Zach Galligan
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person
Zachary Wolfe Galligan (born February 14, 1964)<ref> Template:Cite web</ref> is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Early life and education
Galligan was born on February 14, 1964, in New York City, the son of Carol Jean (née Wolfe), a psychologist, and Arthur John Galligan, a lawyer who was a founding partner of the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro. He is mostly of Irish descent, although he also has some English roots and Jewish ancestry (from Austria) on his mother’s side.<ref>Template:Cite web </ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He has a sister, Jessica, and graduated from Columbia University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Career
Galligan's first major and most widely seen role was as Billy Peltzer in the 1984 film Gremlins.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prior to being cast in Gremlins, he filmed Nothing Lasts Forever, which had its theatrical release cancelled and went unreleased in any form for years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1988, he starred as Mark Loftmore in the horror comedy Waxwork.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He reprised his role as Billy in the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and returned to the role of Mark for Waxwork II: Lost in Time in 1992.<ref name="auto"/>
In 2016, UK progressive rock band Gandalf's Fist announced that Galligan would voice a character on their album The Clockwork Fable.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
In early 2021, Galligan appeared in a Mountain Dew commercial in which his Gremlins character, Billy, gives Gizmo a drink of his Mountain Dew.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Galligan returned to the Gremlins franchise again in 2022, in the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.<ref name="secrets">Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
Galligan married Ling-Ling Hu Ingerick at the Yale Club in New York on September 25, 2005; they divorced in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filmography
Template:BLP unreferenced section
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Gremlins | Billy Peltzer | |
| 1984 | Nothing Lasts Forever | Adam Beckett | |
| 1988 | Waxwork | Mark Loftmore | |
| 1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Billy Peltzer | |
| 1990 | Mortal Passions | Todd | |
| 1991 | Zandalee | Rog | |
| 1991 | Psychic | Patrick Costello | |
| 1992 | Round Trip To Heaven | Steve | |
| 1992 | Waxwork II: Lost in Time | Mark Loftmore | |
| 1993 | Warlock: The Armageddon | Douglas | |
| 1993 | All Tied Up | Brian Hartley | |
| 1994 | Caroline at Midnight | Jerry Hiatt | |
| 1994 | Ice | Rick Corbit | |
| 1995 | Cyborg 3: The Recycler | Evans | |
| 1997 | Cupid | Eric Rhodes | |
| 1997 | Prince Valiant | Sir Kay | |
| 1997 | The First to Go | Adam Curtis | |
| 1998 | Storm Trooper | Kreigal | |
| 1999 | The Storytellers | Greer Sandler | |
| 2000 | Little Insects | King Foptop | |
| 2000 | Raw Nerve | Ethan Lang | released in Japan as Random ShotsTemplate:Citation needed |
| 2000 | G-Men from Hell | Dalton | |
| 2001 | The Tomorrow Man | Spence | |
| 2001 | Gabriela | Pat | |
| 2001 | Point Doom | Spider | |
| 2001 | What They Wanted, What They Got | Pete Drake | |
| 2002 | Infested | Warren | |
| 2003 | Momentum | Director Hammond | |
| 2005 | Legion of the Dead | Dr. Swatek | |
| 2007 | Let Them Chirp Awhile | Hart Carlton | |
| 2008 | Jewslim | Yoseph Caldwell | |
| 2009 | The Pack | Anson | |
| 2009 | Nightbeasts | Charles Thomas | |
| 2010 | Cut | Jack | |
| 2010 | Jack Falls | American Guy | |
| 2013 | Hatchet III | Sheriff Fowler | |
| 2016 | The Chair | Riley | |
| 2017 | Kampout | Detective Benson | |
| 2019 | Madness in the Method | Director/Zach |
Television
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jacobo Timerman: Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number | Héctor Timerman | Television movie (NBC) |
| 1985 | Surviving: A Family in Crisis | Rick Brogan | Television movie (ABC) |
| 1987–1989 | The Lawrenceville Stories | William "Hickey" Hicks | TV Mini-Series, All 3 Episodes |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Rick Danworth | Episode: "For Love or Money" |
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | David and Rick | Episode: "Strung Along" |
| 1993 | For Love and Glory | Thomas Doyle | Unsold television pilot |
| 1995 | Extreme | Dan | Episode: Pilot |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Ron Jeffries | Episode: "Takedown" |
| 1997 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Chester Barnes | Episode: "Homecoming" |
| 1998 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | Bill Chase | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 1998 | Star Trek: Voyager | Ensign David Gentry | Episode: "In the Flesh" |
| 1998 | The Net | Aaron Mitchelson | Episode: "Diamonds Aren't Forever" |
| 1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Young Man | Episode: "My Convertible" |
| 1999 | Arthur's Quest | King Pendragon | Television film |
| 2001 | 7th Heaven | Dr. Kent | Episode: "Worked" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Eddie Malloy | Episode: "Happy Family" |
| 2018 | The Keith & Paddy Picture Show | as himself | Episode: "Gremlins" |
| 2023 | Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai | Henchman #2 | Recurring cast |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chilling Tales for Dark Nights | Fitzroy / Narrator | Episode: "The End is Near" Segment: "Mr. Promises" |
<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2021 | The Irate Gamer | Himself | Episode: "Gremlins" | |
| 2022 | The Kill Count | Himself | Episode: "Gremlins 2 (1990) KILL COUNT" | <ref> Template:Cite web</ref> |
References
External links
- 1964 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Collegiate School (New York) alumni
- Columbia University alumni
- Male actors from New York City