Born Zachary Levi Pugh, the actor best known as Zachary Levi was born on September 29, 1980 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The second of three children, he spent his childhood in different places across the country, before his family settled in Ventura, California. He began acting when he was six years old, making the rounds of different regional theater productions.
Levi began appeared on screen roles as early as 2001, later making his debut in the television movie Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie. This led to a regular role in the comedy series Less than Perfect, which saw him share screen time with actors like Sara Rue and Andy Dick. He stayed on the show until it ended in 2006. During the time, he took roles on other television movies, and took guest roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Division, among others. He also kickstarted a movie career, making his debut in 2005’s Reel Guerillas, before taking a role in the following year’s Big Momma’s House 2.
Levi’s profile rose further in 2007, when he took the lead role in the NBC series Chuck. There, he played the title role: Chuck Bartowski, a salesman working for a local computer store who inadvertently downloads a full server’s worth of government secrets to his head, making him the subject of two government agents. The series was initially set to run for only 13 episodes, but positive feedback from audiences and critics alike assured the series a full second season. It also made Levi a bankable comic actor, giving him roles in other films such as Spiral, Wieners and The Tiffany Problem.
Lake Charles, Los Angeles, CA.
Was ranked #22 on Entertainment Weekly's '30 Under 30' the actors list. (2008).
Satellite Awards Year 2007
Nominated Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for: "Chuck" (2007)
Teen Choice Awards Year 2008
Nominated Teen Choice Award Choice TV Breakout Star Male for: "Chuck" (2007)
1. Stuntmen (2008) (post-production) .... Troy Ratowski
2. "Chuck" .... Chuck Bartowski (25 episodes, 2007-2009)
- Chuck Versus the Best Friend (2009) TV episode .... Chuck Bartowski
- Chuck Versus Santa Claus (2008) TV episode .... Chuck Bartowski
- Chuck Versus the DeLorean (2008) TV episode .... Chuck Bartowski
- Chuck Versus the Sensei (2008) TV episode .... Chuck Bartowski
- Chuck Versus the Gravitron (2008) TV episode .... Chuck Bartowski
(20 more)
3. "Anytime with Bob Kushell" (2008) TV series .... Guest
4. Shades of Ray (2008) .... Ray Rehman
5. An American Carol (2008) .... Lab Tech #1
6. The Tiffany Problem (2008) .... Zac
7. Wieners (2008) .... Ben
8. Ctrl Z (2007) .... Ben Pillar
9. Spiral (2007) .... Berkeley
10. Imperfect Union (2007) (TV) .... Clark
11. "Less Than Perfect" .... Kipp Steadman (79 episodes, 2002-2006)
- Red Carpet Claude (2006) TV episode .... Kipp Steadman
- Flirting with De-feet (2006) TV episode .... Kipp Steadman
- Why Are You Hurting Claude? (2006) TV episode .... Kipp Steadman
- A Crush Grows in Brooklyn (2006) TV episode .... Kipp Steadman
- The Devil Wears Burberry: Part 2 (2006) TV episode .... Kipp Steadman
(74 more)
12. Big Momma's House 2 (2006) .... Kevin
13. "Worst Week of My Life" .... Nick (1 episode, 2006)
- Pilot (2006) TV episode .... Nick
14. Reel Guerrillas (2005) .... Evon Schwarz
15. "Three" (2005) TV series .... Ian (unknown episodes)
16. "The Division" .... Todd (2 episodes, 2004)
... aka Heart of the City
- Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here (2004) TV episode .... Todd
- The Box (2004) TV episode .... Todd
17. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" .... Bellman (1 episode, 2004)
- Opening Night (2004) TV episode .... Bellman
18. See Jane Date (2003) (TV) .... Grant Asher
19. Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie (2002) (TV) .... Adam
20. Untitled Sisqo Project (2001) (TV)
“Chuck’s new cover will be in an advertising company where we all dress in very snazzy ’60s-style suits and smoke.” “Chuck” star Zachary Levi addressing a question about audiences migrating to “quality” shows on cable
“I’m a little crazy with it,” he admitted. “I’ve got my Sudoku and crossword puzzles on there. It’s great.” - Zac speaking to OK! Magazine about his new iphone
“That is not an easy question. I’m going to say Batman/Bruce Wayne. Christian Bale is pretty dapper. Although they haven’t cast a Batman yet that wasn’t a dude. Michael Keaton still might be my favorite though.” on who he thinks is the most stylish superhero
“The man was a genius. I hope that at some point in my career that people think even half of me of what they thought of him.” Zac speaking about the death of Bernie Mac
“He evolves a little bit. I think he starts to find a little more confidence and a little more footing in this new world of being a spy. But he can’t get there too quick, otherwise there’s no way to go.” Zac on the growth of his character this season
“There were great people auditioning for all the roles, especially with Morgan. Josh and I just had this thing. You could just feel it. To this day, I love going to do press with Josh. We have a very good give and take together. Sometimes you have it with people, and sometimes you don’t…Josh and I just get each other.”
Zac on his chemistry with Josh Gomez