Zach Braff
During the 2000s, he became known for his role as, "John 'J.D.' Dorian," on the popular TV Series Scrubs, which earned him his first Emmy nomination. Braff also wrote, starred in, and directed 2004's Garden State, a coming of age film which brought him his first financial success and critical acclaim.
The soundtrack record, which he selected and produced, earned him a Grammy for Best Soundtrack Album in 2005.
Early life
Braff was born in South Orange, New Jersey, to a Jewish family. He was Bar-Mitsvahed at Oheb Shalom, a synagogue located in South Orange.
His parents, Hal Braff, a trial attorney and sociology professor, and Anne Brodzinsky, a clinical psychologist, divorced and re-married others during Braff's childhood. One of his siblings, Joshua, is an author. Braff has wanted to be a filmmaker since his early childhood and has described it as his "life dream." Braff was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder at age 10. As a teen, Braff attended Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in upstate New York.
He graduated from Columbia High School, in Maplewood, where he worked in the school's television station.
Braff graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in film where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity. While attending Northwestern University, Braff met singer-songwriter Cary Brothers, whose music is featured on Braff's comedy series, Scrubs.
Career
Braff began his career in stage productions of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Macbeth at New York City's Public Theater, and also appeared in Woody Allen's 1993 film Manhattan Murder Mystery.
In addition to directing several episodes of Scrubs, Braff wrote, directed, and starred in 2004's Garden State, which was filmed in his home state of New Jersey, in various towns such as South Orange, Maplewood and Tenafly. In 2005, Braff was featured on Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd when he was tricked into chasing a supposed vandal who appeared to be spray-painting his brand new Porsche.
He then proceeded to hurl expletives at the young boy until Ashton Kutcher showed up. The episode aired March 20, 2005. Braff has also made a couple of guest appearances on the show Arrested Development as Phillip Litt, a parody of Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis, who produces a film series called Girls with Low Self Esteem.
Braff has directed several music videos: Gavin DeGraw's "Chariot," Joshua Radin's "Closer" and "I'd Rather Be With You," and Lazlo Bane's "Superman," the theme song from Scrubs.
Despite winning a Grammy Award for assembling the soundtrack album of Garden State and directing three music videos, Braff has said that he "know nothing about music." However, his music production has resulted in newfound success for some of the artists featured on his film soundtracks, such as The Shins, who were prominently featured on the Garden State soundtrack and the scrubs soundtrack, resulting in the expression the "Zach Braff effect."
In March 2007, Braff signed a one-year deal with NBC for the seventh season of Scrubs. He will reportedly earn $350,000 an episode, making him one of the highest-paid actors on television, alongside House's Hugh Laurie and Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen.
Braff, who tweaked several parts of Paul Haggis' script for the film, noted that he could relate to his character, and wanted the script to be as "real as possible" and "really courageous" regarding its subject matter. The film's director, Tony Goldwyn, compared Braff to a younger version of Tim Allen, describing Braff as "incredibly accessible to an audience... a real guy, an everyman." As with Garden State, Braff was involved with the film's soundtrack; he served as executive producer and selected lesser known artists such as Frou Frou, Joshua Radin, Schuyler Fisk, and Rachael Yamagata, as well as Remy Zero, Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Turin Brakes, The Shins and Aimee Mann, to appear on the track. The Last Kiss grossed approximately $11 million at the North American box office, and was considered a commercial disappointment; however, worldwide box office receipts and DVD rentals added $35 million to the take, bringing in nearly twice the production cost of $20 million for the film.
In 2007, Braff starred in the film The Ex, which he has described as a "silly comedy," and which was released on May 11, 2007 and also starred Amanda Peet, Charles Grodin and Jason Bateman.
Braff said on his blog that "the movie didn't do as well as he expected." On May 19, 2007, he hosted the 32nd season finale of Saturday Night Live, where in one sketch, he plays a high schooler who tries to explain to the two snobby heads of the prom committee (Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph) how Garden State is an important film to his peers.
Braff was in talks to star in the film Fletch Won and had signed on to play the role eventually played by Dane Cook in Mr. He has also co-written a film version of Andrew Henry's Meadow, a children's book, with his brother, and is scheduled to direct one of the segments for the film New York, I Love You.
In late October 2008, Bill Lawrence confirmed Braff will star in what is expected to be the final season of Scrubs, but stated should ABC decide to continue Scrubs, Braff will not return as an actor, but said that he would possibly direct a few episodes.
In the field of voice acting, Braff narrated Wendy's TV commercials in 2007 and '08. He has also portrayed the voice of the Cottonelle puppy in commercials as of late; Braff also makes a brief cameo in one spot.
Personal life
In early 2006, unnamed sources told In Touch Weekly magazine that Mandy Moore and Braff were engaged. Moore's representative denied the engagement.
He is very close friends with Scrubs co-star Donald Faison and has said of him, “He is one of my best friends in the world.”
In the summer of 2007, Braff started to date Roswell star Shiri Appleby.
In November 2008, he earned his pilot's License in a Cirrus SR20.
Braff's step-sister is Jessica Kirson, a New York stand-up comedian.
He also has done voice work in commercials, including The Cottonelle Puppy, and water in commercials for PŪR.
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