Zach Braff
Zach Braff is an acclaimed American actor, director, and screenwriter, best known for his role as J.D. Dorian on the hit television series "Scrubs" (2001–2010) and for writing and starring in the film "Garden State" (2004). Born on April 6, 1975, in South Orange, New Jersey, Braff was exposed to the performing arts early in life, with his father running a local community theater. He honed his acting skills at Stagedoor Manor, a renowned training camp, and later graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in film.
Braff's career took off with "Scrubs," where he garnered multiple nominations, including Golden Globes and an Emmy. He further established himself as a filmmaker with "Garden State," which received critical acclaim, and his subsequent directorial efforts include "Wish I Was Here" (2014) and "Going in Style" (2017). In addition to his film and television work, Braff has also performed in theater, including the Off-Broadway play "All New People." His personal life has included notable relationships with fellow actors, and he remains connected to his "Scrubs" co-star, Donald Faison. Braff's diverse talents have earned him a dedicated fan base and recognition in multiple facets of the entertainment industry.
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Zach Braff
Actor
- Born: April 6, 1975
Contribution: Zach Braff is an award-winning actor, director, and screenwriter best known for his roles as J. D. Dorian on the television series Scrubs (2001–10) and Andrew Largeman in the film Garden State (2004).
Background
Zachary Israel Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey, on April 6, 1975. Braff showed an interest in acting and writing from a young age. His parents—Harold Irwin Braff and Anne Brodzinsky—indulged him in this, which was not difficult considering his father ran the local community theater. For a while, he let the young Braff hang out around the theater as the “theater mascot.” Later, his parents sent him to Stagedoor Manor, an exclusive and rigorous training camp for young actors and actresses in upstate New York, until he was eighteen years old. At Stagedoor, Braff not only developed as an actor, but also developed socially. He made connections with other actors who would serve him well throughout his career, such as Josh Charles, Mandy Moore, and Natalie Portman. However, possibly most importantly, it was at Stagedoor where he was first connected with an agent who then led him to audition for roles all through high school. Braff attended Northwestern University and graduated in 1997 with a degree in film.
Braff’s parents divorced and each remarried while he was still young. This situation, along with his parents and stepparents, has served as inspiration throughout his screenwriting career.
Career
Braff acted from a very early age, landing his first role in the 1989 television movie High when he was fourteen years old. After this, he played Nick Lipton in the 1993 film Manhattan Murder Mystery. He also did one-off episodes of The Baby-Sitters Club in 1993 and the CBS Schoolbreak Special in 1994.
After a break from professional acting, Braff landed roles in the films Getting to Know You (1999), Endsville (2000), and Blue Moon (2000). Soon after these roles, Braff landed what would become his big break: the role of J. D. Dorian on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) comedy Scrubs (2001–10). Scrubs premiered on October 2, 2001, and followed the faculty and staff of Sacred Heart Hospital through the point of view of Braff’s quirky lead character. Throughout the show’s nine seasons Dorian transitions from intern to resident to medical professor, providing a signature goofy and self-absorbed inner monologue in most episodes of the show.
Braff was nominated for best performance by an actor in a television comedy series at the Golden Globes in 2005, 2006, and 2007 for his work on Scrubs; in 2005 he was also nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a comedy. From 2009 to 2010, he became an executive producer on the show and also directed five episodes between 2004 and 2009.
Braff continued to branch out while he acted on Scrubs. He wrote, directed, and starred in the film Garden State (2004), for which he was awarded the Hollywood Breakthrough Director of the Year Award (2005) by the Hollywood Film Festival, best new director (2004) by the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Pauline Kael Breakout Award by the Florida Film Critics Circle Awards, and a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack. He appeared on talk shows including Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Daily Show with John Stewart, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also made appearances on the series Arrested Development in 2006 and 2007 and hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live in 2007. He performed in the 2006 films The Last Kiss and The Ex, and The High Cost of Living (2010).
After Scrubs, Braff became involved with a variety of projects. He starred in the Off-Broadway stage production Trust (2010), for which he received positive praise. With 2011’s All New People—which he wrote, directed, and performed in—Braff fulfilled a lifelong dream of having a play he wrote performed. All New People premiered at Second Stage Theater in New York City and received solid reviews. He also acted in Tar (2012) and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) (with James Franco), before beginning work writing and directing his film Wish I Was Here, which he also starred in. The film, released in 2014, features a cast that includes such actors as Kate Hudson and Mandy Patinkin, and reviewers often praised the maturity of its premise. That same year, he took the Broadway stage in a production of Bullets Over Broadway, a musical adaptation of Woody Allen's 1994 film of the same name.
After having a part in the historical drama In Dubious Battle in 2016, Braff stepped behind the camera once more, this time for a remake of a 1979 heist comedy. Only directing for this film, Going in Style, he oversaw a cast that included Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Though Braff then attempted to return to television in 2018 as a star and executive producer of the new ABC series Alex, Inc., the series was ultimately canceled after its first season.
In 2020, Braff starred in Percy Vs Goliath, a film about a farmer who takes on an agricultural corporation. He also starred in the Disney+ comedy Cheaper by the Dozen in 2022 and lent his voice to a character in the 2022 Star Wars miniseries, Obi-Wan Kenobi. In 2024, Braff appeared in two episodes of the comedy series Bad Monkey. Braff also continued to direct projects for television, including a 2020 episode of the comedy Ted Lasso that earned him an Emmy nomination. He also directed a 2023 episode of the comedy series Shrinking.
Impact
Zach Braff’s work on Scrubs and in Garden State earned him fame and mainstream success, along with a cult following. His film Wish I Was Here was financed in large part by his fans through the crowd-funding website Kickstarter. He has proven himself as an actor, a director, a playwright, and a screenwriter, and has been critically praised in all four roles.
Personal Life
Braff dated actress Mandy Moore from 2004 to 2006, but the two ended their relationship due to the nine-year age gap between them. In 2009 he began dating model Taylor Bagley; they broke up in 2014. Braff is also best friends with actor Donald Faison, his Scrubs costar.
Bibliography
Bishop, Bryan. “Zach Braff’s ‘Wish I Was Here’ Kickstarter Campaign Beats Its Goal by over $1 Million.” The Verge, 25 May 2013, www.theverge.com/2013/5/25/4364186/zach-braffs-wish-i-was-here-kickstarter-campaign-beats-its-goal-by-over-1-million. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Braff, Zach. "Zach Braff Breaks Down His 'Alex, Inc' Directing Style and Considers a Return to 'Scrubs.'" Interview by Danielle Turchiano. Variety, 28 Mar. 2018, variety.com/2018/tv/features/zach-braff-directing-alex-inc-scrubs-interview-1202722360/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Jensen, Jeff. “Zach Braff.” Entertainment Weekly 15 Sept. 2006: 25–26. Print.
Mathews, Dana. “Zach Braff Is Not Ashamed of His Theater-Geek Past.” Vanity Fair, 27 May 2010, www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2010/05/zach-braff-is-not-ashamed-of-his-theater-geek-past. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
"Zach Braff." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm0103785/. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.
Zeitchik, Steven. “Q&A: Zach Braff on Kickstarter, Indie Filmmaking and the Skeptics.” Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2013, www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-zach-braff-kickstarter-wish-i-was-here-20130503-story.html. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.