Steve Zahn

Steven James Zahn (/zn/; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and
Steve Zahn
comedian. His films includeReality Bites (1994), That Thing You Do! (1996), Out of
Sight (1998), Happy, Texas (1999), Riding in Cars with Boys(2001), Shattered Glass
(2003), Rescue Dawn (2007), the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, Dallas Buyers Club
(2013), and War for the Planet of the Apes(2017).

Zahn did voice acting in Chicken Little (2005), Escape from Planet Earth (2013),
and The Good Dinosaur (2015). He has also worked regularly in television,
including the recurring role of Davis McAlary onHBO's Treme (2010 to 2013).

Contents
Early life
Career
Personal life Zahn in 2008
Filmography Born Steven James Zahn
Film November 13, 1967
Television Marshall, Minnesota,
Video games U.S.
References
Occupation Actor, comedian
External links
Years active 1990present
Spouse(s) Robyn Peterman
(m. 1994)
Early life
Children 2
Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Carleton Edward Zahn, a
Lutheran minister, and Zelda Clair Zahn, a bookstore clerk and later a YMCA administrator.[1] His father is of German and Swedish
descent, and his mother is of German ancestry. 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.[2][3] He graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 1986, planning eventually to join the
United States Marine Corps.[2]

Career
Zahn attended Gustavus Adolphus College for one semester but dropped out after seeing the original West End production of Les
Misrables. "I remember sitting through the second act thinking, Im good as that guy standing on the barricade," Zahn recalled. "I
wanted to be part of the circus."[4] In 1987, 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.[2] His fellow actors suggested that Zahn study acting, inspiring him to
enroll in American Repertory Theater's two-year training program.[5] At A.R.T., he worked with the venerated stage director Andrei
erban.[6]

In 1991, Zahn formed the Malaparte theater company with a group of actor friends, including Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean
Leonard.[7] From 1991 to 1992, he played Hugo Peabody in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie starring Tommy Tune, and
subsequently appeared in two Off-Broadway plays, Sophistry and Eric Bogosian's Suburbia.[8]
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).[9] In the 1990s, Zahn was often
approached by fans who assumed that he was an archetypal Generation X slacker, which
was not the case. He has said, "Im the guy who gets up at six without an alarm clock. I
was always that guy."[4]

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.[10] In the
Zahn with Jennifer Aniston at the
wake of Happy, Texas, Zahn began playing darker, more nuanced characters. He premiere of the movie
received Oscar buzz for his role as Drew Barrymore's deadbeat ex in Riding in Cars Management, in which they both
with Boys (2001), and played the investigative journalist Adam Penenberg in Shattered starred, 2008.
Glass (2003).[11] 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
[9][5]
prepare for the role, he lost 40 pounds by eating mostly raw food.

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

In 2017, Zahn played Bad Ape in War for the Planet of the Apes. He researched the role by watching chimp videos on YouTube, and
later said that the motion capture process and lengthy digital takes made Bad Ape "the most challenging acting job Ive ever
had".[12][13]

Personal life
Zahn met the author and theater artist Robyn Peterman in 1991 while they were performing in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie;
Peterman is the daughter of clothier J. Peterman.[1][5] The couple married in 1994 and have two children, Henry (b. 2000) and
Audrey (b. 2002). They live on a 360-acre farm outside of Lexington, Kentucky, where Zahn gardens and raises horses, goats, and
sheep.[14] He and his wife also run a local community theater
, in which Zahn occasionally performs.[4]

Zahn is a lifelong military history buff, and has said that one of his biggest regrets was turning down a role in the HBO miniseries
Band of Brothers.[15] 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.

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
Rain Without
1993 Jeremy Tanner
Thunder
1994 Reality Bites Sammy Gray
1995 Crimson Tide William Barnes
Race the Sun Hans Kooiman
SubUrbia Buff
1996
That Thing You
Lenny Haise
Do!
The Object of My
Frank Hanson
Affection

1998 Out of Sight Glenn Michaels

Safe Men Eddie
You've Got Mail George Pappas
Nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite
Forces of Nature Alan
Supporting Actor - Comedy/Romance
Freak Talks About
Freak
Sex
1999 Independent Spirit Award for Best SupportingMale
Wayne Wayne
Special Dramatic Jury Prizefor Best Comedic Performance
Happy, Texas Wayne Jr., aka
Nominated Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in
David
a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical
Stuart Little Monty (voice)
Chain of Fools Thomas Kresk
2000
Hamlet Rosencrantz
Chelsea Walls Ross
Dr. Dolittle 2 Archie (voice)
Joy Ride Fuller Thomas
2001
Riding in Cars
Ray Hasek
with Boys
Saving Silverman Wayne
2002 Stuart Little 2 Monty (voice)
Daddy Day Care Marvin
2003 National Security Hank Rafferty
Shattered Glass Adam Penenberg
Employee of the
Jack
2004 Month
Speak Mr. Freeman
Runt of the Litter
Chicken Little
2005 (voice)
Sahara Al Giordino
2006 Bandidas Quentin Cooke
2007 Rescue Dawn Duane Nominated Independent Spirit Award for Best SupportingMale
2008 The Great Buck
Kenny
Howard
 Management Mike Flux
Strange
Peter Gaulke
Wilderness
Sunshine
Mac
Cleaning
Unstable Fables:
3 Pigs and a Sandy Pig (voice) Direct-to-DVD
Baby
Night Train Pete Dobbs
2009 A Perfect
Cliff Anderson
Getaway
Calvin Marshall Coach Little
Diary of a Wimpy
2010 Frank Heffley
Kid
Salesmen Marvin
Diary of a Wimpy
2011 Kid: Rodrick
Rules
Diary of a Wimpy Frank Heffley
Kid: Dog Days
2012
Diary of a Wimpy
Kid: Class Clown
Escape from
Hawk (voice)
Planet Earth
Dallas Buyers Nominated Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding
2013 Tucker
Club Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Knights of
Eric
Badassdom
The Good Thunderclap
2015 Dinosaur (voice)
The Ridiculous 6 Clem
Nominated Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding
2016 Captain Fantastic Dave
Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
War for the Planet Also motion-capture; Nominated Washington D.C. Area Film
"Bad Ape" (voice)
2017 of the Apes Critics Association Award for Best Motion Capture Performance
Lean on Pete Silver
2018 Blaze Post-production

Television
 Year Title Role Notes
Episode #5303
1990 All My Children Spence
uncredited
1993 South Beach Lane Bailey Episode: "Pirates of the Caribbean"
Friends Duncan "The One with Phoebe's Husband"
1995 Mike & Spike Nick Pickles (voice) Episode: "Person to Clothes"
Picture Windows Crook Episode: "Armed Response"
Liberty! The American
1997 American Sergeant 4 episodes
Revolution
Miniseries
1998 From the Earth to the Moon Astronaut Elliot See
Episode: "Can We Do This?"
Augustus "Gus"
2008 Comanche Moon 3 episodes
McCrae
2008 Swampy/Sherman Episode: "Dude, We're Gettin' the Band Back
Phineas and Ferb
2013 (voices) Together!"
Monk Jack Monk, Jr. Episode: "Mr. Monk's Other Brother"
2009
WWII in HD Nolen Marbrey (voice)
2010
Treme Davis McAlary Regular, 36 episodes
2013
2014 Mind Games Clark Edwards Regular
2014
Modern Family Ronnie La Fontaine Recurring Role
2015
2015
Mad Dogs Cobi Series regular
2016

Video games

Year Title Role

2005 Chicken Little Runt of the Litter

References
1. Braun, Liz (February 26, 2001)."Steve Zahn has a smart funny humour," (http://jam.canoe.com/Movies/Artists/Z/Zah
n_Steve/2001/02/26/762821.html)Jam!. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
2. Simon, Alex (July 3, 2015)."Great Conversations: Steve Zahn,"(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-simon/great-con
versations-steve_b_7725074.html)The Huffington Post Retrieved September 15, 2017.
3. Covert, Colin (August 18, 2009)."Local boy Steve Zahn grows up,"(http://www.startribune.com/local-boy-steve-zahn
-grows-up/15073891/)Star Tribune (Minneapolis). Retrieved September 15, 2017.
4. Riesman, Abraham (July 13, 2017)."Steve Zahn. Seriously." (http://www.vulture.com/2017/07/planet-of-the-apes-ste
ve-zahn-on-his-farm-and-his-craft.html)New York. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
5. Copley, Rich (June 23, 2016)."Steve Zahn talks craft and Kentucky at UKs Singletary Center," (http://www.kentucky.
com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article85683617.html)Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved on September
15, 2017.
6. O'Sullivan, Michael (July 13, 2007)."Steve Zahn . . . in All Seriousness,"(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co
ntent/article/2007/07/12/AR2007071200598.html)The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
7. Sternbergh, Adam (January 31, 2010)."The Ethan Hawke Actors Studio,"(http://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/634
19/) New York. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
 8. Klein, Alvin (March 15, 1992)."Tommy Tune and 'Bye Bye Birdie,'"(http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/15/nyregion/the
ater-tommy-tune-and-bye-bye-birdie.html)The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
9. Rabin, Nathan (July 3, 2007)."Interview: Steve Zahn,"(https://film.avclub.com/steve-zahn-1798211848)The A.V.
Club. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
10. Ojumu, Akin (November 13, 1999)."Steve Zahn's habitual scene-stealing,"(https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/
nov/14/comment.akinojumu)The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
11. Smith, Neil (December 4, 2001)."Riding in Cars with Boys (2001),"(http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/12/04/riding_in_
cars_with_boys_2001_review.shtml) BBC. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
12. Rottenberg, Josh (April 21, 2017)."Why Steve Zahn's 'Bad Ape' in 'War for the Planet of the Apes' made director
Matt Reeves cry," (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesneaks/la-ca-mn-sneaks-war-planet-apes-ste
ve-zahn-20170421-story.html) Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
13. Lammers, Tim (July 13, 2017). "Interview: Steve Zahn Talks 'War of the Planet of the Apes,'"(http://directconversatio
ns.com/2017/07/13/interview-steve-zahn-talks-war-planet-apes/)DirectConversations.com. Retrieved September 16,
2017.
14. Belloni, Matthew (October 27, 2008)."Steve Zahn: What I've Learned,"(http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/intervi
ews/a5385/steve-zahn-quotes-0109/)Esquire. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
15. "Steve Zahn," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyJk1UfWrRs) interviewed by Doug Boyd (May 29, 2013). Colonel
Arthur L. Kelly American Veterans Oral History Collection, University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved September 15,
2017.

External links
Steve Zahn on IMDb
Steve Zahn at the Internet Off-Broadway Database

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