Steve Zahn, a multi-talented actor, is an evergreen Hollywood talent. Zahn is a well-known American actor who has appeared in films such as Reality Bites, That Thing You Do!, Out of Sight, Happy, Texas, and Sahara. In 1994, the film Reality Bites gave him his big break. He also starred in the first three Diary of a Wimpy Kid films, as well as Dallas Buyers Club and War for the Planet of the Apes. He also did voice work in a number of films, including Stuart Little, Chicken Little, The Good Dinosaur, and Escape from Planet Earth. He’s been in the profession for roughly three decades and has amassed a sizable net worth in the millions of dollars.

Steve Zahn’s Childhood and Education

Steve Zahn was born on November 13, 1967, in Marshall, Minnesota, under the zodiac sign of Scorpio. Zahn is the son of Carleton Edward Zahn, a Lutheran clergyman, and Zelda Claire Zahn, a bookshop clerk.

He attended Kennedy Elementary School in Mankato, Minnesota, where he was reared by his parents. Later, he moved to the Minneapolis suburbs and attended a local high school. He was a two-time Minnesota state speech champion and acted in various plays during his scholastic years.

Zahn graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 1986 and went on to join the US Marine Corps. He later enrolled at Gustavus Adolphus College but left after a semester. After seeing the original West End performance of Les Miserables, he dropped out of college. He declares,

“I recall thinking to myself during the second act, “I’m as good as that guy standing on the barricade.” “I wanted to be a member of the circus,” she says.

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

Career Theater by Steve Zahn

Soon after falsely claiming to be a member of Actors’ Equity, Steve Zahn made his professional debut in a Minnesota production of Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues. Zahn then enrolled in the American Repertory Theater’s two-year training program, where he studied with renowned stage director Andrei Serban.

In 1991, Zahn, Ethan Hawke, and Robert Sean Leopard founded the Malaparte theater company. In the same year, he played Hugo Peabody in Tommy Tune’s national tour of Bye Bye Birdie.

Movies

Zahn made his big-screen debut as Jeremy Tanner in Gary O. Bennett’s science fiction picture Rain Without Thunder in 1993. In 1994, he made his breakthrough as gay Sammy Gray in the romantic comedy-drama picture Reality Bites. Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller, and Janeane Garofalo starred in the film.

Zahn rose to fame after appearing in films such as That Thing You Do!, You’ve Got Mail, and Out of Sight as a genial stoner, slacker, and sidekick. In the comedy film Happy, Texas, starring Jeremy Northam, William H. Macy, Ally Walker, and Illeana Douglas, he made his debut leading role as Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. aka David in 1999. He won the Independent Spirit Award and the Special Dramatic Jury Prize for his performance in the film. In addition, he has been nominated for the Satellite Award.

Zahn also voiced Monty in Stuart Little, a live-action/comedy animated family film released the same year. In 2001, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Riding in Cars with Boys, a biographical film starring Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy, Adam Garcia, and James Woods.

Night Train, Calvin Marshall, Salesman, Dallas Buyers Club, The Ridiculous 6, and Captain Fantastic are just a few of Zahn’s previous credits. As of 2018, he is a producer on Ethan Hawke’s biographical drama picture Blaze.

TV Shows

Zahn debuted on television in 1990, in an episode of All My Children. After that, he played minor roles in a number of TV shows, including Friends, Mike & Spike, From the Earth to the Moon, Comanche Moon, and Monk, to name a few.

Zahn starred as Davis McAlary, a part-time DJ, in HBO’s Treme in 2010. Wendell Pierce, Khandi Alexander, Kim Dickens, and Michiel Huisman were among the cast members. From 2010 until 2013, he was a part of the series, participating in 36 episodes. Zahn made a guest appearance on Modern Family in 2014, alongside Sofia Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, and Ariel Winter.

Zahn is now starring as Jude Ellis in the ABC science fiction drama The Crossing. Natalie Martinez, Sandrine Holt, and Kelley Missal star in the series.

Awards and nominations for Steve Zahn

Steve Zahn has been nominated for and won a number of significant awards. Among his honors and nominations are:

Forces of Nature was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in 1998.
Happy, Texas won the Independent Spirit Award and the Special Dramatic Jury Prize in 1999.
Happy, Texas was nominated for a Satellite Award in 1999.
Rescue Dawn was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2007.
Dallas Buyers Club was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2013.
Captain Fantastic was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2016.
War for the Planet of the Apes was nominated for a Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award in 2017.
Steve Zahn’s net worth is estimated to be in the millions of dollars.
Steve Zahn’s net worth is believed to be $25 million. Zahn appeared in a number of successful films that grossed a lot of money at the box office.

Here are his top five highest-grossing films of all time:

According to some statistics, an adult actor on Modern Family earns between $30k and $60k on average. Zahn teamed up with Rex Chapman in a charity basketball game in 2017.

Personal Life of Steve Zahn

Steve Zahn, a multi-talented actor, is married to Robyn Peterman, an author and theater artist (daughter of J.Peterman). In 1991, while both of them were on a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie, they met for the first time. They finally began dating and married on July 16, 1994, in front of their friends and families.

The couple has two kids, a son, and a daughter. Henry James Zahn, their first child, was born in 2000, and Audrey Clair Zahn, their second child, was born in 2002. The couple now owns a 360-acre property just outside of Kentucky.

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