Zachary Levi

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Zachary Levi bigraphy, stories - Film

Zachary Levi : biography

September 29, 1980 –

Zachary Levi Pugh ( born September 29, 1980), known professionally as Zachary Levi, is an American actor, director, and singer. Known for his roles in the TV series Chuck as the titular character, Less than Perfect, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Tangled, he is to appear in the Marvel film Thor: The Dark World as Fandral in 2013.

Early life

Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, to parents Susan M. (née Hoctor) and Darrell Alton Pugh.. TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2011-08-03. He is the middle child between two sisters, Sarah and Shekinah. He has Welsh ancestry. As a child, his family moved all over the country before finally heading back to their home in Ventura, California, where Levi attended Buena High School for four years. He began acting in theatre at the age of six, performing lead roles in regional productions such as Grease, The Outsiders, and Oklahoma, as well as Oliver, The Wizard of Oz, and Big River at the Ojai Art Center.

Discography

  • "Terrified" (2010) Performed by Katharine McPhee featuring Zachary Levi.
  • "I See the Light" (2010) Performed by Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore for the film Tangled.

Live performances

On February 27, 2011, Levi performed "I See the Light" with Mandy Moore at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Personal life

Levi is a sports car and motorcycle enthusiast and owns a 2009 Nissan GT-R. He dated Caitlin Crosby from 2008 to January 2010.

Levi is a Christian and has been since childhood. In a 2002 interview with Relevant Magazine, he said, "My job on my set, I believe, is to first just love people and gain that trust with people where they know that I really do love them and care about their well-being, so that when they are running into problems, they will hopefully, at some point, come to me and ask me, ‘What is your peace all about? What is your comfort all about? Where do you get your love? Where do you get your talents?’ And I can turn to them and say without blinking, ‘Jesus Christ.

In September 2010, Levi started his own company, The Nerd Machine.

Levi was selected as a participant in the Celebrity All Star Game at NBA All Star Weekend 2011 at Los Angeles. He played for the team coached by Magic Johnson. Levi is an avid gamer, having first played Super Mario Bros. and has come to appreciate video games for their ability to provide interactive stories.

Career

Levi first appeared in the FX television movie Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie. He played Kipp Steadman on the ABC sitcom Less Than Perfect. He also portrayed a potential boyfriend of Charisma Carpenter’s character, Jane, in the ABC Family television movie See Jane Date. Levi was slated to be a lead in an ABC pilot called Three for the 2004/2005 television season. It was written by Andrew Reich & Ted Cohen, and would have costarred James Van Der Beek, Jama Williamson, and Jacob Pitts, but the show was not picked up. Levi financed Kendall Payne’s album Grown after she was dropped by her label, Capitol Records.

He landed the starring role in Chuck in 2007. Levi and his Chuck co-star, Yvonne Strahovski, were both nominated for Best Action Actor and Actress Choice TV Series for the Teen Choice Awards 2010 where they both won and presented. In the summer of 2008, Levi was named one of Entertainment Weekly’s Top Thirty People Under Thirty. He later starred in the film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in the lead role as the Chipmunks’ cousin Toby Seville. Corliss, Richard (January 11, 2010). "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel". Time. 175 (1):51. In 2010 he is presented Kids’ Choice Awards, were both a winner for Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel in Best Favorite Movie. He stars alongside Mandy Moore in the 2010 Disney-animated feature film Tangled, which is based on the popular fairy tale Rapunzel. He voices Flynn Rider, a bandit who finds refuge in Rapunzel’s tower. Levi provided narration in the 2011 film Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, a documentary about the game of Monopoly. Levi hosted the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards.