run it again! - Aesop Amnesia: Sharpay suffers from this, having apparently seen the error of her ways at the end of the first film due to a few lines inexplicably wishing Gabriella luck as the lead, only to become nasty again at the beginning of the next one. Repeat, twice. The entire third act of the second contains her Aesop, only to be thrown out by the third.
- Alpha Bitch: Zigzagged. She's a selfish Rich Bitch who often uses her money and connection to steal Troy from Gabriella, and tries to sabotage their duet performance. However, she's not popular like the typical Alpha Bitch and doesn't seem to have any friends at school and the way the basketball team talks about her, she actually comes across as incredibly unpopular. On the other hand, the "What Time Is It" song shows her as a very popular girl with a lot of adoring fans (other students) wanting her signature in their yearbooks. It's very possible they're just acquaintances/fans though, and people don't try to actually be her friends and get to know her.
- Always Someone Better: While before the events of the first movie, she and her brother Ryan always got the lead roles in every school play, this changes with Troy and Gabriella taking an interest in participating in the school musicals. They beat her and Ryan for the lead roles in Twinkletown in the first movie, she's upstaged by the Wildcats' performance for the Star Dazzle Award in the second movie, and she loses out on the Julliard scholarship to Kelsi and Ryan in the third movie. This frustrates her, to say the least.
- Ambition Is Evil: Many of Sharpay's Villain Songs play up her ambitions as a major trait of her character. In order, we have "Bop to the Top", "Fabulous" and "I Want it All". The titles should all be dead giveaways, though.
- Anti-Villain: In the first movie, she just wanted a coveted role for the film. The third film gives her more understandable motives, as all she really wants is a decent chance of impressing Juilliard, even if she goes overboard trying to get there.
- Attention Whore: Very much so. She loves to be in the spotlight, and this is why she's jealous of Gabriella.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist in the first and second films.
- Breakout Character: Got her own spinoff movie, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure.
- Brother–Sister Team: She often perform duets with her twin brother, Ryan.
- Character Development: It’s subtle but in the third film, Sharpay seems to care and support Ryan a lot more rather than just having him at her side.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She repeatedly thinks up plans to get Troy away from Gabriella and to become her boyfriend. In every movie. Over and over.
- Control Freak: She really can't stand it when things don't go her way.
- Daddy's Girl: As seen in the second movie, she is definitely her dad's favorite in contrast to her brother being a Momma's Boy.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: In each movie, especially between both the third film and her own spinoff film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventures.
- Drama Queen: Sharpay comically overreacts to everything. She's also the president of the drama club.
- Dude Magnet: Played with. She appears to be very popular with boys in the third movie (see Head-Turning Beauty). However Troy doesn't like her, and the guys of the basketball team often make fun of Sharpay (even though one of their star players, Zeke, has a crush on her).
- Entitled to Have You: Thinks it's only natural for her, the most popular girl in school, to have Troy, the most popular guy in school, as her boyfriend. The sequel has her working hard to take him from Gabriella, even though Ryan's reaction to this implies that Gabriella has already supplanted her as the most popular girl in school.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Well, she's as close to a villain as a musical playing in high school can have anyways, and in a few of her interactions with Ryan it shows that she genuinely loves her twin brother. For example she's very upset that he turned against her in 2, awards him the Star Dazzle Award, and is genuinely happy for him winning the Juilliard scholarship. In her song I Want It All, she includes him in her fantasy of becoming rich and famous, and he is shown enjoying a life of luxury with her.
- Evil Is Hammy: Due to Ashley Tisdale's Large Ham performance, she comes off as being lovable despite being the main antagonist of the first two films.
- Expy: She's like a combination of Paris Hilton (due to her sense of aesthetics, which includes having a dog on her hand) and the Mean Girls character Regina George (because of her spoiled attitude). Interestingly, her actress Ashley Tisdale said that the portrayal of her own character was indeed based off of Regina's own portrayal by Rachel McAdams.
- Friendless Background: At school, Ryan's the only one who hangs out with her and even he switches over to the wildcats side in #2. While she has a Girl Posse at the country club, by the time of Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, they're replaced with three entirely new girls.
- Genki Girl: She's very bubbly and energetic.
- Girly Girl: Though none of the other girls is really a tomboy, Sharpay is the girliest of them all.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Downplayed because she is still antagonistic in the first two movies especially. But as short as her temper may be, and as big as her ambitions are (especially as a stage performer), she is still truly a good person at heart, which may be why she's Easily Forgiven by both Troy and Gabriella within the first three films despite her spoiled attitude. Her own spinoff movie Sharpay's Fabulous Adventures further solidified her sense of humanity, as well, if not, more so than the original trilogy did.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Sharpay has an explosive temper and it really doesn't take much to make her furious.
- Head-Turning Beauty: In the third movie, this is how the male students react towards her when she arrives at school.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: She seems to become "good" at the end of the first film, then she is suddenly worse than before in the second film, then she goes good again in the end, same for the third film, although she's now more mellowed out in that one.
- Hero of Another Story: She is the protagonist of her own spinoff movie, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, on which she travels to New York City to do a show and challenges with another stage diva like her, who's actually severely harsher than she herself ever was.
- Hopeless Suitor: Has a crush on Troy, but every attempt of hers to win over his affections fails miserably, as he only ever has eyes for Gabriella.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Traces of her being this started to unveil as the original movie trilogy progresses, especially in the third movie. Her presence in her own spinoff movie Sharpay's Fabulous Adventures made her this even more.
- Jerkass: Sharpay is arrogant, snobby, and has shades of narcissism. She does become a Jerk with a Heart of Gold at the end of each movie.
- Kick the Dog: Sharpay is usually a jerkass, but her banning the Lava Springs employees from performing at the annual Star Dazzle talent show was when she crossed the line.
- Lovable Alpha Bitch: How Ashley Tisdale's portrayal came off as, to the point where she became noticeably more humanized in the third film. She even got her own spinoff movie, Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, where she went from Lovable Alpha Bitch to Fallen Princess.
- Manipulative Bitch: Although all her plans to get Troy away from Gabriella inevitably fail.
- Narcissist: In her Establishing Character Moment, Chad jokingly says she probably spent the holidays "shopping for mirrors". She clearly has a big ego and all her I Want Songs in every movie involve her showing off.
- Pink Means Feminine: Very girly and fashionable, Sharpay is shown wearing a lot of pink, because, you know, she wants everything to be fabulous.
- The Primadonna: Alpha Bitch and co-president of the East High drama club.
- Rejection Affection: She's doggedly persistent in her pursuit of Troy despite the fact that he is clear about not being into her (and despite the fact that he already has a girlfriend).
- Rich Bitch: Her family is filthy rich, and she uses this to her full advantage to try and steal Troy in the second movie (by offering him a job and promotion in her villa, while mistreating Gabriella and the rest of his friends — whom he invited to come work with him, causing their relationship to fall apart).
- The Rival: In each movie, Sharpay is competing with Gabriella and Troy (and the rest of the Wildcats on occasion) in some way. In the first movie, she's competing against them for the leads of the Spring Musical. In the second movie, she's competing against Gabriella and the rest of the Wildcats for the Star Dazzle Award, and is trying to steal Troy from Gabriella as a duet partner and as a boyfriend. In the third movie, she's competing against Troy for the Julliard scholarship and also plots to drive Gabriella away from the musical so that she can get her part.
- Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy: Troy, obviously.
- Spoiled Brat: Blonde, arrogant, spoiled rich girl who thinks everything belongs to her? Yep.
- Token Rich Student: She and her brother Ryan are from a rich family who even owns their own summer resort, but she still goes to the same middle class high school as the other main characters. This is especially evident in the second movie, where practically all of their classmates work at their parents' country club doing summer jobs.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Sharpay wasn't nice in the first movie, sure, but the second movie blew her negative qualities up to ridiculous proportions. Her main objective - stealing someone's boyfriend - is far more heinous than anything she did in the first movie. She even went as far as to treat her own brother like crap. Thankfully, she's back to a more reasonable level of "evil" in the third.
- Unknown Rival: To Gabriella. Downplayed because Gabriella isn't entirely unaware that she's competing against her, but Gabriella remains generally cordial to her and doesn't seem aware of how much Sharpay loathes her. Until Sharpay bans the junior employees from competing in the Lava Springs talent show, anyway.
- Vanity License Plate: Sharpay's pink Ford Mustang convertible and Honda S2000 has a plate that says FABULUS.
- Villainous Breakdown: When the Star Dazzle awards go horribly wrong, she ends up crying and she is forced to allow the Wildcats to perform to save the show.
- Villainous Crush: The main antagonist who has a crush on Troy, The Hero.
Ryan Evans
Ryan Evans
Portrayed By: Lucas Grabeel
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year | Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure
Sharpay's campier and far more passive twin brother.
- Ambiguously Gay: In the stage version. There, when all the other boys have pictures of girls in their locker, he has other boys. And the "I Don't Dance" baseball game. And then, of course, there's the part where he swoons when Troy walks by him.
- Anti-Villain: Being Sharpay's sidekick, he serves as one of the first movie's antagonists, but he's obviously the nicer of the two. He's even more of one in the third movie, in which he is a reluctant participant in her crazy schemes.
- Brother–Sister Team: He often perform duets with his twin Sharpay.
- Camp Straight: He's a drama club member who often wears flashy and fashionable outfits and is generally very flamboyant but flirts with Gabriella in 2 and is paired-up with Kelsi in the third movie. Might be Ambiguously Bi, considering the subtext he has with Chad in 2.
- Character Development: Ryan was first introduced as Sharpay's loyal sidekick, but after being mistreated by his sister too much, he began hanging out with the Wildcats and becomes noticeably more independent.
- Deadpan Snarker: After growing out of his sister's shadow, Ryan becomes a lot more critical towards Sharpay's antics in the third movie, though he would still sometimes play along with it. For example, I Want It All has him snark at Sharpay throughout the first few lines of the song and his response towards her drama at the fact that Troy, of all people, is a rival/contender for the Juilliard Scholarship:Sharpay: How can you be thinking about lunch at a time like this?Ryan: Because it's lunch time?
- The Dragon: He acts as to his sister Sharpay early on, though he gradually starts to move away from this as he tries to step out of his sister's shadow and realizes he likes spending time with the other characters.
- Dumb Blonde: In the first movie he's unable to read "Go Drama Club!" on the basketball team's shirts even though he is in the drama club. However this is averted in the sequels, where he seems noticeably smarter. The Fandom has decided to just make him dyslexic to explain it.
- Extreme Doormat: Usually submissive and following Sharpay's orders, until he finally begins to step out of his sister's shadow in the second film.
- Foil: To Chad in the second film. Both are the Number Two to their respective leaders (Troy and Sharpay) and end up feeling replaced and divided from them, but while Chad feels increasingly resentful and left out, Ryan comes to enjoy and embrace his new freedom.
- Grew a Spine: Initially nothing more than Sharpay's sidekick/assistant who obeys her every order, he "rebelled" against her in movie 2, and started hanging out with the Wildcats instead. By Senior Year, both Kelsi and Ryan have become independent enough to be given charge of an entire show's music and choreography, respectively.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has blonde hair and is the nicer of the Evans siblings.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: He seems to become "good" at the end of the first film, he's good in the second, then he is back on Sharpay's side in the third film and they both go good again in the end anyway. Throughout Senior Year he is noticeably more reluctant about being mean and snarks at Sharpay a lot more. He also "turns good" a lot quicker than before.
- Hidden Depths: Turns out to be a pretty good baseball player. He's also not just Sharpay's somewhat talented sidekick but turns out to be much better at the whole showbiz thing than her. He's such a good choreographer that Juilliard extends a scholarship to him even though they said they would only grant one and already gave that to Kelsi.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Lucas Grabeel wanted Ryan to be gay and end up with Chad and played him that way for two movies. As a result Ryan has some Ship Tease with Chad in the second film since Corbin Bleu just rolled with it. Gone by the third movie however.
- Innocent Beta Bitch: He was his sister Sharpay's sidekick who went along with her schemes. After enough mistreatment from her, though, he starts distancing himself from her and actually making friends with other Wildcats.
- Large Ham: While he's typically more reserved compared to his sister, he's very flamboyant and campy when it comes to performing musicals to the point that he LOVES doing "Jazz Squares" during his auditions which Sharpay is opposed to.
- Momma's Boy: In contrast to his sisters Daddy's Girl status. While the Evans family is in general very affectionate he is closer to his mom than his dad.
- Morality Pet: No matter what else you can say about Sharpay, it's clear she really loves Ryan, and the two have a tight relationship, even if Ryan doesn't always agree with her.
- Nice Guy: He's very nice and helpful to Gabriella and her friends in the second film. Once he steps out of his sister's shadow he is a perfectly nice person that literally everyone likes. Contrasts nicely with Sharpay's Spoiled Brat.
- Ship Tease: With Chad in the second film during the baseball game to "I Don't Dance".
- Sweet and Sour Grapes: Kelsi wins the scholarship and entry in Juilliard, but the representatives were impressed enough with Ryan and his choreography to offer him a scholarship in dance as well.
- Token Rich Student: He and his sister Sharpay are from a wealthy family, but they still go to the same middle-class high school as the other main characters. That said, he doesn't flaunt his wealth as much as Sharpay does.
Chad Danforth
Chad Danforth
Portrayed By: Corbin Bleu
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
The best friend to Troy and a member of the basketball team.
- Ambiguously Bi: He dates Taylor between the first and second films but also enjoys the Homoerotic Subtext he shares with Ryan in the second film.
- Beta Couple: With Taylor in the second and third film.
- Easily Forgiven: Rather jarring in the first film despite a lack of a real apology.
- Hypocritical Humor: He tells Ryan he doesn't dance all while breaking out in choreographed dances during the baseball game in the second film.
- Homoerotic Subtext: With Ryan in the second movie due to Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu's intentionally flirty performance. Gone in the third movie, however.
- Jerk Jock: To an extent, before his Character Development. While not overtly mean, he does help manipulate Troy and Gabriella to keep them apart.
- The Lancer: To Troy.
- Lovable Jock: During the first film he upgrades from a Jerk Jock to this, when he starts being supportive of Troy along with the rest of the team.
- Ship Tease: With Ryan in the second film during "I Don't Dance".
- Token Black Friend: His role is to disapprove of the white Troy's life decisions.
- Token Minority Couple: With Taylor.
Taylor McKessie
Taylor McKessie
Portrayed By: Monique Coleman
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Best friend to Gabriella and captain of the school's scholastic decathlon team.
- Academic Alpha Bitch: She is the president of the science club at East High and a member of the school's Scholastic Decathlon team. She wants Gabriella to join the team to beat their rivals in West High and be involved in nothing else.
- Beta Couple: Got together with Chad in the second and third film.
- Black and Nerdy: Black, and very intelligent as captain of the decathlon team.
- Book Smart: The head of the science club and captain of the East High Scholastic Decathlon Team.
- Control Freak: She loves the feeling of being in control.
- Extracurricular Enthusiast: Captain of the Chem Club and Scholastic Decathlon, Student Body President, Year Book Editor...
- Go-Getter Girl: Taylor is driven and ambitious especially when it comes to her academic achievements.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: She's much more outspoken and aggressive (red) than Gabriella (blue).
- Sassy Black Woman: A very confident black girl with an attitude.
- Token Black Friend: She's Gabriella's best friend, and was the only person to know about her freshman's program in Stanford University. However, her plotlines are secondary to Gabriella's, and her role in the plot is primarily to disapprove of Gabriella's decisions.
- Token Minority Couple: She's paired up with Chad, the other black main cast member.
Kelsi Nielsen
Kelsi Nielsen
Portrayed By: Olesya Rulin
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
A composer and member of the Drama Club, she helps Troy and Gabriella audition against Ryan and Sharpay.
- Bespectacled Cutie: A shy nerdy girl who wears glasses.
- Grew a Spine: She is very timid, and at first, she's easily intimidated by Sharpay and her influence over the drama club's productions, but later stands up against her in the first movie's climax, when she insists on performing the piano for Troy and Gabriella's late performance. In the third movie, she was given charge of the musical composition for the entire Senior performance.
- Letting Her Hair Down: Kelsi literally lets her hair down and looks more outgoing at the end of the first film.
- The Reliable One:
- The only one who supports Troy and Gabriella trying out for the musical and works behind the scenes to keep every show together.
- While Troy's other friends had an understandable reason to be angry with him in the second movie, Kelsi was the only one who remained neutral with him.
- Shipper on Deck: For Troy and Gabriella. Especially in the second and third films, given the love songs she's written specifically for them to sing as a duet.
- Shrinking Violet: Initially, though she grows out of it.
- You Don't Look Like You: In the GBA game, for some reason, she has blonde hair and she's missing her glasses.
Zeke Baylor
Zeke Baylor
Portrayed By: Chris Warren Jr
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
A member of the basketball team, who has a crush on Sharpay.
- Dogged Nice Guy: He's infatuated with Sharpay, who only has eyes for the Big Man on Campus, Troy. However, he eventually won her heart by his cooking.
- Flat Character: He's pretty much a background character without too much going for him.
- Hidden Depths: A basketball player who loves baking.
- Lovable Jock: He's one of the nicest members of the basketball team.
- Nice Guy: A sweet guy to be around.
- Real Men Cook: Zeke loves to bake.
- Supreme Chef: He's very good at baking, and his cookies is what made Sharpay fall in love with him.
- Sweet Baker: He's one of the nicest Wildcats, and he's also a very talented baker who brings his friends treats all the time.
- Through His Stomach: Zeke manages to win Sharpay's heart (at least by the end of the first movie) by baking her more of his delicious cookies.
Martha Cox
Martha Cox
Portrayed By: Kaycee Stroh
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
- Ascended Extra: She becomes friends with the main cast in the second and third films.
- Flat Character: She's the only named cheerleader on the squad, and a hip-hop nerd and she still doesn't have that much of a role.
Ms. Darbus
Ms. Darbus
Portrayed By: Alyson Reed
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Home-room teacher of the gang and head of East High's Drama department, who has an ongoing rivalry with Jack Bolton.
- Berserk Button: Cell phones. Especially in the theater.note
- Cool Teacher: Upgrades to this in the third film, especially when she suggests the wildcats do a musical based on their own experiences at East High.
- Drama Queen: Kind of comes with the job.
- Large Ham: Probably the biggest example in the whole film. And that's saying something.
- Pretentious Pronunciation: Ms. Darbus natters on about the upcoming "musicale".
- Stern Teacher: She's pretty harsh to students auditioning for the show and even outright refuses to let Troy and Gabriella try out because they're a few minutes late. Then again, it's obvious her work is overlooked because of East High's focus on basketball and she's very protective of the drama department because of it.
- Took a Level in Kindness: By the end of the first film.
Jack Bolton
Jack Bolton
Portrayed By: Bart Johnson
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 2 | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Coach of East High's basket ball team and Troy's dad.
- Berserk Button: Don't ever miss basketball practice. For any reason.
- Establishing Character Moment: He's first introduced playing basketball with Troy and being confused that a little thing like the New Year could get in the way of their practice.
- "Gender-Normative Parent" Plot: He's furious at Troy for auditioning for the musical instead of focusing completely on basketball. Even in the third film, when he's accepted singing as a hobby, he's not happy to learn Troy's up for a scholarship at Juilliard. He does come around in the end and cheers with the rest of the audience when Troy announces he's gonna stick to basketball and singing both.
- Generation Xerox: He initially views Troy as this, as they're both East High basketball captains, both lead their teams to victory in the state championships and he plans for Troy to attend his alma mater. Then of course Troy gets interested in singing, derailing things a bit.
- Parents as People: He may struggle seeing Troy as his son, not just the basketball star but in the end does genuinely does his best. Plus, coaching the team is his job so he's in a tough position.
- Sports Dad: Put's a huge amount of pressure on Troy to win the state championship, both as his son and captain of the basketball team. He later acknowledges he pushed Troy too hard and is more understanding in the second and third films.Jack: "But you're not just a guy Troy, you're the playmaker. And what you do affects not only you but the whole school."
- Took a Level in Kindness: He's a lot more supportive of Troy in the second and third films.
Mrs. Montez
Mrs. Montez
Portrayed By: Socorro Herrera
Appearances: High School Musical | High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Gabriella's mom and seemingly solo parent.
- Doting Parent: Not the worst example, but she does get a little over-enthusiastic about Gabriella's acceptance to Stanford.
- Glamorous Single Mother: She and Gabriella seem comfortably off despite her being the only provider.
- Good Parents: Reassures Gabriella to just be herself rather than pressuring her about academics.
- Satellite Character: Apart from being Gabriella's mother, not much is known about her. We never even find out her first name.
- Unnamed Parent: Her real name was never revealed.
