Acting

Zach Woods

Born 25 September 1984 · Trenton, New Jersey, USA · 42

**Zachary Woods** (born September 25, 1984) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Celebrated for his deadpan awkwardness, improvisational skill, and towering physical presence, he achieved wide recognition as Gabe Lewis on *The Office* and Donald "Jared" Dunn on the HBO comedy series *Silicon Valley*. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in Yardley, Pennsylvania, Woods took up improv at age sixteen with the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York City. He performed regularly with troupes like The Stepfathers while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. After early appearances in *In the Loop* (2009) and sketch projects, Woods landed his television breakthrough in 2010 on NBC's *The Office*. Introduced in season six as corporate liaison Gabe Lewis, his wonderfully uncomfortable screen presence quickly elevated him to series regular, earning two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations with the ensemble cast. Following *The Office*, Woods delivered a defining role on HBO's *Silicon Valley* (2014 to 2019). His performance as Jared Dunn, the fiercely devoted and quietly eccentric chief operating officer of Pied Piper, became a critical standout and fan favorite. He also appeared in *Veep*, *The Good Wife*, *Avenue 5*, and season two of *The Afterparty*. His film credits include *The Other Guys* (2010), *Spy* (2015), *The Post* (2017), and *Downhill* (2020), alongside voice roles in *The Lego Ninjago Movie* (2017) and *The Angry Birds Movie 2* (2019). Woods has also stepped into filmmaking, directing the acclaimed short film *David* (2020) and co-creating, directing, and starring in the Peacock stop-motion comedy series *In the Know* (2024).