Zachary Levi

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Zachary Levi is an American actor, born in 1980 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and raised in Ventura, California. He was on stage at the age of six in regional productions of musicals such as Grease, Oklahoma! and Oliver!. His television breakthrough came with the comedy Less Than Perfect (2002 to 2006) and above all with the action series Chuck (2007 to 2012). Later he played Fandral in the Thor films and the title role in the superhero film Shazam! (2019) and its sequel in 2023. For his role in the 2016 Broadway revival of the musical She Loves Me he was nominated for a Tony Award.

Music and breakthrough

He also made himself heard in music. In the Disney film Tangled (2010) he voiced and sang the role of Flynn Rider. With Mandy Moore he sang I See the Light, a song that won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. They also performed it at the Academy Awards, where it was nominated. He also sang I've Got a Dream on the soundtrack and recorded the duet Terrified with Katharine McPhee. He also took part in Band from TV, a band of actors.

Influence

Levi thus belongs among the actors who gained a place in popular music through film and musical theatre. His voice suits the kind of Disney songs that became popular again with a wide audience in the 2010s. In this way he shows how closely film and pop music are intertwined in modern entertainment culture.

Listening