Steve Zahn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Steve Zahn
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Zahn at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
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| Born |
Steven James Zahn
November 13, 1967 Marshall, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Education |
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Robyn Peterman
(m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
Steven James Zahn (born November 13, 1967) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in movies and TV shows.
You might know him as Frank Heffley, the dad in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies. He also voiced characters like Monty in the Stuart Little films and Runt in Chicken Little. Steve Zahn has played many different characters, from funny sidekicks to more serious roles.
He has won an Independent Spirit Award and has been nominated for other big awards like the Primetime Emmy Award.
Contents
Early Life and School
Steven James Zahn was born on November 13, 1967, in Marshall, Minnesota. His father, Carleton Edward Zahn, was a minister. His mother, Zelda Clair Zahn, worked at a bookstore and later for the YMCA.
Steve spent some of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota. He went to Kennedy Elementary School there. Later, his family moved to the suburbs of Minneapolis. In high school, he loved acting in school plays. He even became a two-time state speech champion in Minnesota. He graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope in 1986.
After high school, he went to Gustavus Adolphus College for a short time. He decided to leave after seeing a play called Les Misérables. This play inspired him to become an actor. He then went to Harvard University to study acting. He earned a special degree called a Master of Fine Arts.
Steve Zahn's Acting Career
Steve Zahn started his acting career on stage in 1991. He was in a play called Biloxi Blues in Minnesota. His fellow actors encouraged him to study acting more. So, he joined a two-year training program at the American Repertory Theater.
In 1991, Steve Zahn and some actor friends, including Ethan Hawke, started their own theater company called Malaparte. He also toured the country in a play called Bye Bye Birdie. After that, he was in two plays in New York City.
First Big Movie Roles
Steve Zahn's first big movie role was in Reality Bites in 1994. After this, he became known for playing friendly, easygoing characters. He was often the funny friend or sidekick in movies. Some of these early films include That Thing You Do! (1996), You've Got Mail (1998), and Out of Sight (1998).
People often thought he was like the characters he played. But Steve Zahn has said he is actually a very early riser. He likes to get up at six in the morning without an alarm clock!
Taking on Different Characters
In 1999, Steve Zahn got his first main role in the movie Happy, Texas. He won an award at the Sundance Film Festival for his performance. After this, he started playing more serious and complex characters.
He played a journalist in the movie Shattered Glass (2003). He also worked hard to get a role in the 2007 film Rescue Dawn. For this movie, he lost 40 pounds by eating mostly raw food. This helped him play a Vietnam prisoner of war.
Steve Zahn has also been very active in television. He played Davis McAlary in the HBO series Treme from 2010 to 2013.
Playing Frank Heffley
From 2010 to 2012, Steve Zahn played Frank Heffley. This was the father of Greg Heffley in the popular Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie series.
In 2017, he played a character named Bad Ape in the movie War for the Planet of the Apes. To prepare for this role, he watched many videos of chimpanzees. He said that playing Bad Ape was one of the most challenging acting jobs he has ever had. This was because of the special motion capture technology used.
Steve Zahn's Personal Life
Steve Zahn met his wife, Robyn Peterman, in 1991. They were both performing in a play called Bye Bye Birdie. They got married in 1994 and have two children.
In the 1990s, they bought a cabin in Pennsylvania. Then they moved to a farm in New Jersey. Now, they live on a 36-acre horse farm near Lexington, Kentucky. There, Steve Zahn enjoys gardening and raising animals like horses, goats, and sheep. He and his wife also help run a local community theater. Steve sometimes performs in plays there. He also has a lake cabin in Minnesota where he likes to go tubing and fishing with his kids.
Steve Zahn loves military history. He was even offered a role in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, but he had to turn it down. In 2007, he received an honorary Ph.D. from Northern Kentucky University. He is also a big fan of the University of Kentucky sports teams.
Movies and TV Shows
Steve Zahn has been in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of his notable roles:
Movies
- Reality Bites (1994)
- That Thing You Do! (1996)
- Out of Sight (1998)
- Stuart Little (1999) - Voice of Monty
- Happy, Texas (1999)
- Joy Ride (2001)
- Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
- National Security (2003)
- Chicken Little (2005) - Voice of Runt of the Litter
- Sahara (2005)
- Rescue Dawn (2006)
- A Perfect Getaway (2009)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) - Frank Heffley
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011) - Frank Heffley
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2012) - Frank Heffley
- Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
- The Good Dinosaur (2015) - Voice of Thunderclap
- Captain Fantastic (2016)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) - Voice and motion-capture for Bad Ape
- Cowboys (2020)
- 8-Bit Christmas (2021)
- Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022) - Voice of Jedediah
- LaRoy, Texas (2023)
Television Shows
- Friends (1995) - Episode: "The One with Phoebe's Husband"
- From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
- Monk (2009)
- Treme (2010–2013)
- Modern Family (2014–2015)
- Mad Dogs (2015–2016)
- The Crossing (2018)
- The Healing Powers of Dude (2020) - Voice of Dude
- The White Lotus (2021)
- George & Tammy (2022–2023)
- Silo (2024)
Images for kids
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Zahn at the 2025 Tribeca Festival
See also
In Spanish: Steve Zahn para niños
