- Born
- Birth nameSteven James Zahn
- Height1.71 m
- Steve Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, to Zelda, who worked at a YMCA, and Carleton Edward Zahn, a Lutheran pastor at Peace Lutheran Church, Robbinsdale, Minnesota. His career kicked off in his native Minnesota when he crashed the audition of a local stage production of "Biloxi Blues" and won the lead role. He next trained at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA; then moved to New York City, where he won a role touring for 13 months in national company of Tommy Tune-directed version of "Bye Bye Birdie". Back in New York, he played opposite Ethan Hawke in "Sophistry" at Playwright's Horizon, where Ben Stiller noticed him and cast him and Hawke in Génération 90 (1994).- IMDb mini biography by: mwprods@mindspring.com
- SpouseRobyn Peterman(July 16, 1994 - present) (2 children)
- ChildrenHenry James ZahnAudrey Clair Zahn
- ParentsZelda ZahnCarleton Edward Zahn
- He spent nearly six weeks fighting for a role in À l'épreuve du feu (1996), up against Matt Damon. The day he found out Damon landed the film role over him, he was offered the part in That Thing You Do! (1996).
- Is a Harvard graduate.
- In May 2011, Zahn traveled from New Orleans (where he lived while shooting Treme (2010)) to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to help with the relief effort in the aftermath of the massive EF4 tornado that struck Tuscaloosa in April 2011. The tornado killed 53 people in the Tuscaloosa area and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses. Zahn helped clear debris left by buildings and trees with little fanfare or press attention.
- Zahn is a history buff who loves documentary films.
- In July of 2004, Zahn and his family moved from their rural farm in New Jersey to a horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky, his wife's hometown.
- I still really love acting. I find it really challenging. And I really love film; it's a lot of fun. Theater is a big commitment. Most of the time, you sign a five-month contract. You do eight shows a week and have one day off. There's no time to go home.
- You still really fight for good parts. It never stops. It's never a breeze. The people at the top of their game work as hard as the people at the bottom.
- The definition of Sahara is '"to have no memory", and it's true. When you go out in the desert, no matter what's going on in your world, you see the dunes and nothing else, and you think of nothing else.
- I have no problem playing the funny sidekick. I'm a grunt; I'm a sergeant, an officer. I'm on point with everyone else.
- [on landing Sahara (2005)] Matthew [Matthew McConaughey] was an executive on it, and he sent me the script and this crazy letter, which was great. I'd never been kind of approached in that way. I was really impressed with the letter, and I read the script immediately and I really was very excited to be offered something in this genre. I mean, I'd never done it before. I thought the characters were good, and I like Matthew. And also it was months of work and I just don't get offered that. I'm not a leading guy. I usually hook up to a film and then, in a month and a half, I'm gone.
- The White Lotus (2021) - $40,000
- Sahara (2005) - $2,200,000
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