Zachary Michael Cregger (born March 1, 1981) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, producer, and
Twitch streamer. He first came to prominence as one of the three founding members, alongside
Trevor Moore and
Sam Brown, of the
New York City-based comedy troupe ''
The Whitest Kids U' Know''. He later starred in the sitcoms ''
Friends with Benefits'', ''
Guys with Kids
''Guys with Kids'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC, from September 11, 2012, to February 27, 2013, as part of the 2012–13 television schedule. The series was created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy and starred ...
'', and ''
Wrecked''. He also starred in the film ''
Miss March'', which he co-directed and co-wrote with Moore. In 2022, Cregger wrote and directed the horror film ''
Barbarian
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...
'', which was a commercial success and opened to positive critical reviews.
Early life
Zachary Michael Cregger was born on March 1, 1981 in
Arlington, Virginia. He performed in various comedy and music groups there before moving to
Brooklyn,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
where he joined forces with Moore and
Sam Brown to start The Whitest Kids U' Know.
When he was in high school he was in an improv troupe, which was called The Nation of Improv. They would do shows at malls and other high school auditoriums.
Career
Cregger and his friends formed the WKUK comedy troupe in 2000 while still in college. Later on, he met
Darren Trumeter
''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' (''WKUK'') is an American sketch comedy show starring a comedy troupe of the same name. The group consisted of Trevor Moore (comedian), Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown (comedian), Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and D ...
while shooting an independent film and asked him to join them. Trumeter became the second of two later additions to the troupe, the first being
Timmy Williams
Timmy Williams (born April 10, 1981) is an American comedian and radio personality. He is a member of the sketch comedy troupe ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'', and starred in its eponymous television show, which ran for five seasons.
Career
Willi ...
.
Cregger, along with the troupe, garnered great success while performing live in
New York City at LES music venue Pianos and on the internet. This led to an invitation in 2006 to the HBO
U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, was a comedy festival that ran from 1995 to 2008. The festival included stand-up comedy performances, appearances by the casts of television shows, and has a film component calle ...
in
Aspen. The troupe won the award for Best
Sketch Group and attracted the attention of many Hollywood executives.
''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' ran for five seasons first on FUSE and then on
IFC.
In 2008, Cregger made his first film appearance in Deb Hagan's directorial debut ''
College,'' starring alongside
Drake Bell.
He directed his second feature film with Moore called ''The Civil War on Drugs''. It had a limited theatrical release and was ultimately aired during the fifth season of WKUK.
Afterwards, he toured with the WKUK and performed in live shows. He has participated in several independent movies.
Cregger joined the cast of the
NBC sitcom ''
Friends with Benefits'', which began airing on August 5, 2011. He then starred on the NBC sitcom ''
Guys with Kids
''Guys with Kids'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC, from September 11, 2012, to February 27, 2013, as part of the 2012–13 television schedule. The series was created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy and starred ...
'', which aired for one season in 2012–2013. Cregger next starred in the TBS show ''
Wrecked''.
Cregger wrote and directed the 2022 horror film ''
Barbarian
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either Civilization, uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by som ...
'', starring
Bill Skarsgård,
Georgina Campbell, and
Justin Long.
Cregger, along with the surviving members of The Whitest Kids U'Know, is currently crowdfunding the second feature from the troupe, ''Mars''.
Personal life
In 2018, Cregger became engaged to his longtime girlfriend
Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988) is an American actress, voice artist, and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows, before rising to fame in 2004, after playing the title role in the t ...
.
They married on October 27, 2019.
Filmography
Television
Film
References
External links
Official Twitter account*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cregger, Zach
1981 births
American male film actors
American film directors
American male screenwriters
American male television actors
American television directors
American television writers
Living people
The Field School alumni
American male television writers
21st-century American male actors