Austin Butler is officially playing the "King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley [1] in Baz Luhrmann's new biopic about the iconic star, and if you're wondering, "Who is Austin Butler?" then you're in for a treat. The 28-year-old hunk isn't just the longtime boyfriend of Vanessa Hudgens [2] — he's also appeared in more movies and TV shows than you might realise. Like Hudgens, Butler got his start on Disney Channel, where he had bit roles on Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place (as well as the Nickelodeon series Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Zoey 101, and iCarly [3]) before landing his first film role and making it big. If his name still isn't ringing a bell, then perhaps you'll recognise him from some of his biggest roles.
Jake Pearson in Aliens in the Attic
Butler starred in his first movie role alongside Ashley Tisdale [5] and Carter Jenkins in this family-friendly sci-fi flick where two families find themselves victim to an alien invasion while stranded in a holiday home in the middle of nowhere.
Jones Mager in Life Unexpected
Less than a year after the premiere of Aliens in the Attic, Butler landed a recurring role on the short-lived CW series Life Unexpected, where he played popular high school quarterback Jones Mager.
Peyton Leverett in Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure
Butler teamed up with Tisdale again for the High School Musical [6] spinoff Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure where he costarred as Peyton Leverett, an aspirational filmmaker who helps recent high school grad Sharpay transition to New York City.
Zack Garvey in The Bling Ring
In the lifetime movie The Bling Ring (which is not to be confused with Sofia Coppola's 2013 flick of the same name), Butler starred as Zack Garvey, a character based on real-life teen Nick Prugo, who became a member of the infamous group of teenage thieves after transferring to a new school and trying to find a place to fit in.
James Wilkerson III in Switched at Birth
The same year that he starred in The Bling Ring, Butler landed a recurring role on the Freeform series Switched at Birth, where he played James "Wilke" Wilkerson III, the BFF of Lucas Grabeel's character Toby and the occasional boyfriend of Toby's younger sister Daphne, who suffers from Ménière's disease, rendering her near-deaf.
Sebastian Kydd in The Carrie Diaries
Butler joined the cast of the CW Sex and the City [7] prequel series The Carrie Diaries alongside AnnaSophia Robb, playing young Carrie's heartthrob crush (and eventual boyfriend) Sebastian Kydd.
Wil Ohmsford in The Shannara Chronicles
Butler may be best known for his role in The Shannara Chronicles, where he starred as Wil Ohmsford, a human-elf hybrid who must team up with an Elvin princess and a human rover to protect the Four Lands from banished demons that threaten to escape.
Thomas Daniels in Dude
In the Netflix original dramedy Dude, Butler plays the older brother of Kathryn Prescott's character Chloe and the crush of Lucy Hale's Lily, who (spoiler alert) suffers a tragic fate a year before Chloe and Lily begin their final year of high school.
Jack in The Dead Don't Die
Butler appeared in The Dead Don't Die alongside an insane cast — which included Adam Driver, Bill Murray [8], Chloë Sevigny [9], Steve Buscemi, Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez [10], and several others — as Jack, the travelling companion of Gomez's Zoe in the face of a sudden zombie attack.