Zachary Michael Cregger (born March 1, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director and producer. He is one of the founding members of the comedy troupe ''

The Whitest Kids U' Know ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' (''WKUK'') is an American sketch comedy television series starring the comedy troupe of the same name. The group consists of Trevor Moore, Zach Cregger, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter. The series ...

.'' He later starred in the sitcoms '' Friends with Benefits'', '' Guys with Kids'', and '' Wrecked''. In 2022, Cregger wrote and directed the horror film ''

Barbarian A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

'', which was a commercial success and opened to positive critical reviews.

Early life and education

Cregger was born in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

. He performed in various local comedy and music groups before moving to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

to attend the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Silas ...

Career

Cregger is a founding member of the Whitest Kids U' Know comedy troupe, formed alongside Trevor Moore and Sam Brown in 2000. While shooting an independent film, he met Darren Trumeter who subsequently joined the group. The Whitest Kids U' Know garnered success locally and on the internet, leading to an invitation to the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in 2006. The troupe won the award for Best Sketch Group and attracted the attention of industry executives. Following their successful showcase,

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protec ...

network ordered a sketch series from the group. ''The Whitest Kids U' Know'' aired its first season on the network before moving to then-sister network IFC. The show ran for five seasons before concluding in 2011. Alongside Moore, he starred in and co-directed the films ''

Miss March ''Miss March'' is a 2009 American sex comedy film written, starring, and directed by Trevor Moore and Zach Cregger, stars of the IFC show '' The Whitest Kids U' Know''. The film was released on March 13, 2009. It marks the final on-screen f ...

'' and ''The Civil War on Drugs''. The latter received a limited theatrical release and aired as a recurring serial during the final season of ''The Whitest Kids U' Know''. The troupe's second feature film, ''Mars'', premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

on June 6, 2024. In 2008, Cregger made his first film appearance in Deb Hagan's directorial debut ''

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

''. In 2011, he joined the cast of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

sitcom '' Friends with Benefits''. He then starred on the NBC sitcom '' Guys with Kids'' from 2012 to 2013. From 2016 to 2018, he starred as Owen O'Connor on the TBS sitcom '' Wrecked''. Cregger wrote and directed the 2022 horror film ''

'', starring

Georgina Campbell Georgina Alice Campbell (born 12 June 1992) is an English actress. She won the 2015 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for '' Murdered by My Boyfriend'' (2014), making her the first non-white actress to win that award. Her other television credits ...

Bill Skarsgård Bill Istvan Günther Skarsgård (; born 9 August 1990) is a Swedish actor. He is known for portraying Pennywise in the horror films '' It'' (2017) and ''It Chapter Two'' (2019). Other horror appearances were in the series '' Hemlock Grove'' (2 ...

, and

Justin Long Justin Jacob Long (born June 2, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his film roles, particularly in comedy and horror films, notably appearing in ''Galaxy Quest'' (1999), ''Jeepers Creepers (2001 film), Jeepers Creepers'' ( ...

. He directed and wrote the screenplay for the upcoming horror film ''

Weapons A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

.'' In January 2025, it was announced that Cregger would write and direct a film based on the ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

'' franchise.

Personal life

In 2013, Cregger met

Sara Paxton Sara Paxton (born April 25, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting at an early age, appearing in minor roles in both films and television shows before rising to fame in early October 2002. She played Sarah Tobin from '' Greet ...

in Austin, Texas on the set of ''Love & Air Sex'' whilst playing an on-screen couple. The couple became engaged in 2018 and married the following year on October 27, 2019. In January 2025, Cregger was interviewed by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' for an article detailing alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by the youth pastor at a prominent church his family attended.

Filmography

Film

Acting roles

Television

Acting roles Producer * '' Uncle Morty's Dub Shack'' (2004–2006) Associate producer * ''The Lounge'' (2004) * ''Comedy Zen'' (2006)

References

External links

Official Twitter account
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cregger, Zach 1981 births American male film actors Film directors from Virginia 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 Comedians from Virginia American male comedians