Quick Facts
Biography
Zachary Michael "Zach" Gilford (born January 14, 1982) is an American actor best known for his role as Matt Saracen on the NBC sports drama Friday Night Lights.
Early life and education
Gilford was born in Evanston, Illinois, the son of Anne and Steve Gilford. He is of half Swedish and half Russian Jewish descent. He graduated from Northwestern University and Evanston Township High School. He served as a Trip Leader for Adventures Cross-Country and has led wilderness and adventure trips for teenagers to Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, and the South Pacific. Gilford also worked as a staff member for YMCA Camp Echo in Fremont, Michigan.
Acting career
In 2005, he appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In 2006, Gilford landed a regular role in Friday Night Lights, in which he played the role of Matt Saracen in the main cast, from Season 1 to Season 3. In 2009, Gilford was switched to the recurring cast in Seasons 4 and 5. That year, he also made his feature film debut, co-starring in The Last Winter (2006).
In 2009, he co-starred in Post Grad opposite Alexis Bledel and in Dare opposite Emmy Rossum.
In 2010, he joined the cast of ABC's medical drama Off The Map which premiered in January 2011 but was cancelled after 13 episodes.
In 2011, he appeared in Taylor Swift's music video for "Ours", in which he played her love interest.
In 2012, he was cast in another medical drama, The Mob Doctor, on Fox, opposite Jordana Spiro; however this was also cancelled after 13 episodes. In January 2013, he appeared with Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Last Stand.
He co-starred in the horror film Devil's Due (2014), set in New Orleans and the Dominican Republic, and released on January 17, 2014. He also co-starred in the film sequel The Purge: Anarchy, released on July 18, 2014.
Personal life
In the spring of 2010, Gilford began dating actress Kiele Sanchez, whom he met on the set of the television pilot for The Matadors. The couple became engaged in November 2011, and married on December 29, 2012. The couple also co-starred in The Purge: Anarchy. In August 2015, Sanchez announced she and Gilford were expecting their son in November. In October 2015, the couple announced that their son was stillborn.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Handbook to Casual Stalking | Jimmy | Short |
| 2006 | The Last Winter | Maxwell McKinder | Nominated - Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
| 2007 | Rise: Blood Hunter | Sailor | |
| 2009 | Post Grad | Adam Davies | |
| Dare | Johnny Drake | ||
| 2010 | Super | Jerry | |
| 2011 | The River Why | Gus Oviston | |
| Answers to Nothing | Evan | ||
| 2012 | In Our Nature | Seth | |
| 2013 | Crazy Kind of Love | Matthew | |
| The Last Stand | Jerry Bailey | ||
| 2014 | Devil's Due | Zach McCall | |
| 2014 | The Purge: Anarchy | Shane | Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Scared-As-Shit Performance |
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Kevin Wilcox | 1 episode ("Contagious") |
| 2006–2011 | Friday Night Lights | Matt Saracen | Series regular, 62 episodes Main cast (Seasons 1-3) Recurring cast (Seasons 4-5) |
| 2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Charlie Lowell | 1 episode ("Here's to Future Days") |
| 2010 | The Matadors | Alex Galloway | TV movie |
| 2011 | Off the Map | Dr. Tommy Fuller | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | The Mob Doctor | Dr. Brett Robinson | Series regular, 13 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Drunk History | Jim Abbott/Roger Sharpe | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Family | Daniel "Danny" Warren | Series regular, 12 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Song | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Taylor Swift | "Ours" | Taylor Swift's love interest |