Zach Braff

(1975 - )

Zach Braff is a Jewish American actor, director, screenwriter and producer.

He is best known for his performances as J.D. Dorian on the popular NBC sitcom Scrubs, and as Andrew Largeman in the 2004 film Garden State. He has been nominated for two Golden Globe awards and an Emmy for his work on Scrubs. In 2005, Braff won the Grammy Award for “Best Compilation Soundtrack For A Motion Picture” for the Garden State soundtrack because he was credited for choosing the music for the film.

Braff was born Zachary Israel Braff on April 6, 1975 in South Orange, New Jersey. He graduated with a degree in film from Northwestern University in Illinois. South Orange, and other towns in New Jersey, were the settings of his film Garden State, in which Braff wrote and made his directorial debut. The film, which co-stars Natalie Portman, won the Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards, and was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to his onscreen appearances, Braff showed his versatility when he provided his voice for the lead role in the 2005 Disney animated movie Chicken Little (he also voiced the same character for the video game Kingdom Hearts II). He directed the music video for the song “Chariot” by pop singer Gavin Degraw. He is the co-writer of Andrew Henry's Meadow, a film he is expected to produce later in 2006.

Braff's long list of film credits include The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, The High Cost of Living and Wish I Was Here, in which he not only stars but which he directed, produced and wrote.

Sources: Wikipedia