Steve Zahn

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Steven James Zahn (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> born November 13, 1967) is an American actor.

In film, Zahn is best known for his lead roles in That Thing You Do! (1996), Happy, Texas (1999), Joy Ride (2001), National Security (2003), A Perfect Getaway (2009), the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series (2010–2012), Cowboys (2020), and LaRoy, Texas (2023). His notable supporting roles in films include Reality Bites (1994), Out of Sight (1998), Forces of Nature (1999), Employee of the Month (2004), the Stuart Little film series (1999–2002), Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), Chicken Little (2005), Sahara (2005), Rescue Dawn (2006), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), The Good Dinosaur (2015), Captain Fantastic (2016) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017).

In television, Zahn is best known for his main cast credits as Davis McAlary in the HBO series Treme (2010–2013), Cobi in the Amazon Prime Video series Mad Dogs (2015–2016), Jude Ellis in the ABC science fiction series The Crossing (2018), and Mark Mossbacher in season 1 of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus (2021).

Zahn received an Independent Spirit Award, a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for The White Lotus, as well as two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Early life and education

Steven James Zahn was born on November 13, 1967,<ref name="huffpo"/> in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Carleton Edward Zahn, a Lutheran minister, and Zelda Clair Zahn, a bookstore clerk and later a YMCA administrator.<ref name="jam">Braun, Liz (February 26, 2001). "Steve Zahn has a smart funny humour," Template:Webarchive Jam!. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref>

Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School, and moved to the suburbs of Minneapolis for high school, where he acted in school plays and became a two-time Minnesota state speech champion.<ref name="huffpo">Simon, Alex (July 3, 2015). "Great Conversations: Steve Zahn," Template:Webarchive HuffPost Retrieved April 9, 2022.</ref><ref name="localboy">Covert, Colin (August 18, 2009). "Local boy Steve Zahn grows up," Template:Webarchive Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> Zahn graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope in 1986, planning to eventually join the United States Marine Corps.<ref name="huffpo"/>

File:Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn Faces Red Carpet for Premiere of Management.jpg

Zahn with Jennifer Aniston at the premiere of their 2008 movie Management

He attended Gustavus Adolphus College for one semester, but dropped out after seeing the original West End production of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables.<ref name="riesman">Riesman, Abraham (July 13, 2017). "Steve Zahn. Seriously." Template:Webarchive Vulture. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> Zahn later enrolled in the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University, earning a Master of Fine Arts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

In 1991, Zahn made his professional stage debut in a Minnesota production of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues after falsely claiming to be a member of Actors' Equity.<ref name="huffpo" /> His fellow actors suggested that he study acting, inspiring him to enroll in American Repertory Theater's two-year training program.<ref name="kentucky">Copley, Rich (June 23, 2016). "Steve Zahn talks craft and Kentucky at UK's Singletary Center," Template:Webarchive Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved on September 15, 2017.</ref> At A.R.T., Zahn worked with the stage director Andrei Șerban.<ref>O'Sullivan, Michael (July 13, 2007). "Steve Zahn . . . in All Seriousness," Template:Webarchive The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref>

In 1991, Zahn formed the Malaparte theater company with a group of actor friends, including Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard.<ref>Sternbergh, Adam (January 31, 2010). "The Ethan Hawke Actors Studio," Template:Webarchive New York. Retrieved September 16, 2017.</ref> From 1991 to 1992, Zahn played Hugo Peabody in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie starring Tommy Tune. He subsequently appeared in two Off-Broadway plays, Sophistry and Eric Bogosian's Suburbia.<ref>Klein, Alvin (March 15, 1992). "Tommy Tune and 'Bye Bye Birdie,'" Template:Webarchive The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref>

After his breakout film role in 1994's Reality Bites, Zahn quickly gained a reputation for playing amiable stoners, slackers, and sidekicks in films such as That Thing You Do! (1996), You've Got Mail (1998), and Out of Sight (1998).<ref name="random">Rabin, Nathan (July 3, 2007). "Interview: Steve Zahn," Template:Webarchive The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 9, 2022.</ref> In the 1990s, Zahn was often approached by fans who assumed he was an archetypal Generation X slacker, which was not the case. Zahn has said, "I'm the guy who gets up at six without an alarm clock. I was always that guy."<ref name="riesman"/>

In 1999, Zahn landed his first starring role in the critically acclaimed indie film Happy, Texas, for which he won a Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival.<ref name=guardian>Ojumu, Akin (November 13, 1999). "Steve Zahn's habitual scene-stealing," Template:Webarchive The Guardian. (London) Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> After that, he began playing darker, more nuanced characters. He received Oscar buzz for his role as Drew Barrymore's deadbeat ex in Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), and played investigative journalist Adam Penenberg in Shattered Glass (2003).<ref>Smith, Neil (December 4, 2001). "Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)," Template:Webarchive BBC News. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> A longtime Werner Herzog fan, Zahn campaigned for the role of Vietnam prisoner of war Duane W. Martin in Herzog's 2007 film Rescue Dawn; to prepare for the role, he lost Template:Convert by eating mostly raw food.<ref name="random"/><ref name="kentucky"/>

Zahn has also worked regularly in television, playing Davis McClary on 36 episodes of HBO's Treme.

From 2010 to 2012, Zahn portrayed Frank Heffley, the father of Greg Heffley, in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series.

In 2017, Zahn played Bad Ape in War for the Planet of the Apes. He researched the role by watching chimpanzee videos on YouTube, and later said that the motion capture process and lengthy digital takes made Bad Ape "the most challenging acting job I've ever had".<ref>Rottenberg, Josh (April 21, 2017). "Why Steve Zahn's 'Bad Ape' in 'War for the Planet of the Apes' made director Matt Reeves cry," Template:Webarchive Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2017.</ref><ref>Lammers, Tim (July 13, 2017). "Interview: Steve Zahn Talks 'War of the Planet of the Apes,'" Template:Webarchive DirectConversations.com. Retrieved September 16, 2017.</ref>

Personal life

Zahn met author and theater artist Robyn Peterman, the daughter of clothier J. Peterman, while they were performing in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie in 1991.<ref name="jam"/><ref name="kentucky"/> They married in 1994 and have two children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 1990s, they bought a cabin in Pennsylvania and then a farm in New Jersey, near the Delaware Water Gap.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> They next moved to a 36-acre horse farm outside Lexington, Kentucky, where Zahn gardens and raises horses, goats, and sheep.<ref>Belloni, Matthew (October 27, 2008). "Steve Zahn: What I've Learned," Template:Webarchive Esquire. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> He and his wife also run a local community theater, in which Zahn occasionally performs.<ref name="riesman"/> He also has a lake cabin near Pine City, Minnesota,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where he enjoys tubing and fishing with his children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Zahn is a Lutheran.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Zahn is a lifelong military history buff and has said that one of his biggest regrets was having turned down a role in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers.<ref name="oral history">"Steve Zahn," Template:Webarchive interviewed by Doug Boyd (May 29, 2013). Colonel Arthur L. Kelly American Veterans Oral History Collection, University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved September 15, 2017.</ref> In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Northern Kentucky University. A University of Kentucky sports fan, Zahn is often seen at games and events.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Filmography

Key

Template:Dagger

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1992	Rain Without Thunder	Jeremy Tanner
1994	Reality Bites	Sammy Gray
1995	Crimson Tide	William Barnes
1996	Race the Sun	Hans Kooiman
	SubUrbia	Buff
	That Thing You Do!	Lenny Haise
1998	The Object of My Affection	Frank Hanson
	Out of Sight	Glenn Michaels
	Safe Men	Eddie
	You've Got Mail	George Pappas
1999	Forces of Nature	Alan
	Freak Talks About Sex	Freak
	Happy, Texas	Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr., aka David
	Stuart Little	Monty	Voice role	<ref name="btva">Template:Cite web A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
2000	Chain of Fools	Thomas Kresk
	Hamlet	Rosencrantz
2001	Chelsea Walls	Ross
	Dr. Dolittle 2	Archie	Voice role	<ref name="btva" />
	Joy Ride	Fuller Thomas
	Riding in Cars with Boys	Ray Hasek
	Saving Silverman	Wayne
2002	Stuart Little 2	Monty	Voice role	<ref name="btva" />
2003	Daddy Day Care	Marvin
	National Security	Hank Rafferty
	Shattered Glass	Adam Penenberg
2004	Employee of the Month	Jack
	Speak	Mr. Freeman
2005	Chicken Little	Runt of the Litter	Voice role	<ref name="btva" />
	Sahara	Al Giordino
2006	Bandidas	Quentin Cooke
	Rescue Dawn	Duane
2008	The Great Buck Howard	Kenny
	Management	Mike Flux
	Strange Wilderness	Peter Gaulke
	Sunshine Cleaning	Mac
	Unstable Fables: 3 Pigs and a Baby	Sandy Pig	Voice, direct-to-video	<ref name="btva" />
2009	Night Train	Pete Dobbs
	A Perfect Getaway	Cliff Anderson
2010	Calvin Marshall	Coach Little
	Diary of a Wimpy Kid	Frank Heffley
	Salesmen	Marvin
2011	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules	Frank Heffley
2012	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
	Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Class Clown		Voice, short film
2013	Escape from Planet Earth	Hawk	Voice role	<ref name="btva" />
	Dallas Buyers Club	Tucker
	Knights of Badassdom	Eric
2015	The Good Dinosaur	Thunderclap	Voice role	<ref name="btva" />
	The Ridiculous 6	Clem
2016	Captain Fantastic	Dave
2017	War for the Planet of the Apes	Bad Ape	Voice and motion-capture	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="btva" />
	Lean on Pete	Silver		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018	Blaze	Oilman #2
2019	Where'd You Go, Bernadette	David Walker
	Tall Girl	Richie Kreyman		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020	Uncle Frank	Mike Bledsoe
	Cowboys	Troy
2021	8-Bit Christmas	John Doyle		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022	Tall Girl 2	Richie Kreyman
	Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again	Jedediah	Voice	<ref name="btva" />
2023	Your Place or Mine	Zen		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	LaRoy, Texas	Skip		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Gringa	Jackson
	Wildcat	Tom T. Shiftlet		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2025	She Dances	Jason	Also screenwriter and producer
	Eenie Meanie	Dad Meaney		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Anaconda Template:Dagger	Kenny Trent	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1990	All My Children	Spence	Episode #5303; Uncredited
1993	South Beach	Lane Bailey	Episode: "Pirates of the Caribbean"
1995	Friends	Duncan	Episode: "The One with Phoebe's Husband"
	Mike & Spike	Nick Pickles	Voice, episode: "Person to Clothes"
	Picture Windows	Crook	Episode: "Armed Response"
1997	Liberty! The American Revolution	American Sergeant	4 episodes
1998	From the Earth to the Moon	Astronaut Elliot See	Miniseries; Episode: "Can We Do This?"
2008	Comanche Moon	Augustus "Gus" McCrae	3 episodes
2008–2012	Phineas and Ferb	Sherman	Voice, 2 episodes	<ref name="btva" />
2009	Monk	Jack Monk, Jr.	Episode: "Mr. Monk's Other Brother"
	WWII in HD	Nolen Marbrey	Voice, 3 episodes
2010–2013	Treme	Davis McAlary	Regular, 36 episodes
2013	Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja	Terry McFist	Voice, episode: "Fart-Topia"
2014	Mind Games	Clark Edwards	Regular, 13 episodes
2014–2015	Modern Family	Ronnie La Fontaine	Recurring role, 4 episodes
2015–2016	Mad Dogs	Cobi	Series regular, 10 episodes
2018	The Crossing	Jude Ellis	Series lead, 11 episodes
2019	Valley of the Boom	Michael Fenne	Main role
2020	The Healing Powers of Dude	Dude	Voice, main role	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	The Good Lord Bird	Chase	2 episodes
2021	The White Lotus	Mark Mossbacher	Main role	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022	The Last Movie Stars	Donald "Duck" Dobbins	Voice, 3 episodes
2022–2023	George & Tammy	George Richey	6 episodes	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	The Righteous Gemstones	Peter Montgomery	Recurring	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	Silo	Solo	Main role (season 2)	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2025	Chad Powers	Jake Hudson	Main role

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Chicken Little	Runt of the Litter

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Bye Bye Birdie	Hugo Peabody
1991	Biloxi Blues	Performer	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

Award	Year	Category	Work	Result
Blockbuster Entertainment Award	2008	Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy/Romance	Forces of Nature	Template:Nom
Independent Spirit Awards	1999	Best Supporting Male	Happy, Texas	Template:Win
	2007		Rescue Dawn	Template:Nom
Primetime Emmy Awards	2022	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie	The White Lotus	Template:Nom
Satellite Award	2000	Best Actor	Happy, Texas	Template:Nom
Screen Actors Guild Awards	2013	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Dallas Buyers Club	Template:Nom
	2016		Captain Fantastic	Template:Nom
Sundance Film Festival	1999	Special Dramatic Jury Prize for Best Comedic Performance	Happy, Texas	Template:Win
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	2017	Best Motion Capture Performance	War for the Planet of the Apes	Template:Nom

External links

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