Born and raised in New Jersey. Attended Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. Graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in film.
Zach Braff has had the desire to be in the limelight ever since he was a little boy in South Orange, New Jersey. At the tender age of ten, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, but this didn’t stop Braff from pursuing what he loved: acting and filmmaking. Like many other actors in Hollywood, Braff first tried his hand on stage, appearing in popular Shakespearean plays such as Twelfth Night and Macbeth. In 1993, he found himself working with highly-acclaimed director Woody Allen for the film Manhattan Murder Mystery.
After gaining immense popularity for playing medical intern J.D. Dorian on the hit television series Scrubs, he has since written, acted in and directed his own project, Garden State, which earned several independent film recognitions. The soundtrack record for Garden State, for instance, which Braff produced, won him a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album in 2005. Initially, producers were hesitant to pursue the project based on a script that Braff wrote in six months. His starring role on Scrubs, on the other hand, which he has taken since its 2001 debut, has earned him seven Golden Globe nominations.
Braff has also done a lot of major voice acting, including the titular character on the 2005 Disney animated film Chicken Little, as well as the video games Kingdom Hearts II and Cottonelle Puppy. He was featured on Ashton Kutcher’s Punk’d in a 2005 episode that saw him throw expletives at a young boy until the host showed up. He also made a couple of guest appearances on the critically acclaimed series Arrested Development. He has also directed several music videos for artists such as Gavin DeGraw, Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, and Lazlo Bane. Despite the Grammy, Braff said he knows nothing about music.
Zach Braff's salary for Scrubs is $350,000 per episode
Zach is often called a girl's name on Scrubs. Ironically, his first TV role was in an after school special called "CBS Schoolbreak Special" (the episode is called My Summer as a Girl), in which he poses as a girl to get a summer job.
Zach directed the video for the song "Superman" by Lazlo Bane, which also happens to be the theme for Scrubs.
His right leg is an eighth of an inch longer than his left, which led to a herniated disk in late 2006
Zach is the youngest of four children: Adam Braff, Joshua Braff, and Shoshanna Braff.
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film
Best First Feature - Independent Spirit Award
Most Promising Filmmaker - Chicago Film Critics Association
Best Directorial Debut - National Board of Review
Grammy - Best Compilation Soundtrack For A Motion Picture
1993 - Manhattan Murder Mystery
1999 - Getting to Know You
2000 - The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
2000 - Blue Moon
2001 - Scrubs: Season 01
2002 - Scrubs: Season 02
2002 - It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
2003 - Scrubs: Season 03
2004 - Scrubs: Season 04
2004 - Garden State
2005 - I'm Still Here
2005 - Chicken Little
2006 - Scrubs: Season 05
2006 - Scrubs: Season 06
2006 - The Last Kiss
2006 - The Ex
2007 - Saturday Night Live: Zach Braff
2007 - Scrubs: Season 07
2008 - Open Hearts - director/writer/producer
2008 - New York, I Love You - director/writer
I said, I'm on this TV show and I love doing it, but I don't want to be known always as the silly "Scrubs" guy... So part of me was like, You know what? Life's short. Let's go for it.
The way I write is that I'll actually have a conversation out loud with myself. In a weird way, I just kind of get schizophrenic and play two characters.
I love "Scrubs". It's the best day job in the world.
Everyone has an idea that they think would be a great movie. Everyone has a cousin who they think you should work with. Everyone has a warped vision of Hollywood and what success in Hollywood is like. That you love cocaine and that you spend every night in orgies with models. If only it were true.
My mother's a psychologist, my stepfather's a psychologist, my stepmother is a therapist and my dad's a lawyer. So it was all prominent in my life. I don't know anyone who doesn't know someone on some form of prescription medicine.
Episodes of Scrubs Directed By Zach
My Last Chance
My Best Laid Plans
My Way Home
My No Good Reason
My Growing Pains
My Princess