Paul Dooley (born February 22, 1928) is an American actor, writer, and comedian.

Personal life[link]

Dooley was born Paul Dooley Brown in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the son of Ruth Irene (née Barringer), a homemaker, and Peter James Brown, a factory worker.^[1] Dooley was a cartoonist as a youth and drew a strip for a local paper in Parkersburg. He joined the Navy before discovering acting while at college. He is married to writer Winnie Holzman, with whom he has one daughter, Savannah Dooley (born 1985).

Career[link]

Moving to New York, he soon found success as a regular on the stage. Also having an interest in comedy, Dooley was a standup comedian for five years, and a member of the Compass Players and The Second City troupe in NYC, as well as having brief stints as a magician and as a clown. Not afraid of trying different areas of entertainment, he also worked as a writer. He was one of the writers on The Electric Company, which the character Paul the Gorilla was named after, and appeared in commercials.

Besides appearing in many movies, including most notably Popeye, Sixteen Candles, Breaking Away, and the voice of Sarge in the Disney/Pixar film Cars and its sequel Cars 2. Dooley has also appeared as a variety of recurrent characters on numerous television shows, including My So-Called Life, Dream On, Grace Under Fire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, ALF (playing Whizzer Deaver) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine where he played the recurring role of Enabran Tain. He guest starred in other primetime shows like The Wonder Years, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Golden Girls, and Desperate Housewives. In 2000, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for his role as an eccentric judge on The Practice. He was also in the infamous alternate ending to Little Shop of Horrors, but was replaced by Jim Belushi in the final cut.

In 2010, Dooley played the part of the head chef at Camp Victory, a fictional fat camp, on the short-lived ABC Family original series Huge.

Filmography[link]

• Fore Play (1975)
• Slap Shot (1977)
• A Wedding (1978)
• A Perfect Couple (1979)
• Breaking Away (1979)
• Rich Kids (1979)
• Popeye (1980)
• Paternity (1981)
• Endangered Species (1982)
• Kiss Me Goodbye (1982)
• Strange Brew (1983)
• Sixteen Candles (1984)
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
• Monster in the Closet (1986)
• O.C. and Stiggs (1987)
• Lip Service (1988)
• Last Rites (1988)
• When He's Not a Stranger (1989) (TV)
• Flashback (1990)
• White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd (1991)
• The Player (1992)
• Shakes the Clown (1992)
• State of Emergency (1993)
• A Dangerous Woman (1993)
• My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
• Evolver (1994)
• The Underneath (1994)
• Out There (1995)
• God's Lonely Man (1996)
• Millennium (1996) (TV)
• Angels in the Endzone (1997)
• Telling Lies in America (1997)
• Waiting for Guffman (1997)
• Clockwatchers (1998)
• Happy, Texas (movie) (1999)
• Guinevere (1999)
• Runaway Bride (1999)
• A Woman's a Helluva Thing (2001)
• Insomnia (2002)
• Crazy Little Thing (2003)
• A Mighty Wind (2003)
• Come Away Home (2005)
• Madison (2005)
• Cars (2006)
• Hairspray (2007)
• Scrubs (2009) (TV)
• Sunshine Cleaning (2009)
• Huge (2010) (TV)
• Cars 2 (2011)

[edit] Star Trek: Deep Space Nine appearances

• "The Wire"
• "Improbable Cause"
• "The Die is Cast"
• "In Purgatory's Shadow"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Paul Dooley at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Dooley at Yahoo! Movies
• Paul Dooley at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)

Matt Dillon
Dillon at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	Matthew Raymond Dillon (1964-02-18) February 18, 1964 (age 48) New Rochelle, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1979–present

Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.

Early life[link]

Matthew Raymond Dillon was born in New Rochelle, New York, to second-generation Irish American parents Mary Ellen, a homemaker, and Paul Dillon, a portrait painter and sales manager for Union Camp, a packing material manufacturer.^[1][2] He was raised in a close-knit Irish Roman Catholic family as the second of six children.^[3][4][5] Dillon's paternal grandmother was the sister of comic strip artist Alex Raymond.^[6] Dillon has one sister and four brothers, one of whom, Kevin Dillon,^[7] is also an actor, and appears on the hit TV series Entourage which has earned him several Emmy nominations in the supporting actor comedy category. Dillon grew up in Mamaroneck, New York, and before dropping out in junior year, he attended Mamaroneck High School.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

In 1978, Jane Bernstein and a friend were helping director Jonathan Kaplan cast the violent teen drama Over the Edge when they found Dillon cutting class at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont. Dillon auditioned for a role and made his debut in the film.^[8] The film received a regional, limited theatrical release in May 1979, and grossed only slightly over $200,000.^[9] Dillon's performance was well-received, which led to his casting in two films released the following year; the teenage sex comedy Little Darlings, in which Kristy McNichol's character loses her virginity to a boy from the camp across the lake, played by Dillon, and the more serious teen dramedy My Bodyguard, where he played a high-school bully opposite Chris Makepeace. The films, released in March and July 1980, respectively, were box office successes^[10] and raised Dillon's profile among teenage audiences.

Another of Dillon's early roles was in the Jean Shepherd PBS special The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters.^[11][12] The only available copies of this film are stored at UCLA, where a legal dispute makes it unavailable to the public.

One of his next roles was in Liar's Moon, where he played Jack Duncan, a poor Texas boy madly in love with a rich banker's daughter. In the early 1980s, Dillon also had prominent roles in three adaptations of S. E. Hinton novels: Tex (1982), The Outsiders (1983) and Rumble Fish (1983). All three films were shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hinton's hometown. The Outsiders and Rumble Fish had Dillon working with Francis Ford Coppola and Diane Lane. He followed those up with The Flamingo Kid in 1984. He made his Broadway debut with the play The Boys of Winter in 1985.

Dillon did voiceover work in the 1987 documentary film Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. In 1989, Dillon won critical acclaim for his performance as a drug addict in Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy.

Dillon continued to work in the early 1990s with roles in movies like Singles (1992). He had somewhat of a career resurgence when he played Nicole Kidman's husband in To Die For (1995), as well as starring roles in Wild Things (1998) and There's Something About Mary (1998), for which he received an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.

In 2002, he wrote and directed the film City of Ghosts, starring himself, James Caan and Gérard Depardieu. That same year he starred in FactotumActually 2005., a film adaptation of an autobiographical work by Charles Bukowski. Two years later he received critical praise and earned a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe along with Oscar nominations for his role in Crash, a film co-written and directed by Paul Haggis. In 2005 Dillon co-starred in Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded and on March 11, 2006 hosted Saturday Night Live, in which he impersonated Greg Anderson ^{[disambiguation needed ]} and Rod Serling in sketches.

Dillon starred in the comedy You, Me and Dupree, opposite Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. The film opened on July 14, 2006. On September 29, 2006, Dillon was honored with the Premio Donostia prize in the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Dillon contributed his voice as the narrator, Sal Paradise, in an audiobook version of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road. In 2006, he narrated Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos.

Dillon appeared in several music videos during his career. He made a cameo appearance as a detective in Madonna's Bad Girl music video which also stars Christopher Walken. Dillon appeared in 1987 in the music video for "Fairytale of New York" by the Irish folk-punk band The Pogues playing a cop who escorts lead singer Shane MacGowan into the drunk tank". In 2007, the band Dinosaur Jr. hired Dillon to direct the video for their single "Been There All The Time" from the album Beyond. That year, he starred in The Simpsons episode "Midnight Towboy".

Personal life[link]

Dillon had a three-year relationship with actress Cameron Diaz in the late 1990s.^[13]

On December 30, 2008, he was arrested by the Vermont State Police after he was clocked traveling at 106 miles per hour northbound on Interstate 91 near Newbury, Vermont.^[14] He was charged with negligent operation of a vehicle. His attorney, Mark Kaplan, entered a plea of not guilty on Dillon's behalf in a January appearance in Orange County Court in Chelsea, and also appeared in court on February 25, 2009.^[15] He faced a maximum of one year in jail, and a fine of $1,000. He pleaded guilty to speeding and paid a $828 fine on March 30, 2009; in return, the negligence charge was dismissed by prosecutors.^[16]

Cultural influence[link]

Dillon is mentioned on Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-é: Legacy Edition CD. On the fifth track Buckley mentions that he cut his hair because people thought he looked like Matt Dillon. Dillon's name is dropped in the lyrics of "After the Fire", a song that Pete Townshend wrote for Roger Daltrey's solo album Under a Raging Moon:

I saw Matt Dillon in black and white/There ain't no colour in memories/He rode his brother's Harley across the TV/ While I was laughing at Dom deLuise

Dillon is also mentioned in Pencey Prep's "Don Quixote" from the album Heartbreak in Stereo.

I dance the same dance every night / It's only you you're killing / Super glue the queen of hearts and the information she's spilling / Matt Dillon.

In Nick Hornby's 1998 novel About a Boy,^[17] protagonist Will Freeman wears a black leather jacket that he liked to think made him look like Matt Dillon in Drugstore Cowboy when he goes on to meet his love interest, Rachel.

Filmography[link]

Dillon at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Awards and nominations[link]

Matt Dillon has won several awards in his career including Screen Actors Guild Award, MTV Movie Award and Independent Spirit Award. He was also nominated for many awards which includes Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA with the film Crash. He was also honored in the San Sebastián International Film Festival where he received the "Donostia Lifetime Archievement Award." This list includes awards and nominations for his work. In the "Best Ensemble" category, he shared the award with the rest of the ensemble cast.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Matt Dillon

• Matt Dillon at the Internet Movie Database
• Matt Dillon at the Internet Broadway Database
• Scotsman.com interview (November 13, 2005)
• About. com interview (May 3, 2005)
• BeliefNet interview (2003)
• Cigar Aficionado interview (October 31, 1996)
• Mug Shot at The Smoking Gun (March 6, 2009)

Christina Applegate
Applegate at the "Up All Night" Cast at Paley Center 2012
Born	(1971-11-25) November 25, 1971 (age 40) Hollywood, California
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1972–present
Notable work(s)	Kelly Bundy in Married... with Children
Spouse	Johnathon Schaech (m. 2001–2007) «start: (2001)–end+1: (2008)»"Marriage: Johnathon Schaech to Christina Applegate" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Christina_Applegate)
Partner	Martyn LeNoble (2008–present)
Children	1
Parents	Robert Applegate Nancy Priddy

Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. She is best known for playing for the role of Kelly Bundy on the FOX live-action sitcom Married... with Children. Since then, she has established a film and television career, winning a Primetime Emmy and earning a Tony and a Golden Globe nominations. She has major roles in several films including Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, The Big Hit, The Sweetest Thing, Anchorman, Farce of the Penguins, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, and Hall Pass. She has also starred in numerous Broadway theatre productions such as the 2005 revival of the musical Sweet Charity. As of September 2011^[update], she is starring in NBC's comedy, Up All Night.

Early life[link]

Applegate was born in Hollywood, California. Her father, Robert W. Applegate, was a record producer and record company executive,^[1] and her mother, Nancy Lee Priddy, a singer and actress. Her parents split up shortly after her birth. She has two half-siblings (Alisa and Kyle) from her father's remarriage. Following her parents' divorce, her mother had a relationship with musician Stephen Stills. It was through Stills' friendship with fellow musicians Paul Kantner and Grace Slick that Applegate became friends with their daughter, China Kantner.^[2][3]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Applegate made her TV debut with her mother in the soap opera Days of Our Lives and a commercial for Playtex baby bottles at three and five months respectively.^[4] Her first big screen appearance followed at age 7 when she was seen in the 1979 film, Jaws of Satan (a.k.a. King Cobra), followed by 1981's Beatlemania. She debuted in a television movie as young Grace Kelly in the biopic, Grace Kelly (1983, opposite Cheryl Ladd) and appeared on her first TV series in Showtime's political comedy, Washingtoon (1985), in which she played a Congressman's daughter. She was also spotted as a guest in the shows, Father Murphy (1981), Charles in Charge (1984 and 1985), and Silver Spoons (1986).

In 1986, Applegate won the role of Robin Kennedy (1986–1987), a policeman's daughter, on the police drama series Heart of the City. Meanwhile, she was also seen guest starring in the sitcoms All is Forgiven, Still the Beaver, Amazing Stories, and Family Ties episode "Band on the Run" (1987) as Kitten.

Applegate eventually scored her most memorable role of ditzy Kelly Bundy in Fox's comedy series, Married... with Children. She portrayed her character for ten years (1987–97). While working on the series, Applegate was seen in Dance 'til Dawn (1988, NBC) and in Streets (1990), in which a teenage drug addict is stalked by a psychotic police officer. Applegate guest-starred in 21 Jump Street (1988) and Top of the Heap (1991, as Kelly Bundy), and hosted Saturday Night Live (May 8, 1993) and MADtv (1996).

The character of Sue Ellen Crandell in the comedy feature Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) was Applegate's first starring role in a mainstream film. She followed it up with films such as Vibrations (1995), Across the Moon (1995), Wild Bill (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Nowhere (1997). After the sitcom Married... with Children was canceled in May 1997, Applegate starred as Claudine Van Doozen in the independent feature Claudine's Return (a.k.a. Kiss of Fire), was cast in the action-comedy The Big Hit, and played the fiancée of a mob descendant in the Mafia satire Jane Austen's Mafia (1998).

Applegate was one of the founding members of the Pussycat Dolls, which debuted at Johnny Depp's Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in 1995.^[5][6] Applegate emceed for the group when they moved to The Roxy in 2002.^[7]

In 1998, NBC handed her the title role in their sitcom Jesse. The series debuted in 1998, received rave reviews, and brought Applegate a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New TV series and the TV Guide Award for Star of a New Series as well as a nomination at the Golden Globe Awards for Lead Actress in a Comedy. Though the series gained praise, it was canceled in 2000.

The new millennium saw Applegate playing the dual role of a 12th-century noblewoman, Princess Rosalind, and her 21st-century descendant, Julia Malfete, in the time-travel comedy Just Visiting (2001). After gaining wide notice for playing Cameron Diaz's level-headed best friend, Courtney Rockcliffe, in The Sweetest Thing (2002), Applegate continued to win roles in such movies as Heroes (2002), the airplane comedy View from the Top (2003), Wonderland (2003), Grand Theft Parsons (2003), Surviving Christmas (2004), and Employee of the Month (2004). Behind the screen, she was the executive producer of Comforters, Miserable (2001).

Since 2002[link]

Applegate in 2004

Applegate guest-starred on two episodes of Friends, in the ninth (2002) and tenth (2003) seasons, titled "The One with Rachel's Other Sister" and "The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits" as Amy Green, Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston) younger sister. She won the Primetime Emmy Award^[8] for Best Guest Actress in a Comedy for her performance in "The One with Rachel's Other Sister". On the silver screen, she portrayed TV anchorwoman Veronica Corningstone in the 2004 films Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and the bonus film Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (an alternative film comprising alternate takes and deleted scenes and story elements).

In addition to her screen work, Applegate has performed on stage in such productions as The Axeman's Jazz, Nobody Leaves Empty Handed, and The Runthrough, as well as John Cassavetes' The Third Day (co-starring Gena Rowlands). In 2004, she debuted on the Broadway stage playing the title role of Charity Hope Valentine in a revival of the 1966 musical Sweet Charity. She eventually took home the 2005 Theatre World Award and was nominated for a 2005 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

While appearing in Sweet Charity, she broke her foot, and it was announced that the musical would close during previews. She persuaded the producers to rescind their decision and on April 18, 2005, she made her Broadway debut.^[9] Sweet Charity ended its Broadway run on December 31, 2005. In 2006, she appeared in an advertising campaign for Hanes titled "Look Who We've Got Our Hanes on Now". The campaign had started in 2005 but she, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Kevin Bacon were added to the ads in 2006.

In 2006, Applegate appeared in Jessica Simpson's music video "A Public Affair" alongside Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest, and Christina Milian.

Applegate starred in the ABC comedy Samantha Who? from October 15, 2007, until it was canceled on May 18, 2009. The series costarred Jean Smart, Jennifer Esposito, and Melissa McCarthy. The series was about a 30-year-old who, after a hit-and-run accident, develops amnesia and has to rediscover her life, her relationships and herself.^[10] Shortly after the cancellation was announced, Applegate began a campaign to get the show back into production,^[11] which was unsuccessful.

Applegate topped the list of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in 2009.^[12]

Applegate appeared with her TV brother David Faustino (Bud Bundy from Married with Children) in an episode of Faustino's show Star-ving.^[13]

In January 2009, Applegate appeared in the film, Everything Is Going to Be Just Fine, which recounted the life of actress Elizabeth Montgomery of television's Bewitched fame, who died of colorectal cancer in 1995.^[14]

She also loaned her voice to the character Catherine the Cat in the 3-D talking animal sequel Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. According to Applegate, she said it was her mother that wanted her to be involved in the film. Prior to Cats & Dogs 2, she voiced Brittany (one of the Chipettes) in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) and its sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011).

Applegate is currently starring in the NBC sitcom Up All Night which debuted on September 14, 2011. Her co-stars are Maya Rudolph and Will Arnett.^[15]

Personal life[link]

On October 20, 2001, Applegate married longtime boyfriend, actor Johnathon Schaech, in a small Palm Springs, Florida ceremony attended by family and close friends.^[16] Schaech filed for divorce in November, 2005, citing irreconcilable differences. Applegate and Schaech's final divorce papers were entered August 10, 2007, in Los Angeles Superior Court.^[17]

In 2008, Applegate began dating musician Martyn LeNoble. They became engaged on Valentine's Day 2010.^[18] It will be the second marriage for both. On January 27, 2011, Applegate gave birth to their child, a daughter named Sadie Grace LeNoble.^[19]

She is a longtime friend of Lance Bass.^[20]

On July 1, 2008, her close friend and ex-boyfriend Lee Grivas was found dead of an apparent drug overdose.^[21]

Applegate is a vegetarian,^[22] and in 2007, appeared in an anti-fur ad for PETA.^[23]

Breast cancer[link]

On August 3, 2008, People magazine reported that Applegate had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This was confirmed by her representative who said in a statement, "Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor-ordered MRI, the cancer is not life-threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery. No further statement will be issued at this time."^[24] On August 19, 2008, it was announced that Applegate was cancer free after a double mastectomy, even though cancer was found in only one breast.^[25] She has an inherited genetic fault, a BRCA1^[26] mutation, which often triggers breast cancer. Her mother, Nancy Priddy, is a breast cancer survivor. Applegate said when she first was diagnosed, "I was just shaking and then also immediately, I had to go into 'take-care-of-business-mode' which included a change to a more healthy diet."^[27]

Charity work[link]

In 1992, Applegate joined other celebrities in a benefit show for a Hollywood children's charity, acting as a special guest assistant to a local magician and taking part in a number of illusions including being sawn in half.^[28]

In 2003, she was the spokesperson for the Lee National Denim Day, which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer education and research.^[29]

Following her diagnosis with breast cancer, Applegate appeared on a television special entitled Stand Up to Cancer designed to raise funds for breast cancer research. The one hour special was broadcast on CBS, NBC, and ABC television networks on September 5, 2009.^[30]

In 2009, she announced her plans to return as the ambassador for Lee National Denim Day.^[31]

In 2009, she founded Right Action for Women, a charitable foundation dedicated to breast cancer screening for women, and focused on the type of MRI scan which saved her life.^[32]

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

Awards[link]

• 25th People's Choice Awards (1999) Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series – Jesse
• TV Guide Award 1999 Favorite Star in a New Series Jesse.^[33]
• Emmy Award 2003 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Friends
• TV Land Award 2009 Innovator Award – Married... with Children
• 35th People's Choice Awards (2009) Favorite Female TV Star

Nominations[link]

• MTV Movie Awards 1992 Most Desirable Female – Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
• Golden Globes 1999 Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical – Jesse
• Emmy Award 2004 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series – Friends
• Tony Awards 2005 Best Leading Actress In A Musical – Sweet Charity
• Golden Globes 2008 Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical – Samantha Who?
• Screen Actors Guild Awards 2008 Best Actress in a TV Comedy Series – Samantha Who?
• Teen Choice Awards 2008 Choice TV Actress: Comedy – Samantha Who?
• Television Critics Association Awards 2008 Individual Achievement in Comedy – Samantha Who?
• Prism Awards 2008 Performance in a Comedy Series – Samantha Who?
• Satellite Award 2008 Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical – Samantha Who?
• Emmy Award 2008 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Samantha Who?
• Golden Globes 2009 Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical – Samantha Who?
• Emmy Award 2009 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series – Samantha Who?
• Screen Actors Guild Awards 2010 Best Actress in a TV Comedy Series – Samantha Who?

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Christina Applegate

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Christina Applegate

• Christina Applegate at the Internet Movie Database
• Christina Applegate at the Internet Broadway Database
• Christina Applegate at AllRovi
• Christina Applegate on Twitter

Steve Zahn
Steve Zahn, July 2008
Born	Steven James Zahn (1967-11-13) November 13, 1967 (age 44)[1] Marshall, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, Comedian
Years active	1990–present
Spouse	Robyn Peterman (m. 1994) «start: (1994)»"Marriage: Robyn Peterman to Steve Zahn" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Steve_Zahn) 2 children

Steven James "Steve" Zahn (pronounced /ˈzɑːn/; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor and comedian.

Early life[link]

Zahn was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the son of Betsy, who worked for the YMCA, and James Earl Zahn, a retired Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor.^[2][3] Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School. After attending Robbinsdale Cooper High School, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, his first professional acting role was in Biloxi Blues, a Minnesota production at the Old Log Theater; but his first big break came in 1994, when he was noticed by Ben Stiller, who cast him in his picture, Reality Bites.

Career[link]

Zahn with Jennifer Aniston at the premiere of the movie Management, in which they both starred, September 7, 2008

Zahn's early roles were split between movies, touring companies of Broadway shows, and TV shows. In 1992-1993, he toured as Hugo with the Barry Weissler production of Bye Bye Birdie with Tommy Tune, Ann Reinking, and Marc Kudisch. He played Phoebe Buffay's husband Duncan in a 1995 episode of Friends. Zahn appeared in several films in the mid-1990s, including Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do! These films garnered him enough respect that he was offered the starring role in the critically acclaimed indie film Happy, Texas (1999). Some of Zahn's most popular movies have been his later ones, including National Security (2003), Daddy Day Care (2003) and Sahara (2005). Zahn received his strongest critical acclaim for his performance in Riding in Cars with Boys, in which he co-starred with Drew Barrymore as her dim-witted, drug addicted husband. Roger Ebert, Richard Roeper and the BBC stated that the performance was deserving of an Oscar nomination. He also voiced Runt of the Litter in Chicken Little. He also gave dramatic performances in Rescue Dawn and the television mini-series Comanche Moon.