Zachary Levi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zachary Levi
Levi at the 2019 WonderCon
Born	Zachary Levi Pugh (1980-09-29) September 29, 1980 (age 44) Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Missy Peregrym ​ ​ (m. 2014; div. 2015)​
Partner(s)	Maggie Keating

Zachary Levi Pugh (born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing Chuck Bartowski in the action-comedy TV show Chuck (2007–2012). He also starred as the superhero Shazam in the movie Shazam! (2019) and its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Zachary Levi also voiced Flynn Rider in the 2010 Disney animated musical movie Tangled. In this film, he sang "I See the Light" with Mandy Moore. This song even won a Grammy Award! He played Flynn Rider again in the 2012 short film Tangled Ever After and the 2017 TV series Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. He also appeared as Fandral in the superhero movies Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017).

In 2016, Levi performed on Broadway in the musical She Loves Me. For this role, he was nominated for a Tony Award, which is a very important award for theater actors. In 2015, Levi started his own production company called Middle Man Productions. He also wrote a book in 2022 called Radical Love: Learning to Accept Yourself and Others, which is about self-acceptance.

Early life and acting start

Zachary Levi was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana. His parents are Susan Marie and Darrell Pugh. When he was a child, his family moved around a lot before settling in Ventura, California. He went to Buena High School there.

He started acting on stage when he was just six years old! He played main roles in many plays like Grease, The Outsiders, Oklahoma!, Oliver!, The Wizard of Oz, and Big River. He performed these plays at the Ojai Art Center.

Career highlights

Becoming a star

Levi speaking at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con

Zachary Levi's first TV role was in a series called Whatever in 2000. He was known as Zachary Pugh back then. After that, he appeared in a TV movie called Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie. He then got a regular role as Kipp Steadman in the TV comedy Less than Perfect on ABC.

In 2007, he got the main role in the popular TV show Chuck. He played Chuck Bartowski, a regular guy who accidentally gets all of the government's secrets downloaded into his brain. He and his Chuck co-star Yvonne Strahovski won awards at the Teen Choice Awards in 2010 for their roles. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him one of the "Top Thirty People Under Thirty."

Levi also starred in the movie Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel as Toby Seville, Dave's cousin. In 2010, he voiced Flynn Rider in Disney's animated movie Tangled, which is based on the fairy tale Rapunzel. Flynn Rider is a bandit who hides in Rapunzel's tower. Levi also hosted the Spike Video Game Awards in 2011.

Levi at the 83rd Academy Awards in February 2011

Levi was supposed to play Fandral in the first Thor movie, but he couldn't because of his schedule with Chuck. However, he did play Fandral in the sequels, Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Thor: Ragnarok (2017). In August 2013, Levi made his first appearance on Broadway in the musical comedy First Date.

In 2015, Levi joined the cast of the TV miniseries Heroes Reborn as Luke Collins. He also played Abraham Lincoln in an episode of the TV series Deadbeat.

In 2016, Levi returned to Broadway in the musical She Loves Me. He played the main role of Georg. The show was very popular and critics loved it. Levi was nominated for a Tony Award for his amazing performance. His performance was even live-streamed, which was a first for a Broadway show!

In 2017, Levi voiced Flynn Rider again in the Disney Channel movie Tangled: Before Ever After. This movie led to a TV series called Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which ran for three seasons. In 2018, Levi appeared in the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Dr. Benjamin Ettenberg. He won a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast for their great acting in this show.

In 2019, Levi starred as the main character in the superhero movie Shazam!. In the movie, his character, Shazam, is the super-powered version of a teenage boy named Billy Batson. Billy keeps his kid personality even when he turns into a grown-up superhero!

After a short break from acting, Levi appeared in the legal drama The Mauritanian in 2021. That same year, he played Kurt Warner in the sports movie American Underdog. In 2023, he was in Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Spy Kids: Armageddon, and voiced Rocky in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. In 2024, he starred in the movie Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Music career

In 2010, Zachary Levi sang a duet with Katharine McPhee called "Terrified". He also helped fund Kendall Payne's album Grown.

On the soundtrack for the movie Tangled, Levi sings "I See the Light" with Mandy Moore and "I've Got a Dream". Because "I See the Light" was nominated for an Oscar, Levi and Moore performed it live at the 83rd Academy Awards. Levi has also been a guest singer with Band from TV, a group made up of actors from different TV shows.

Producing films and shows

In 2020, Levi started his own production company called Wyldwood Productions. This company helps create TV shows and movies. In 2025, Wyldwood will release its first movie to theaters, called Sarah's Oil.

Personal life

Zachary Levi loves sports cars and motorcycles. He also enjoys playing video games, saying they are like interactive stories. He lives in Bastrop, Texas. In September 2010, Levi started his own company called The Nerd Machine, which is about celebrating nerd culture. He also plays in celebrity basketball games.

In 2014, Zachary Levi married Canadian actress Missy Peregrym. They later separated in 2014 and divorced in 2015. In December 2024, Levi shared that his girlfriend, Maggie Keating, is expecting their child.

Beliefs and views

Zachary Levi grew up as a Christian. He has said that his faith in Jesus Christ gives him "peace, comfort, love and talents." Because of his name and looks, some people mistakenly think he is Jewish, but he has no Jewish family history.

Levi has said he is "very spiritual, but not particularly religious." He believes in God but feels that strict religion can sometimes be harmful. He has also shared that working on the movie American Underdog helped strengthen his Christian faith.

Levi identifies as a libertarian, which is a political belief that focuses on individual freedom and limited government. In the 2016 election, he encouraged his fans to think carefully about their vote. In the 2024 election, he supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and later Donald Trump. He has spoken about his political views, even if it might be difficult in Hollywood.

In 2022, Levi talked about Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, calling him a "deep thinker." In 2023, he made some comments about a pharmaceutical company that caused controversy, but he later apologized for his remarks.

Helping others

Zachary Levi is involved in many charity efforts. In 2008, he helped raise money for the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. In 2010, he spoke out against LGBT bullying. He has also joined Stand Up to Cancer charity events multiple times to help fight cancer. Since 2008, he has raised money for Operation Smile, which helps children with cleft lip and cleft palate get needed surgeries.

In 2020, the cast of Chuck did a special online reading of an episode to raise money for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund, helping food banks. In 2022, Levi helped raise funds to support families from Ukraine who had to leave their homes. In 2023, he worked with AdoptUSKids.org to promote awareness for foster care and adoption in the United States.

Filmography

Levi at the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy in July 2014

Film roles

Television roles

Video game roles

Internet roles

Theater performances

Music recordings

• "Terrified" (2010) – Performed by Katharine McPhee featuring Zachary Levi
• "I See the Light" (2010) – Performed by Levi and Mandy Moore for the film Tangled
• First Date (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• She Loves Me (2016 Broadway Cast Recording)

Live music performances

On February 27, 2011, Levi sang "I See the Light" with Mandy Moore at the 83rd Academy Awards. On June 12, 2016, he performed a song from She Loves Me at the 70th Tony Awards. He has also performed live in various shows since he was a child.

Awards and nominations

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Zachary Levi para niños