Zach Galligan
Zach Galligan | |
|---|---|
 Galligan in 2025 | |
| Born | Zachary Wolfe Galligan February 14, 1964 New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse |
Alison Marie Rieger (m. 2025)Ling-Ling Hu Ingerick
(m. 2005; div. 2010) |
Zachary Wolfe Galligan (born February 14, 1964)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Early life and education
[edit]Galligan was born on February 14, 1964, in New York City, the son of Carol Jean (née Wolfe), a psychologist, and Arthur John Galligan, a lawyer who was a founding partner of the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro. He is mostly of Irish descent, although he also has some English and Jewish ancestry (from Austria) on his mother’s side.[2][3][4][5] He graduated from Columbia University.[6][7]
Career
[edit]Galligan's most prominent role was as Billy Peltzer in the 1984 film Gremlins.[8][9][10] Prior to being cast in Gremlins, he filmed Nothing Lasts Forever, which had its theatrical release cancelled and went unreleased in any form for years.[11] In 1988, he starred as Mark Loftmore in the horror comedy Waxwork.[12] He reprised his role as Billy in the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and returned to the role of Mark for Waxwork II: Lost in Time in 1992.[9]
In 2016, UK progressive rock band Gandalf's Fist announced that Galligan would voice a character on their album The Clockwork Fable.[13]
In early 2021, Galligan appeared in a Mountain Dew commercial in which his Gremlins character, Billy, gives Gizmo a drink of his Mountain Dew.[14] Galligan returned to the Gremlins franchise again in 2022, in the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.[15]
Personal life
[edit]In 2025 Zach Galligan married Alison Marie Rieger in a private ceremony.
Filmography
[edit] | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (December 2021) |
Film
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Gremlins | Billy Peltzer | |
| Nothing Lasts Forever | Adam Beckett | ||
| 1988 | Waxwork | Mark Loftmore | |
| 1990 | Gremlins 2: The New Batch | Billy Peltzer | |
| Mortal Passions | Todd | ||
| 1991 | Zandalee | Rog | |
| Psychic | Patrick Costello | ||
| 1992 | Round Trip To Heaven | Steve | |
| Waxwork II: Lost in Time | Mark Loftmore | ||
| 1993 | Warlock: The Armageddon | Douglas | |
| All Tied Up | Brian Hartley | ||
| 1994 | Caroline at Midnight | Jerry Hiatt | |
| Ice | Rick Corbit | ||
| 1995 | Cyborg 3: The Recycler | Evans | |
| 1997 | Cupid | Eric Rhodes | |
| Prince Valiant | Sir Kay | ||
| The First to Go | Adam Curtis | ||
| 1998 | Storm Trooper | Kreigal | |
| 1999 | The Storytellers | Greer Sandler | |
| 2000 | Little Insects | King Foptop | |
| Raw Nerve | Ethan Lang | released in Japan as Random Shots[citation needed] | |
| G-Men from Hell | Dalton | ||
| 2001 | The Tomorrow Man | Spence | |
| Gabriela | Pat | ||
| Point Doom | Spider | ||
| What They Wanted, What They Got | Pete Drake | ||
| 2002 | Infested | Warren | |
| 2003 | Momentum | Director Hammond | |
| 2005 | Legion of the Dead | Dr. Swatek | |
| 2007 | Let Them Chirp Awhile | Hart Carlton | |
| 2008 | Jewslim | Yoseph Caldwell | |
| 2009 | The Pack | Anson | |
| Nightbeasts | Charles Thomas | ||
| 2010 | Cut | Jack | |
| Jack Falls | American Guy | ||
| 2013 | Hatchet III | Sheriff Fowler | |
| 2016 | The Chair | Riley | |
| 2017 | Kampout | Detective Benson | |
| 2019 | Madness in the Method | Director/Zach |
Television
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Jacobo Timerman: Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number | Héctor Timerman | Television movie |
| 1985 | Surviving: A Family in Crisis | Rick Brogan | |
| 1987–1989 | The Lawrenceville Stories | William "Hickey" Hicks | TV Mini-Series, All 3 Episodes |
| 1992 | Melrose Place | Rick Danworth | Episode: "For Love or Money" |
| Tales from the Crypt | David and Rick | Episode: "Strung Along" | |
| 1993 | For Love and Glory | Thomas Doyle | Unsold television pilot |
| 1995 | Extreme | Dan | Episode: Pilot |
| 1996 | Pacific Blue | Ron Jeffries | Episode: "Takedown" |
| 1997 | Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman | Chester Barnes | Episode: "Homecoming" |
| 1998 | Love Boat: The Next Wave | Bill Chase | Episode: "Reunion" |
| Star Trek: Voyager | Ensign David Gentry | Episode: "In the Flesh" | |
| The Net | Aaron Mitchelson | Episode: "Diamonds Aren't Forever" | |
| 1999 | Chicken Soup for the Soul | Young Man | Episode: "My Convertible" |
| Arthur's Quest | King Pendragon | Television film | |
| 2001 | 7th Heaven | Dr. Kent | Episode: "Worked" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Eddie Malloy | Episode: "Happy Family" |
| 2018 | The Keith & Paddy Picture Show | as himself | Episode: "Gremlins" |
| 2023 | Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai | Henchman #2 | Recurring cast |
Web
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chilling Tales for Dark Nights | Fitzroy / Narrator | Episode: "The End is Near" Segment: "Mr. Promises" | [16] |
| 2021 | The Irate Gamer | Himself | Episode: "Gremlins" | |
| 2022 | The Kill Count | Episode: "Gremlins 2 (1990) KILL COUNT" | [17] |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Today's top celebrity birthdays list for February 14, 2019". cleveland. February 14, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Zach Galligan - Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Zach Galligan: 'Mogwai' is new mythic adventure, not 'Gremlins' rehash". UPI. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Obituaries: 1948 Arthur J. Galligan". Columbia College Today. Archived from the original on June 10, 2007.
- ↑ "Deaths Galligan, Arthur J." The New York Times. January 5, 2006.
- ↑ McKay, Hollie (June 13, 2013). "Where are they now: 'Gremlins' star Zach Galligan hopes he's in the movie remake". Fox News. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Jessica Galligan And James Goldsmith Are Married". The New York Times. August 18, 1985.
- ↑ Jones, Gareth (November 30, 1999). "Zach Galligan Talks Cut, Gremlins 3, and More!". Dread Central.
- 1 2 "Gremlins: Where are the cast now?". Smooth.
- ↑ "'Gremlins' Star Zach Galligan Regrets Leaving Hollywood... and Not Dating Phoebe Cates". www.yahoo.com.
- ↑ Harris, Aisha (July 9, 2014). "Bill Murray's Never-Released 1984 Sci-Fi Comedy Is Now Online". Slate Magazine.
- ↑ "Waxwork". TVGuide.com.
- ↑ Kielty, Martin (February 15, 2016). "Teamrock News: Gandalf's Fist name Clockwork Fable actors". Prog. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
- ↑ "Gremlins Mountain Dew Ad Limited Edition Gizmo Doll Being Released For $300". ScreenRant. March 25, 2021.
- ↑ "'Gremlins' Star Zach Galligan, Sandra Oh, George Takei & More Join 'Secrets of the Mogwai' Guests". July 22, 2022.
- ↑ "End is Nigh". YouTube. March 17, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ↑ "Gremlins 2 (1990) KILL COUNT". YouTube. December 30, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- 1964 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American people of Austrian-Jewish descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Collegiate School (New York) alumni
- Columbia University alumni
- Jews from New York (state)
- Male actors from New York City
- American people of English descent