| Zach Woods | |
| Birth Date: | 25 September 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education: | New York University (BA) |
| Years Active: | 2004–present |
Zach Woods (born September 25, 1984)[1] is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his roles as a series regular for three seasons as Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office, as Jared Dunn on the HBO comedy series Silicon Valley, as Zach Harper on the USA Network sitcom Playing House, and as Matt Spencer on the HBO comedy show Avenue 5. He also recurred on the HBO series Veep as Ed Webster, and starred as billionaire Edgar D. Minnows in the Apple TV+ murder mystery series The Afterparty.
Woods was born in Trenton, New Jersey.[2] He is Jewish.[3] His father is a psychiatrist who specializes in clinical therapy, and his mother is a nurse practitioner. Woods is a middle child; he has an older brother and younger sister. In 1997 and 1998, he attended summer camp at Interlochen Center for the Arts.[4] He grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Pennsbury High School in 2003. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.[5] [6]
Woods started performing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre at age 16 and was a part of the improvisational sketch troupe "The Stepfathers", whose members included Bobby Moynihan and Chris Gethard.[7] He has taught improv at Columbia University, Duke University and Lincoln Center.[8] He has appeared in such films as In the Loop and The Other Guys, and appeared in the CollegeHumor skits "Adam and Eve in the Friend Zone" and "The Infinisphere".
He is known for starring as Awkward Boy, the protagonist in the YouTube video series The Most Awkward Boy in the World.[9] In 2010, he appeared as a zombie in a Starburst candy commercial.[10]
Starting in 2010, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to series regular beginning in season 7.[11]
From 2014 to 2019, he co-starred as Jared on HBO's Silicon Valley. He also appeared on HBO's Veep as Ed Webster.
Beginning in January 2020, he had a role as Matt Spencer, Head of Customer Relations for Avenue 5, a science-fiction comedy TV series created by Armando Iannucci that premiered on HBO in the United States.
Woods had a role in the action comedy Spy (2015), directed by Paul Feig,[12] and appeared in Feig's film Ghostbusters in 2016.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Terrorists | Drugstore Cashier | ||
| 2009 | Strangers | Man | Short film | |
| In the Loop | Chad | |||
| The Honkys | O.G | Short film | ||
| 2010 | The Other Guys | Douglas | ||
| 2011 | High Road | Tommy | ||
| Andy and Zach | Zach | Short film | ||
| Damsels in Distress | Rick DeWolfe | |||
| 2012 | Rich Girl Problems | Duncan | Short film | |
| 2013 | The Heat | Paramedic | ||
| 2015 | Spy | Man in Purple Tie | ||
| 2016 | Other People | Paul | ||
| Ghostbusters | Garrett | |||
| Mascots | Mike Murray | |||
| 2017 | The Lego Ninjago Movie | Zane | Voice | |
| Zane's Stand Up Promo | Voice Short film | |||
| The Post | Anthony Essaye | |||
| 2019 | The Angry Birds Movie 2 | Carl | Voice | |
| 2020 | Downhill | Zach | ||
| David | Short film Director, writer and producer | |||
| 2021 | Bud | Short film Director, writer and producer | ||
| 2022 | Spin Me Round | Dana | ||
| TBA | Huntington | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | My Wife, the Ghost | Geets Wilson | 1 episode | |
| 2006 | Sexual Intercourse: American Style | Ted | 1 episode | |
| 2009 | Washingtonienne | Mark | 1 episode | |
| 2010–13 | The Office | Gabe Lewis | Main role, 51 episodes Nominated – SAG Award for Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2011–12) | |
| 2011 | Funny or Die Presents | Stuart | 1 episode | |
| Bored to Death | Super Ray fan | 1 episode | ||
| 2012–15 | The League | Lane | 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Arrested Development | Trippler | 1 episode | |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | The Remarkable Greg | 1 episode | ||
| 2013–14 | Veep | Ed Webster | 3 episodes | |
| 2013–16 | The Good Wife | Jeff Dellinger | 4 episodes | |
| 2014 | Kroll Show | Cal Culvers | 1 episode | |
| 2014–17 | Playing House | Zach Harper | Main role, 8 episodes | |
| 2014–19 | Silicon Valley | Donald "Jared" Dunn | Main role, 53 episodes | |
| 2015 | Drunk History | Lee Duncan | 1 episode | |
| 2016 | Animals | Brian (voice) | 1 episode | |
| Better Things | Zach | 1 episode | ||
| 2017–23 | Big Mouth | Various voices | 3 episodes | |
| 2020 | The Simpsons | Zane Furlong (voice) | Episode: "The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson" | |
| 2020–22 | Avenue 5 | Matt Spencer | Main role, 17 episodes | |
| 2023 | The Afterparty | Edgar D. Minnows | Main role; 10 episodes | |
| 2024 | In the Know | Lauren Caspian (voice) | Main role; also co-creator, writer, director, and executive producer |