Zach Cregger

American actor and filmmaker (born 1981)

Zach Cregger

Cregger in 2010

Born|

Zachary Michael Cregger

(1981-03-01) March 1, 1981 (age 44)

Arlington, Virginia, U.S.

Occupations|

* Comedian
* actor
* director
* writer
* producer

Years active| 1998–present
Spouse|

Sara Paxton

(m. 2019)​

Zachary Michael Cregger (born March 1, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, writer, director and producer. He first came to prominence as one of the founding members of the New York City-based comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know alongside Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, Timmy Williams and Darren Trumeter. He later starred in the sitcoms Friends with Benefits, Guys with Kids, 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, which was a commercial success and opened to positive critical reviews.

## Early life

[edit]

Cregger was born in Arlington, Virginia.[1][2] He performed in various comedy and music groups there before moving to Brooklyn, New York where he joined forces with Moore and Sam Brown to start The Whitest Kids U' Know.[3]

When he was in high school he was in an improv troupe, which was called The Nation of Improv. They performed shows at malls and other high school auditoriums.[4]

## Career

[edit]

Cregger and his friends formed the WKUK comedy troupe in 2000 while still in college. Later on, he met Darren Trumeter 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.[5]

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 in Aspen. The troupe won the award for Best Sketch Group and attracted the attention of many Hollywood executives.[6]

The Whitest Kids U' Know ran for five seasons first on FUSE and then on IFC.[7]

In 2008, Cregger made his first film appearance in Deb Hagan's directorial debut College.[8]

He directed his second feature film with Trevor Moore called The Civil War on Drugs. It had a limited theatrical release and was ultimately aired as a recurring serial during the fifth season of WKUK.[4] 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, which aired for one season in 2012–2013.[9] Cregger next starred in the TBS show Wrecked.

Cregger wrote and directed the 2022 horror film Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long.

Cregger, along with the surviving members of The Whitest Kids U'Know, crowdfunded the second feature from the troupe, Mars, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 6, 2024, with encore screenings on June 8 and 15.[10]

Cregger is set to direct Weapons, a horror film based on a screenplay also written by him.[11][12][13]

In January 2025, it was announced that Cregger would write and direct a film based on the Resident Evil franchise.[14]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 2013, Cregger met Sara Paxton in Austin, Texas on the set of Love & Air Sex whilst playing an on-screen couple.[15] The couple became engaged in 2018 and married the following year on October 27, 2019.

In January 2025, Cregger was featured in a Washington Post article detailing alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by the youth pastor at the prominent Washington, DC-area church his family attended.[16]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2009  | Miss March | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Co-directed with Trevor Moore
2011  | The Civil War on Drugs | Yes  | Yes  | Executive
2022  | Barbarian | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2025  | Companion | No  | No  | Yes  | [17][18]
Weapons | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Post-production
2026  | Untitled Resident Evil reboot  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Co-written with Shay Hatten

Acting roles

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2008  | College | Cooper  |
2009  | Miss March | Eugene Bell  |
2011  | The Civil War on Drugs | Abraham Lincoln / various roles  |
The Death and Return of Superman | Hal Jordan / Green Lantern | Short film
2013  | Love & Air Sex | Jeff  |
2014  | Date and Switch | Greg  |
2016  | Opening Night | Micky  |
2018  | Doubting Thomas | Graham  |
2022  | Barbarian | Everett  |
2024  | Mars | Various  |

### Television

[edit]

Acting roles

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1998  | Homicide: Life on the Street | Dean Stamper  | Episode: "Brotherly Love"
2007–2011  | The Whitest Kids U' Know | various roles  | Also director, writer and executive producer
2011  | Friends with Benefits | Aaron  | Main role
2012–2013  | Guys with Kids | Nick  | Main role
2014  | About a Boy | T.J.  | Recurring role
2015  | The McCarthys | Doug  | Episode: "The Ref"
2016–2018  | Wrecked | Owen  | Main role
2019  | Adam Ruins Everything | Berch  | Episode: "Adam Ruins Nature"
Just Roll with It | Brent  | Episode: "Gator's Reunion"

Producer

* Uncle Morty's Dub Shack (2004–2006)

Associate producer

* The Lounge (2004)
* Comedy Zen (2006)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Zach Cregger". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
2. ^ "Zach Cregger". TV Guide. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
3. ^ "The Whitest Kids U' Know - Zach Cregger". IFC. October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
4. ^ a b "A Brief Interview with the Whitest Kids U'Know's Zach Creger". IFC. May 20, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
5. ^ "The Whitest Kids U' Know - Darren Trumeter". IFC. October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
6. ^ "COVER- Is America ready for Moore? Trevor sure hopes so". The Hook. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
7. ^ "The Whitest Kids U' Know - About". IFC. October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
8. ^ Moore, Trevor. "Self Suck Saturday". Youtube. wkukVODS.
9. ^ "Zach Cregger Bio | Nick | Guys with Kids". NBC. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
10. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 17, 2024). "The Whitest Kids U' Know's Animated Feature 'Mars' Sets Tribeca World Premiere". Retrieved January 24, 2025.
11. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 25, 2023). "New Line Lands Hot Package 'Weapons'; 'Barbarian's Zach Cregger To Helm His Script". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
12. ^ Kit, Borys (January 25, 2023). "New Line Wins Intense Auction for 'Weapons,' the New Movie From 'Barbarian' Filmmaker Zach Cregger". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
13. ^ Rindner, Grant (January 25, 2023). "Barbarian Writer/Director Zach Cregger's Next Film Weapons Is Reportedly a "Multistory Horror Epic" Similar to Magnolia". GQ. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
14. ^ Kit, Borys (January 24, 2025). "Zach Cregger to Tackle 'Resident Evil' Reboot, Igniting Bidding War (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
15. ^ "Sara Paxton from 'Aquamarine' is Now Starring in Horror Films and Has a Celebrity Fiancé". August 20, 2019.
16. ^ Shapira, Ian. "Minister accused of sex abuse landed one high-profile job after another". Washington Post. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
17. ^ Squires, John (February 1, 2023). "'Companion' – Zach Cregger Producing Mysterious Horror Movie for New Line". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
18. ^ Squires, John (April 24, 2024). "New Line's 'Companion' from 'Barbarian' Team Has Been Rated "R" for "Strong Violence" & "Sexual Content"". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official Twitter account
* Zach Cregger at IMDb

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
* Spain
* Korea
* Poland

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Zach Cregger

* Miss March (2009)
* Barbarian (2022)
* Weapons (2025)

*[m.]: married
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template