Zach Braff

Zachary Israel "Zach" Braff (born April 6, 1975) is an American actor, comedian, director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Dorian on the television series Scrubs (2001–2010), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2005.

In 2004, Braff made his directorial debut with Garden State. He returned to his home state New Jersey to shoot the film, which was produced for $2.5 million. The film made over $35 million at the box office and was praised by critics, leading it to gain a cult following. Braff wrote the film, starred in it, and compiled the soundtrack record. He won numerous awards for his directing work, and also won the Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album in 2005.

Braff directed another film, Wish I Was Here (2014), which he partially funded with a Kickstarter campaign.

Early life

Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey. His father, Harold Irwin "Hal" Braff, is a trial attorney and sociology professor, and his mother, Anne Brodzinsky (born Anne Hutchinson Maynard), worked as a clinical psychologist. His parents divorced and remarried others during Braff's childhood. One of his siblings, Joshua, is an author. Braff's father was born into a Jewish family, and Braff's mother, originally a Protestant, converted to Judaism before marrying his father. Braff has said that he had a "very strong Conservative/Orthodox upbringing" (he had his bar mitzvah at Oheb Shalom Congregation). In 2005, he stated that he was "not a huge organized religion guy," and in 2013, he said that "the religion doesn’t necessarily work for me," although he identifies as Jewish. Through his mother's New England ancestors, Braff is a ninth cousin of politician Mitt Romney.

Podcasts:

Famous quotes by Zach Braff:

"So, yeah, I mean, there is something universal about that feeling - that 20-something, what the hell am I going to do with my life, I'm lost and my parents are freaking me out, and what's the point? Every generation has a way of making that unique, but there are certain universals of that feeling."
"I always liked the story of Noah's Ark and the idea of starting anew by rescuing the things you like and leaving the rest behind."
"I am really driven, but my drive doesn't effect the conversations I have in my head about life, and my worries and fears and insecurities."
"The way I write is that I'll actually have a conversation out loud with myself. In a weird way, I just kind of get schizophrenic and play two characters."
"It's hard for me not to be extraordinarily cute, ... I had to fight it."
"I have a great relationship with my parents. I have not been on lithium."
"Gay men in L.A. are all a bunch of tens looking for an eleven."
"I remember seeing her in "Beautiful Girls" and "The Professional" and being like, This girl is genius! This girl is ahead of her time. This girl is a prodigy."
"I think I felt compelled in a way because if I hadn't written the part, I never would have been offered the part. There are at least 10 guys who would have been offered the part before me."
"I think the saddest moments in life have humor in them. I have a memory of coming home from a funeral with my family in the back of a limousine and someone cracking a joke and us just hysterically belly laughing. It's how we always dealt with tragedy in our lives and I think it's such a healthy way to deal with sadness,"
"I am really driven, but my drive doesn't affect the conversations I have in my head about life, and worries and fears and insecurities."
PLAYLIST TIME:

Latest News for: Zach Braff

‘A loose-limbed trifle’: why Manhattan Murder Mystery is my feelgood movie

The Observer 24 Mar 2025
Some sounds are immediately comforting ... Larry and Carol, a couple with a son at college (Zach Braff, making his debut), he in publishing, she thinking of starting a restaurant, are happy and affectionate but locked in a state of permanent bicker ... 46 ... .

Streaming: We Live in Time and the best Florence Pugh films

The Observer 23 Mar 2025
Industry pundits are fond of telling us that the movie star is a dying concept ... Florence Pugh is one ... And her unvarnished performance as a guilt-plagued recovering addict in her ex Zach Braff’s earnest grief drama deepened and sharpened a soft script ... .

10 must-watch movies filmed in New Jersey: From cult classics to blockbusters

app 15 Mar 2025
Bruce Springsteen movie filmed Freehold, stars Jeremy Allen White ... Zach Braff’s partially autobiographical Garden State shot in his hometown of South Orange explores the mind of a man trying to get himself out of this seemingly endless emotional rut.
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