Acting
Feb 19, 1979
Ridgewood, New Jersey, USA
Michael Zegen
Acting
Biography
Michael Jonathan Zegen (born February 20, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series Rescue Me (2004–2011), Boardwalk Empire (2011–2014), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023). Zegen was born to a teacher mother and a lawyer father, and lived in Glen Rock, New Jersey, before moving to nearby Ridgewood when he was five. He has two brothers. He is Jewish. His mother was born in Austria in a displaced persons' camp, and his maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Ukraine and Poland. He attended Ridgewood High School, where he was active in the school's theater program. Zegen is a 2001 graduate of Skidmore College. His role on Rescue Me began as a recurring character in seasons 1–3, playing the nephew of series lead Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary). In seasons 5–6, he was promoted to the main cast when his character began probationary firefighter school to become a firefighter. In 2010, Zegen was cast as gangster Bugsy Siegel for the second, third, and fifth season of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. In 2011, Zegen, along with James Ransone, was cast in supporting roles in the HBO comedy series How To Make It In America. In mid-2011, Zegen was cast in a recurring guest role in the second season of the AMC series The Walking Dead. In 2014 he created the role of Liam off-Broadway in the dark comedy Bad Jews. Zegan made his Broadway debut in A View from the Bridge in 2015. In 2017, Zegen played Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For the role he has won two Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series awards from the Screen Actors Guild. He returned to Broadway in 2021 to star in Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress.
Feature Films (16)
Norma and Arthur Lewis, a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world; someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.
The Box
In a quiet suburban town in the summer of 1958, two recently orphaned sisters are placed in the care of their mentally unstable Aunt Ruth. But Ruth's depraved sense of discipline will soon lead to unspeakable acts of abuse and torture that involve her young sons, the neighborhood children, and one 12-year-old boy whose life will be changed forever.
The Girl Next Door
After the theft of copies of SAT exams from a principal's office, teenage reporter Bobby Funke sets out to unmask the thief.
Assassination of a High School President
The story of the Schaffer family, made up of terminally ill father Jack and his two daughters, bipolar Pappy, and Susannah, who tries to keep the family together despite it taking a strain on her romantic life.
Bittersweet Place
An aspiring dancer moves to New York City and becomes caught up in a whirlwind of flighty fair-weather friends, diminishing fortunes and career setbacks.
Frances Ha
Television & Series (12)
Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.
The Walking Dead
It’s 1958 Manhattan and Miriam “Midge” Maisel has everything she’s ever wanted - the perfect husband, kids, and Upper West Side apartment. But when her life suddenly takes a turn and Midge must start over, she discovers a previously unknown talent - one that will take her all the way from the comedy clubs of Greenwich Village to a spot on Johnny Carson’s couch.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well as emerging new talent and everyday people who are beacons of hope in their communities.
The Kelly Clarkson Show
When a heartbroken New Yorker moves to London hoping for a love story, she falls for an indie musician who's anything but the typical romantic hero.
Too Much
The aftermath of 9/11 has left the firefighters of the NYFD traumatized, and no one more so than Tommy Gavin. Recently separated from his wife and their three kids, Tommy drifts between sorrow and anger as he tries to shake the recurring nightmares of his fallen comrades, especially his late cousin, Jimmy Keefe. Working alongside veterans like Lt. “Lou” Shea, Franco Rivera and Sean Garrity, and rookie Mike Lombardi, Tommy battles alcohol and drugs as he struggles to remain first and foremost a New York City firefighter.
