Age, Biography, and Wiki
Steve Zahn was born to Zelda and Carleton Edward Zahn in Marshall, Minnesota. His early life saw him moving between Minnesota locations, including Mankato and the suburbs of Minneapolis. Zahn attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School and was actively involved in school plays, earning recognition as a Minnesota state speech champion twice. After a brief stint at Gustavus Adolphus College, he pursued acting full-time, eventually earning a master's degree from Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training.
| Occupation | Voice Actors |
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| Date of Birth | 13 November 1967 |
| Age | 57 Years |
| Birth Place | Marshall, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Steve Zahn's height and weight are not widely documented, he is known for his energetic and lean physique, which has been a part of his acting persona throughout his career.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Steve Zahn is married to Robyn Peterman, an American actress. The couple has been together since 1994 and has two children, Henry James Zahn and Audrey Clair Zahn.
His father is of German and Swedish descent, and his mother is of German ancestry. Zahn spent part of his childhood in Mankato, Minnesota, attending Kennedy Elementary School, and moved to the suburbs of Minneapolis for high school, where he acted in school plays and became a two-time Minnesota state speech champion. Zahn graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope in 1986, planning to eventually join the United States Marine Corps.
Zahn met author and theater artist Robyn Peterman, the daughter of clothier J. Peterman, while they were performing in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie in 1991. The couple married in 1994 and have two children. In the 1990s, they bought a cabin in Pennsylvania and then a farm in New Jersey, near the Delaware Water Gap. They next moved to a 36-acre horse farm outside Lexington, Kentucky, where Zahn gardens and raises horses, goats, and sheep. He and his wife also run a local community theater, in which Zahn occasionally performs. He also has a lake cabin near Pine City, Minnesota, where he enjoys tubing and fishing with his children. Zahn is a Lutheran.
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| Husband | Robyn Peterman (m. 1994) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Steve Zahn's net worth is estimated to be around $20 million. His earnings come from a diverse range of film and television projects, including notable roles in movies like "Reality Bites," "That Thing You Do," and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid." He has also received significant income from television series such as "Treme" and "The White Lotus". For the movie "Sahara," he earned a salary of $2.2 million.
Career, Business, and Investments
Steve Zahn's career in acting began with stage productions in Minnesota, where he famously crash-landed an audition for "Biloxi Blues" and won the lead role. He then trained at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Zahn's breakthrough came with the film "Reality Bites" in 1994, followed by lead roles in "Happy, Texas" and "Joy Ride." He has appeared in numerous films and television series, including "War for the Planet of the Apes," "Dallas Buyers Club," and "Captain Fantastic." Zahn has also lent his voice to animated films like "Chicken Little" and "The Good Dinosaur".
In 1991, Zahn formed the Malaparte theater company with a group of actor friends, including Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. From 1991 to 1992, Zahn played Hugo Peabody in a national tour of Bye Bye Birdie starring Tommy Tune, and subsequently appeared in two Off-Broadway plays, Sophistry and Eric Bogosian's Suburbia.
Social Network
Steve Zahn maintains a relatively low-key presence on social media platforms. However, he is occasionally featured in interviews and promotional events related to his projects.
In 2017, Zahn played Bad Ape in War for the Planet of the Apes. He researched the role by watching chimpanzee videos on YouTube, and later said that the motion capture process and lengthy digital takes made Bad Ape "the most challenging acting job I've ever had".
Education
After dropping out of Gustavus Adolphus College, Zahn pursued professional training in acting. He went on to earn a master's degree from Harvard University's Institute for Advanced Theater Training, which significantly enhanced his acting skills and career prospects.
Zahn attended Gustavus Adolphus College for one semester but dropped out after seeing the original West End production of Les Misérables. "I remember sitting through the second act thinking, I'm as good as that guy standing on the barricade," Zahn recalled. "I wanted to be part of the circus." Zahn later enrolled in the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University, earning a Master of Fine Arts.
In 1991, Zahn made his professional stage debut in a Minnesota production of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues after falsely claiming to be a member of Actors' Equity. Zahn's fellow actors suggested that Zahn study acting, inspiring him to enroll in American Repertory Theater's two-year training program. At A.R.T., Zahn worked with the stage director Andrei Șerban.
Zahn is a lifelong military history buff and has said that one of his biggest regrets was having turned down a role in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. In 2007, Zahn was awarded an honorary Ph.D. in Fine Arts from Northern Kentucky University. A University of Kentucky sports fan, Zahn is often seen at games and events.
