Zach Cregger

Zachary Michael Cregger (born March 1, 1981) is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is a founding member of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know and starred in the sitcoms Friends with Benefits, Guys with Kids, and Wrecked. He wrote, produced, and directed the horror films Barbarian (2022) and Weapons (2025).

Born

Zachary Michael Cregger

March 1, 1981 (age 45)

Arlington, Virginia, U.S.

AlmamaterSchool of Visual Arts

Occupations

Comedian
actor
director
writer
producer

Yearsactive1998–present

Quick facts Born, Alma mater ...

Zach Cregger
Cregger in 2017
Born	Zachary Michael Cregger (1981-03-01) March 1, 1981 (age 45) Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	School of Visual Arts
Occupations	Comedian actor director writer producer
Years active	1998–present
Spouse	Sara Paxton (m. 2019)
Awards	See below

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Early life and education

Cregger was born in Arlington, Virginia.^[1]^[2] He performed in various local comedy and music groups^[3] before moving to Brooklyn, New York to attend the School of Visual Arts.^[4]

Career

Actor and comedian

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.^[5] The Whitest Kids U' Know garnered success locally and online, leading to an invitation to the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado in 2006. The troupe won the award for Best Sketch Group and attracted the attention of several networks.^[6] After the showcase, Fuse ordered a sketch series from the group.^[7] The Whitest Kids U' Know aired its first season on the network in 2007 before moving to sister network IFC.^[8] The series ran for five seasons before concluding in 2011.^[9]

Alongside Moore, he starred in and co-directed the films Miss March 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.^[3] The troupe's second feature film, Mars, premiered at the Tribeca Festival in Lower Manhattan, New York on June 6, 2024.^[10] In 2008, Cregger made his first film appearance in Deb Hagan's directorial debut College.^[11] In 2011, he joined the cast of the NBC sitcom Friends with Benefits. He then starred on the NBC sitcom Guys with Kids from 2012 to 2013.^[12] From 2016 to 2018, he starred as Owen O'Connor on the TBS sitcom Wrecked.

Filmmaker

Cregger wrote and directed the 2022 horror film Barbarian, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long. He wrote and directed the 2025 horror film Weapons, receiving critical acclaim and several accolades including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Amy Madigan.^[13]^[14]^[15]

In January 2025, it was announced that Cregger would write and direct an upcoming horror film based on the Resident Evil video game franchise from Capcom.^[16]^[17] In December 2025, it was announced that he will serve as a producer on a feature film adaptation of Torso for Netflix.^[18] At the Warner Bros. Pictures panel at CinemaCon 2026, a new film directed by Cregger, the science fiction thriller The Flood, was announced. It is set for release on August 11, 2028 and will be co-produced with Amblin Entertainment. In the same panel, New Line announced a Weapons prequel titled Gladys, set for release on September 8, 2028, which is expected to be co-written with Zach Shields, but will not be directed by Cregger.^[19]

Personal life

In 2013, Cregger met Sara Paxton in Austin, Texas on the set of Love & Air Sex while they portrayed an on-screen couple.^[20] They were engaged in 2018 and married in October 2019.^[21]