Steve Zahn Biography

A multi-talented actor, Steve Zahn is an enduring Hollywood talent. Zahn is a popular American actor famous for his roles in films including Reality Hurts , What You Do! , Out of Sight , Happy, Texas and Sahara . The big breakthrough for him came in the 1994 film, Reality Hurts . Additionally, he is known for appearing in the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, Dallas Buyers Club and War for the Planet of the Apes . In addition, he also provided the voice for him in several films, including Stuart Little , Little Chicken ,The good dinosaur and Escape from planet Earth among others. Active in the industry for the past 3 decades, he has amassed an impressive net worth in the millions of dollars.

Early life and education of Steve Zahn

Steve Zahn was born Steven James Zahn on November 13 ^, 1967 in Marshall, Minnesota, under the Scorpio birth sign. Zahn is the son of a Lutheran minister, Carleton Edward Zahn , and a bookstore clerk, Zelda Claire Zahn .

His parents raised him in Mankato, Minnesota, where he attended Kennedy Elementary School. Later, he moved to suburban Minneapolis and attended a local high school there. During his upbringing, he acted in several plays and also became a two-time Minnesota State Oratory Champion

In 1986, Zahn graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School, eventually joining the United States Marine Corps. Later, he joined Gustavus Adolphus College, but dropped out after one semester. He dropped out of college after seeing the original West End production of Les Miserables. He says,

‘I remember sitting through the second act thinking, I’m good as that guy standing on the barricade. I wanted to be part of the circus.’

Zahn earned a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Northern Kentucky University in 2007.

Steve Zahn’s career

Theater

Steve Zahn made his professional debut in a Minnesota production of Neil Simon ‘s It’s Biloxi Blues shortly after falsely claiming to be a member of Actors’ Equity. Zahn then joined American Repertory Theater’s two-year training program, where he worked with Andrei Serban , a revered stage manager.

Zahn formed the Malaparte Theater Company with Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leopard in 1991. The same year, he played Hugo Peabody in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie starring in Tommy Tune .

Films

Zahn made his big screen debut in 1993 as Jeremy Tanner in a science fiction film. Rain Without Thunder directed by Gary O. Bennett . His breakthrough came in 1994 as Sammy Grey , a gay man, in a romantic comedy-drama film, Reality Hurts . The film stars Winona Ryder , Ethan Hawke , Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo 

Zahn then quickly gained popularity for playing a friendly, slacker, sidekick smoker in films like What You Do! , You have a new mail and Out of sight among others. In 1999, he got his first starring role as Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. aka David in a comedy film. Happy, Texas starring Jeremy Northam , William H. Macy , Ally Walker and Illeana Douglas . His performance in the film helped him win an Independent Spirit Award and a Dramatic Special Jury Award . He has also been nominated for Satellite Award.

The couple share two children, a son and a daughter. Their first child, Henry James Zahn was born in 2000 while their second child, Audrey Clair Zahn was born in 2002. The couple currently reside on a 360-acre farm outside of Kentucky.

In addition to their personal lives, they also run a small community theater where Zahn occasionally performs.

Here is the video where Steve Zahn talks about the movie, War for the Planet of the Apes: