Zach Grenier
American actor
title: "Zach Grenier" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["american-male-film-actors", "american-male-stage-actors", "american-male-television-actors", "living-people", "pioneer-high-school-(ann-arbor,-michigan)-alumni", "1954-births", "20th-century-american-male-actors", "21st-century-american-male-actors", "american-people-of-polish-descent", "university-of-michigan-alumni", "boston-university-college-of-fine-arts-alumni"] description: "American actor" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Grenier" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actor ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Zach Grenier |
| image | Zach Grenier (39631017494) (cropped).jpg |
| caption | Grenier in 2018 |
| birth_place | Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| alma_mater | {{ubl |
| occupation | Actor |
| years_active | 1987–present |
| website | |
| :: |
| name = Zach Grenier | image = Zach Grenier (39631017494) (cropped).jpg | caption = Grenier in 2018 | birth_date = | birth_place = Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. | alma_mater = {{ubl|
- University of Michigan
- Boston University | occupation = Actor | years_active = 1987–present | website =
Zach Grenier is an American actor. He is known for his work with director David Fincher, and his roles as Andy Cramed on the television series Deadwood (2004–06) and David Lee on The Good Wife (2010–16) and its spinoff The Good Fight (2020–22). He has also starred in various Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for 33 Variations.
Early life and education
Grenier was born in Englewood, New Jersey. His mother, who was an announcer on a Polish-language radio program, met his father when he was working as a sound engineer at WBNX in the Bronx in the late 1930s. He is a graduate of Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.
He attended University of Michigan, and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in acting from Boston University.
Career
Grenier was a regular cast member on C-16 from 1997 to 1998. He appeared in the first season of the television show 24 as Carl Webb; played Andy Cramed, the gambler who brought the plague to town, on Deadwood; and appeared in several episodes of Law & Order.
In 2010, he was cast on the television series The Good Wife as David Lee, a senior attorney, a role that soon became part of the recurring ensemble. He was promoted to series regular at the start of the fifth season in September 2013.
Grenier has also had a prolific career in film. Notably, he played Edward Norton's boss in Fight Club and Mel Nicolai in Zodiac, both David Fincher films. He appeared in the 1988 film Talk Radio as finance guru Sid Greenberg, a role he played in the original stage version of the script. In the film Twister, he played Eddie, Dr. Jonas Miller's assistant. He played Mr. Reilly, one of the Callahan Auto Parts associates, in Tommy Boy. He appeared in Donnie Brasco as a marriage therapist. He played the role of Professor Cardiff in the 2006 horror film Pulse.
In 2009, he appeared on Broadway opposite Jane Fonda in 33 Variations, earning a Tony Award nomination.
Partial stage credits
::data[format=table title=""]
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Tooth of Crime | Referee, Galactic Jack | Hartford Stage, Hartford | title=Zach Grenier | |
| 1987 | Talk Radio | Sid Greenberg, Caller | Public Theater, New York | ||
| 1989 | Mastergate | Various | Criterion Center Stage Right, New York | ||
| 1991 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui | Emanuele Giri | Classic Stage Company Theatre, New York | title=Zach Grenier | |
| 1992 | Creditors | Gustav | Public Theater, New York | ||
| Woyzeck | Captain | ||||
| 1993 | The Fiery Furnace | Louis | Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York | ||
| Born Guilty | Peter | Greenwald Theatre, New York | |||
| 1994 | Three Birds Alighting on a Field | Yoyo, Boreman | New York City Center, New York | ||
| 1995 | Uncle Vanya | Ivan Petrovich Voinitsky | Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven | ||
| 1996 | Rhinoceros | John | Theater Four, New York | ||
| 1997 | A Question of Mercy | Dr. Robert Chapman | New York Theatre Workshop, New York | ||
| 1999 | Voices in the Dark | Egan | Longacre Theatre, New York | ||
| 2004 | Good Canary | Susan Stein Shiva Theater, Poughkeepsie | Workshop | ||
| 2006 | Stuff Happens | Dick Cheney | Public Theater, New York | ||
| 2007 | Tartuffe | Tartuffe | McCarter Theatre, Princeton | ||
| Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven | |||||
| 2008 | A Man for All Seasons | Thomas Cromwell | Todd Haimes Theatre, New York | ||
| 2009 | 33 Variations | Ludwig van Beethoven | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, New York | ||
| La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla | |||||
| 2010 | Lenin's Embalmers | Vlad | Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York | ||
| Gabriel | Von Pfunz | Linda Gross Theater, New York | |||
| 2011 | Man and Boy | Mark Herries | Todd Haimes Theatre, New York | ||
| 2013 | The Vandal | Man | Linda Gross Theater, New York | ||
| 2015 | Doctor Faustus | Mephistopheles | Classic Stage Company Theatre, New York | ||
| 2017 | Death of a Salesman | Willy Loman | O'Reilly Theater, New York | ||
| Describe the Night | Nikolai | Linda Gross Theater, New York | |||
| 2018 | Kings | Sen. John McDowell | Public Theater, New York | ||
| Antigone in Ferguson | Harlem Stage Gatehouse, New York | ||||
| :: |
Filmography
Film
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kenny | Jesse | |
| Working Girl | Jim | ||
| 1989 | See No Evil, Hear No Evil | Jerk | |
| 1990 | A Shock to the System | Executive | |
| 1991 | Problem Child 2 | Voytek Claukinski | |
| Delirious | Mickey | ||
| Liebestraum | Barnard Ralston IV | ||
| 1993 | The Contenders | Transgender | |
| Cliffhanger | Davis | ||
| The Man Without a Face | Dr. Lionel Talbot | ||
| 1995 | Tommy Boy | Ted Reilly | |
| Cafe Society | Milton Macka | ||
| Drunks | Al | ||
| Reckless | Anchor Person Trish | ||
| The Stars Fell on Henrietta | Larry Ligstow | ||
| 1996 | Twister | Eddie | |
| Mother Night | Joseph Goebbels | ||
| Maximum Risk | Ivan Dzasokhov | ||
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Dr. Berger | |
| White Lies | Terry Seabrooks | ||
| Under The Bridge | John | ||
| 1999 | Ride With the Devil | Mr. Evans | |
| Fight Club | Richard Chesler | ||
| 2000 | Shaft | Harrison Loeb | |
| Chasing Sleep | Geoffrey | ||
| 2001 | Swordfish | Assistant Director Bill Joy | |
| 2006 | Pulse | Professor Cardiff | |
| Rescue Dawn | Squad Leader | ||
| 2007 | Zodiac | Mel Nicolai | |
| Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer | Mr. Sherman / Rafke | ||
| 2008 | The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond | Mr. Fenstermaker | |
| 2009 | Earthwork | The Mayor | |
| 2011 | J. Edgar | John Condon | |
| 2014 | RoboCop | Senator Hubert Dreyfus | |
| Free the Nipple | Jim Black | ||
| 2015 | Manhattan Romance | Trevor | |
| 2017 | Crown Heights | Detective Cassel | |
| 2022 | She Said | Irwin Reiter | |
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Wirth | Episode: "A Community of Civilized Men" |
| 1987–88 | Kate & Allie | Engineer | 2 episodes |
| 1987, 1989 | Miami Vice | Internal Affairs Officer, Eric Terry | Episode: "Theresa" and "Miracle Man" |
| 1988–89 | Tattingers | Sonny Franks | 11 episodes |
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Ken Whitewood | Episode: "Choice of Chance" |
| The Equalizer | Pack | Episode: "The Caper" | |
| 1991 | The Golden Girls | Vaczy | Episode: "The Case of the Libertine Belle" |
| 1991–2022 | Law & Order | Various characters | 7 episodes |
| 1993, 2000 | NYPD Blue | Rudolf Wentz | Episode: "NYPD Lou" |
| Detective Lou Simpkins | Episode: "Tea and Sympathy" | ||
| 1994 | Normandy: The Great Crusade | Robert Slaughter (voice) | TV movie |
| The Cosby Mysteries | Episode: "Our Lady of Cement" | ||
| 1995 | New York News | Mike Paretti | Episode: "Forgotten" |
| 1996 | Gang in Blue | Joe Beckstrem | TV movie |
| 1997–98 | C-16 | Jack DiRado | Main cast |
| 1999 | Ally McBeal | Attorney Benson | Episode: "Sex, Lies and Politics" |
| 2000 | Judging Amy | Dr. Norman Golden | Episode: "The Out-of-Towners" |
| The Practice | Detective R. Larson | Episodes: "Summary Judgements" and "Show and Tell" | |
| 2001 | Laughter on the 23rd Floor | Brian Doyle | TV movie |
| The Whistle-Blower | Louis T. Weitzman | TV movie | |
| The X-Files | Dr. Herman Stites | Episode: "Alone" | |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Lane Michaelson | Episodes: "The Doll" and "The Massage" | |
| 2001–02 | 24 | Carl Webb | 9 episodes |
| 2002 | JAG | Colonel Boyett | Episode: "Code of Conduct" |
| Without a Trace | Ricardo | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Robbery Homicide Division | Skip Dayton | Episode: "2028" | |
| The Guardian | Henry Thomas | Episode: "The Living" | |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | Renth | Episode: "The Catwalk" | |
| 2003 | Veritas: The Quest | Hossik | Episode: "Reunion" |
| 2004 | Touching Evil | FBI Special Agent Hank Enright | Main cast |
| Dr. Vegas | Detective Rosen | Episode: "Limits" | |
| Crossing Jordan | Norman Farrell | Episode: "Fire in the Sky" | |
| 2004–06 | Deadwood | Andy Cramed | 9 episodes |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Ross Howell | Episode: "Recycling" |
| Medium | Professor Leonard Cardwell | Episode: "The Other Side of the Tracks" | |
| 2005–07 | Boston Legal | U.S. Attorney Chris Randolph | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Professor Meyer | Episode: "Fade Out" |
| Numb3rs | Peyton Shoemaker | Episode: "Provenance" | |
| The Nine | Sean McDermott | 3 episodes | |
| 2007 | Cold Case | Ambrose Stone in 1919 | Episode: "Torn" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Dr. Kachler | Episode: "Dead Doll" | |
| 2009 | The Philanthropist | Tyler Timson | Episode: "Kashmir" |
| 2010–11 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Judge Miranski | 2 episodes |
| 2010–16 | The Good Wife | David Lee | Recurring (seasons 1–4), regular (seasons 5–7); 62 episodes |
| 2013 | Zero Hour | Wayne Blanks | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Blacklist | Novak | Episode: "Madeline Pratt (No. 73)" |
| Turks & Caicos | Dido Parsons | TV movie | |
| 2016 | BrainDead | Dean Healy | 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Chicago P.D. | Father Bill McSorley | Episode: "Sanctuary" |
| Blindspot | Herman | Episode: "Solos" | |
| 2017, 2020–22 | The Good Fight | David Lee | Guest (seasons 1, 6); main role (seasons 4–5) |
| 2018–19 | Ray Donovan | Ed Feratti | 6 episodes |
| 2019 | God Friended Me | James Abbott | Episode: "The Lady" |
| 2020 | Devs | Kenton | 7 episodes |
| 2022 | FBI: Most Wanted | Vasily Matrushok | Episode: "Decriminalised" |
| Killing It | Jim Gallant | Episode: "The Hard Place" | |
| 2024 | FBI: International | Graham Simmons | Episode: "You'll Never See it Coming" |
| 2025 | FBI | Peter | Episode: "Captured" |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table title=""]
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama Desk Award | 2006 | Outstanding Ensemble | Stuff Happens | ||
| Lucille Lortel Award | 2013 | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Storefront Church | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | 2009 | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | 33 Variations | ||
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actor in a Play | ||||
| :: |
References
References
- https://playbill.com/article/playbillcoms-cue-a-zach-grenier-com-158071
- (October 7, 2011). "What's Up, Zach Grenier? The Man and Boy Star on TV-Land, Jane Fonda Fandom and 'Farming' with Frank Langella".
- Jenn McKee. (Mar 21, 2012). "Ann Arbor's 'The Good Wife' star Zach Grenier leads all-star cast in local 'Ajax' and 'Philoctetes' reading". The Ann Arbor News.
- Cantwell, Lois. (2010-01-22). "Patch Profiles Tony-Nominated Actor Zach Grenier".
- Shewey, Don. (2025-09-09). "Culture Vulture: Richard Foreman memorial".
- Terrace, Vincent. ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2007 (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2008)'', p.331.
- Stanhope, Kate. (June 20, 2013). "The Good Wife Promotes Zach Grenier to Series Regular". TV Guide.
- "Zach Grenier – Broadway Cast & Staff".
- "Zach Grenier".
- "Zach Grenier".
- Ausiello, Michael. (December 21, 2019). "The Good Fight: [Spoiler] Returning as a Series Regular — 2020 First Look". TVLine.
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