Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis grew up in Wilkesboro, North Carolina—his mom, Mary Frances, ran a community arts center, and his dad, Harry, sold heating oil. Greek blood from dad’s side, English and Scottish mix from mom. College didn’t quite go his way (missed passing by a single point, ouch), so he packed up and headed to New York City. There, he kicked off his comedy career in the back of a greasy hamburger joint in Times Square. Not exactly glamorous, but hey, everyone starts somewhere. He bounced around, performing stand-up in coffee shops and colleges all over the place. After grinding it out for over ten years—seriously, talk about persistence—Zach finally grabbed the spotlight with his role as Alan Garner in The Hangover in 2009. That movie was huge and suddenly everyone knew his face. Same year, he took on a big part in the kids’ flick G-Force, then kept popping up in films like Up in the Air (laid-off guy), Youth in Revolt (terrible stepdad), and Dinner for Schmucks (one of the main oddballs). He kept the streak going with movies like It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Due Date with Robert Downey Jr., and The Campaign with Will Ferrell. He even lent his voice to Humpty Dumpty in Puss in Boots. He didn’t just stick to comedy, either—he was in Birdman, which snagged the Oscar for Best Picture. A couple more comedies followed: Masterminds and Keeping Up with the Joneses, which actually dropped just three weeks apart. Off the screen, Zach likes hiding out in the mountains back in North Carolina, dreaming up plans for a writer’s retreat on a self-sustained farm.