Whatever Happened To Steve Zahn?

When thinking of actors who came of age in the 1990s, Steve Zahn's name isn't one that tends to jump to the forefront of people's minds. Still, few actors from that era were quite as prolific — or as consistently entertaining — as this brashly energetic performer. Even fewer have managed to continue delivering high-quality work in the decades that followed. But just as Zahn seemed destined to turn his full-blown slacker icon status into outright movie stardom with a string of blockbuster and indie hits throughout the early 2000s, his career momentum surprisingly slowed — so much that it feels like he's all but disappeared from Hollywood in recent years. Of course, appearances are often deceiving, especially in the context of the entertainment business. And while Zahn has certainly kept a low profile of late, he hasn't been quite as invisible as you might think. Wondering whatever happened to Steve Zahn? Don't worry, we've got you — and his recent activities — covered.

If you've been tracking Steve Zahn's career, you probably noticed that many of his more famous roles were of a supporting nature. He's always seemed to have untapped leading man charisma just under the surface, but he's landed one supporting role after another, usually playing the quirky pal to more straight-laced movie stars. Still, it wasn't until the early 2000s that Zahn went full sidekick, and it's a role he played to near perfection opposite the likes of Martin Lawrence in National Security, Eddie Murphy in Daddy Day Care, Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek in Bandidas, and Matthew McConaughey in Sahara. In several cases, Zahn's work stands firmly as the most memorable aspect of otherwise underwhelming projects. Additionally, he's played romantic sidekick to the likes of Drew Barrymore in Riding In Cars With Boys and to Jennifer Aniston in the underrated rom-com-drama Management.

When Steve Zahn isn't tending to the farm or turning up on the big screen, it's a safe bet you'll find him on the stage in one playhouse or another. Like most actors, Zahn got his start in theater by performing in high school productions. He made his professional debut in a 1987 production of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues, eventually working his way into the esteemed American Repertory Theater.

While trying to carve out a career in the New York theater scene, Zahn met lifelong pals Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. With fellow thespians Josh Hamilton and Frank Whaley in tow, the group would go on to form the Malaparte Theater Company and spend the next few years making names for themselves in off-Broadway productions. The company is now defunct, but the founding members have remained close over the years. Zahn has also kept one foot firmly on the stage throughout his professional life, honing his skills in productions big and small, including the occasional appearance in plays produced by the community theater group he operates with his wife in Kentucky.

Steve Zahn is widely known for appearing in more adult fare and the occasional dalliance in absurdist comedy (see Saving Silverman, Knights of Badassdom, and The Ridiculous 6), but he jumped into the realm of "family film" in 2010 when he took the role of Frank Heffley in Diary of a Wimpy Kid. For those unfamiliar with the movie, it's based on a popular series of young adult novels, and follows the travails of a whip-smart 12-year-old attempting to make the complicated transition from elementary school into middle school. Zahn plays the young man's lovably affable father, bringing a welcome sincerity and quick wit to the to the kid-friendly films.

While Diary of a Wimpy Kid didn't quite land with critics upon release, it more than held its own at the box office, pulling in a whopping $75 million worldwide. That was enough for the folks at 20th Century Fox to greenlight not one but two equally lucrative sequels, making the Wimpy Kid series Zahn's first official franchise — though that franchise appeal wasn't enough to get Zahn back in dad mode for the much-maligned fourth film in the Wimpy Kid series. As it happens, his old That Thing You Do! co-star Tom Everett Scott landed the role instead... just in case you were wondering whatever happened to Tom Everett Scott.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series wasn't Zahn's last franchise, either. Savvy viewers likely noticed the actor's voice and mannerisms on a much bigger scale when he donned a motion capture suit to portray Bad Ape in 2017's smash hit War for the Planet of the Apes. Though Zahn clearly enjoyed working on the movie, he's referred to the film's six-month shoot as "the most painful of my life" — mostly because he spent much of it hunched over pretending to be an ape. Luckily, he also spent that time opposite cinema's greatest motion capture performer in the great Andy Serkis, who Zahn praised as "one of the greatest actors" he's ever worked with. For those of us who've been on Team Serkis since his astonishing work as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we couldn't agree more. And if you don't know who Serkis is, well, check out his IMDb page, 'cause you probably just haven't been paying close enough attention.

You've probably noticed that even after appearing in a couple of legit blockbusters and an scoring an endless stream of indie hits, Zahn hasn't really been appearing on the big screen much in the past few years. That has a lot to do with his growing workload on television, including an often scene-stealing role on HBO's grossly underrated drama Treme and an equally impressive performance in Amazon Studios' limited series adaptation of the UK hit Mad Dogs. More recently, Zahn appeared as a small-town sheriff in way over his head on ABC's mind-bending sci-fi drama The Crossing. While The Crossing received generally favorable reviews, its mix of heady plot lines and somber tone never quite connected with audiences, and was canceled after just 11 episodes. Still, it seems just a matter of time until Zahn finds the right fit for small screen success.