Zachary Levi
Birthdate: Sep 29, 1980
Birthplace: Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
Zachary Levi (birthname: Zachary Levi Pugh) has established his star status as the recurring character of Billy Batson/Shazam in the successful franchise launched in 2019. Levi’s feature debut was a major supporting role in the Martin Lawrence-starring sequel, Big Momma’s House 2 (2006), with Nia Long, Mark Moses, and Kat Dennings, grossing $141.5 million globally.
Levi co-starred and executive-produced the indie psychological drama, Spiral (2007), with Amber Tamblyn, premiering at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. After featuring in the Sony-released comedy, Wieners (2008), starring Keenan Thompson, Jenny McCarthy, and Darrell Hammond, Levi had his first starring role in writer-director Jaffar Mahmood’s Shades of Ray (2008), with Sarah Shahi and Kathy Baker, and premiering at the Austin Film Festival.
Zachary Levi’s first major studio starring role was as the voice of Toby in the Betty Thomas-directed live-action/animated musical comedy, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009), earning a huge $443 million worldwide on a $70 million budget. Levi parlayed this success into another vocal co-starring role in Disney’s animated musical version of the Brothers Grimm’s “Rapunzel” tale, Tangled (2010), with Mandy Moore and Donna Murphy, earning a solid $592.4 million.
Levi took a break from acting to serve as narrator for filmmaker Kevin Tostado’s Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story (2010), which had a very limited theatrical release after premiering at the 2010 Anaheim Film Festival. Levi had a small supporting role in his second Disney-backed movie, the MCU epic, Thor: The Dark World (2013), starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Idris Elba, grossing a powerful $645 million worldwide.
Levi was again narrator on a documentary, APEX: The Story of the Hypercar (2016), followed by a co-starring role in a digitally filmed version (shot at the Roundabout Theatre Company and theatrically released by BroadwayHD) of the Joe Masteroff/Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick musical, She Loves Me (2016), with Laura Benanti and Jane Krakowski.
Zachary Levi revived his role as Fandrai in the MCU sequel, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), directed by Taika Waititi and featuring new cast members Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and Mark Ruffalo, and grossing a super $854 million globally. Levi co-starred in the live-action role of Joseph (opposite Gina Rodriguez’s Mary) in Sony/Columbia’s animated/live-action Bible tale, The Star (2017), featuring the voices of Steven Yeun, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelly Clarkson, Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey, and earning a modest $62.8 million worldwide.
Zachary Levi’s biggest screen role to date was as the title character in the DC Extended Universe movie, Shazam! (2019), directed by David F. Sandberg, with Jack Dylan Grazer, Mary Strong, Asher Angel, and Djimon Hounsou, and grossing ($366 million) over four times costs ($80 million). In director Kevin Macdonald’s intense drama, The Mauritanian (2021), based on the memoir of U.S.-detained Guantanamo prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Levi had a supporting role opposite Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, and Benedict Cumberbatch, with the film earning $7.5 million theatrically.
Levi portrayed Rams quarterback and NFL hero Kurt Warner in the biopic, American Underdog (2021), with Anna Paquin and Dennis Quaid, and failed to score at the box office with a weak gross of $26.5 million. A wonderful voice role for Levi came with filmmaker Richard Linklater’s superb, rotoscope animation saga, Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2022), with Glen Powell, Jack Black, and Josh Wiggins, and having a small theatrical window before streaming on Netflix. Levi resumed his role as Shazam in Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023), released by Warners and co-starring Jack Dylan Grazer, with Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren.
Zachary Levi landed a starring voice role (as Rocky, replacing Mel Gibson) in Aardman’s long-awaited sequel, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023), with Thandiwe Newton, Romesh Ranganathan, and Daniel Mays. Levi then starred in the Sony/Columbia release, Harold and the Purple Crayon (2023), based on Crockett Johnson’s 1955 children’s book, opposite Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, and Ravi Patel, under Carlos Saldanha’s direction.
Levi starred in writer-director Jon Gunn’s drama about a boy with autism and brittle bone disease, The Unbreakable Boy (2025), (which was filmed in 2021, and then delayed in its release nearly four years) with Meghann Fahy, Jacob Laval, and Patricia Heaton, and released by Lionsgate. Levi starred in director/co-writer/producer Joe Carnahan’s adaptation of Nick Schuyler’s and Jere Longman’s non-fiction book, Not Without Hope (date to be announced), co-starring Josh Duhamel, JoBeth Williams, and Floriana Lima, and released by Highland Film Group.
Levi joined Liam Neeson as co-star of the thriller, Hotel Tehran (date to be announced), with Guy Moshe directing from his script co-written by Mark Bacci and Baz. Levi starred in the thriller, Free Fall (date to be announced), produced by XYZ Films and directed by Zoe Bell. Levi took on a comic role in the music-themed Undercover (date to be announced), co-starring Cole Sprouse under Steve Pink’s direction, and produced by Mandeville Films.
Personal Details
Zachary Levi was born and raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana by parents Darrell and Susan Pugh. Levi has two siblings, Skekinah and Sarah. During his childhood, Levi’s family moved several times until they settled in Ventura, California. Levi began performing on stage at six years old, and later playing in regional theater in the Ventura and Ojai area, including a production of the musical, Big River, at the Ojai Art Center. Levi was married to Canadian actor Missy Peregrym from 2014 to 2015. Levi’s height is 6’ 3”. Levi’s estimated net worth is $12 million.
Awards
SELECT HONORS: Two-time Nominee, Best Hero/Best Comedy Performance, MTV Movie + TV Awards (2019); Winner, Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series, Screen Actors Guild Awards (2019).
Critics Choice Award
Critics Choice Awards
Actor
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Filmography
actor
Upcoming (1)
- 2025 | The Unbreakable Boy
The Unbreakable Boy
A young boy with both a rare brittle-bone disease and autism. But what makes him truly unique is his joyous, funny, life-affirming world view that transforms and unites everyone around him.
Previous (24)
- 2024 | Harold and the Purple CrayonasHarold
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Inside of his book, adventurous Harold can make anything come to life simply by drawing it. After he grows up and draws himself off the book's pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life.
- 2023 | Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nuggetas Rocky
- 2023 | Rain Delayas Self
- 2023 | Spy Kids: Armageddonas Elvira
- 2023 | Shazam! Fury of the GodsasShazam
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
The film continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word "SHAZAM!" is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
- 2021 | American UnderdogasKurt Warner
American Underdog
The story of NFL MVP and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who went from stocking shelves at a supermarket to becoming an American Football star.
- 2019 | DC Spotlight: Shazam
- 2019 |
- 2018 | Office Uprisingas Adam Nusbaum
- 2017 |
- 2017 |
- 2017 | Thor: RagnarokasFandral
Thor: Ragnarok
Imprisoned on the planet Sakaar, Thor must race against time to return to Asgard and stop Ragnarök, the destruction of his world, at the hands of the powerful and ruthless villain Hela.
- 2017 |
- 2013 | Thor: The Dark WorldasFandral
Thor: The Dark World
When the Dark Elves attempt to plunge the universe into darkness, Thor must embark on a perilous and personal journey that will reunite him with doctor Jane Foster.
- 2012 | Spy Guysas Tamar
- 2010 | Lost and Foundas Sardarni (Daman's daadi)
- 2010 | Tangledas Flynn Rider(voice)
- 2010 | Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Storyas Narrator
- 2010 | Undercoveras Jack
- 2009 | Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquelas Toby
- 2008 | Shades of Rayas Ray Rehman
- 2008 | Wienersas Ben
- 2006 | Big Momma's House 2as Kevin
- 1957 | Not Without Hopeas Nick Schuyler
Some Facts About Zachary Levi
Philanthropist: Zachary Levi was named by the mental health charity, Active Minds, as an ambassador in 2019. Levi has addressed social media and written about his struggles with mental health and depression in his 2022 memoir, Radical Love.
Mistaken as Jewish: Levi is not Jewish; however, not only has Levi been mistaken as Jewish (due to his performing name), but ironically lost out on roles because he was told that he was “too Jewish.”
