# Zach Gilford
**Zach Gilford** (Zachary Michael Gilford; born 1982 in [Evanston, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/evanston-illinois)) is an American actor and director best known for playing quarterback [Matt Saracen](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-saracen) on the NBC drama *Friday Night Lights* and for starring in the Netflix horror limited series *[Midnight Mass](https://www.edgepedia.org/midnight-mass-miniseries)* (2021).[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008070327.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) His later career has leaned into genre television, including Mike Flanagan's *Midnight Mass* and *The Midnight Club* and the role of Elias Voit on *Criminal Minds: Evolution*, where he also made his directing debut.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/) • [4](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982, Evanston, Illinois[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008070327.html) |
| Breakout role | Matt Saracen, backup quarterback turned starter on *Friday Night Lights* (NBC)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford) |
| Education | Evanston Township High School (2000); Northwestern University, degree in performing arts and education (2004)[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/) |
| Genre turn | *Midnight Mass* (2021) and *The Midnight Club* for Netflix; Elias Voit on *Criminal Minds: Evolution*[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/) |
| Directing | Directorial debut with an episode of *Criminal Minds: Evolution*, which he also acts in[4](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332) |
| Nominations | Critics Choice (2022) and CCA Super Award (2024) nominations for horror work; Gotham Award ensemble nomination (2007)[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/) |
| Credits | 33 acting credits plus one directing credit listed by TV Guide[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/) |
## Early life and education
A native of Evanston, Illinois, Gilford is the child of Anne and Steve Gilford, with a Lutheran mother and a Jewish father.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) He graduated from Evanston Township High School in 2000 and from [Northwestern University](https://www.edgepedia.org/northwestern-university) in 2004 with a degree in performing arts and education.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/)
Football came before acting. At Evanston Township High School he played football, and an injury there led him to discover acting; at Northwestern he starred in theater productions of *Equus* and *The Laramie Project*.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford) Between school and screen work he spent seasons outdoors: he worked as a trip leader for Adventures Cross-Country, leading wilderness and adventure trips for teenagers to Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, and the South Pacific, and he worked as a staff member at YMCA Camp Echo in Fremont, Michigan.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/)
## Career beginnings and Friday Night Lights
His first feature film was the indie thriller *The Last Winter*.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford) He received a 2007 Gotham Independent Film Award nomination for Best Ensemble Performance for the film.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/) Early television work included an episode of *Law & Order: SVU*.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford)
**The Saracen casting.** Gilford majored in theater at Northwestern and lived in New York for a year before auditioning for *Friday Night Lights*. He described the final round to *New York Magazine*: "It was down to me and another kid, but his manager had double-booked him on a made-for-TV Disney movie. Legend has it Peter Berg said, 'Good, I don't want that kid anymore, I want that Zach kid.'"[7](https://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/61832/)
The character was written as an underdog from the start. Gilford played backup quarterback Matt Saracen, a 16-year-old dealing with an absentee mother and a father serving in Iraq, who is thrust into the spotlight during the first game of the season when the starting quarterback is injured.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford) The show was critically acclaimed but under-watched during its run.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford) A 2009 *New York Magazine* profile drew a sharp line between actor and character: unlike Matt, who is "painfully, endearingly inarticulate," Gilford is "a stone-cold extrovert" whose smile "works overtime off-camera."[7](https://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/61832/)
## Television and film work after Friday Night Lights
His post-2010 credits span broadcast networks and streamers. His credits include *Good Girls*, the film *The Disappearance of Cari Farver*, *Midnight Mass*, and *The Midnight Club*, and his listed professions are actor, director, producer, and soundtrack contributor.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/) A lighter credit sits among them: he appeared in [Taylor Swift](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-swift)'s music video "Ours" in 2011.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/) His listed credits total 33 acting credits plus one directing credit.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/)
## Genre turn: Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and Criminal Minds: Evolution
In 2021 Gilford starred in the Netflix horror limited series *Midnight Mass*.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) According to GQ, it ranks among the finest performances the 39-year-old actor has ever given; even though his character keeps his feelings hidden and speaks quietly, he still builds emotionally powerful bonds with figures such as Erin Greene, played by [Kate Siegel](https://www.edgepedia.org/kate-siegel), and Father Paul, played by [Hamish Linklater](https://www.edgepedia.org/hamish-linklater).[8](https://www.gq.com/story/zach-gilford-netflix-midnight-mass-interview) He followed it with *The Midnight Club*, another Flanagan project for Netflix.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/) • [8](https://www.gq.com/story/zach-gilford-netflix-midnight-mass-interview)
On *Criminal Minds: Evolution* he plays the recurring role of Elias Voit.[4](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332)
## Directing and recent work
Gilford made his directorial debut with an episode of *Criminal Minds: Evolution*, the series on which he also appears as Voit.[4](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332) He told [Entertainment Weekly](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-weekly) that the experience "lit a fuse" under him and that he now has his sights set on directing more; in the same interview he said he and [Jesse Plemons](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-plemons) "would jump at" the chance to reunite on screen, calling Plemons "such a talented actor."[4](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332)
## Reception and awards
His awards record mixes ensemble recognition from the *Friday Night Lights* era with individual nominations for the horror work. He won a 2009 Gold Derby Ensemble of the Year award and a 2010 INOCA TV Best Guest Actor award, and was nominated for the 2022 Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television for *Midnight Mass*.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/) He also received a 2024 CCA Super Award nomination for Best Actor in a Horror Series, Limited Series or Made-for-TV Movie, and a 2007 Gotham Independent Film Award nomination for Best Ensemble Performance for *The Last Winter*.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/)
On career standing among the show's alumni, GQ argued that between *Midnight Mass* and his work with Flanagan on *The Midnight Club*, Gilford "should be strongly considered for a spot in the top 10 of any post-*Friday Night Lights* cast rankings."[8](https://www.gq.com/story/zach-gilford-netflix-midnight-mass-interview) Entertainment Weekly's reunion-era coverage grouped the cast with other 2000s teen-drama ensembles, with stars claiming they could "wipe the floor" with the *One Tree Hill* and *The O.C.* casts on *Survivor*.[9](https://ew.com/person/zach-gilford/)
## Personal life
Gilford was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Anne and Steve Gilford, with a Lutheran mother and Jewish father, and was educated at Evanston Township High School and Northwestern University.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008070327.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/) The Library of Congress authority record lists his occupations as actor and television producer and director.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008070327.html)
## References
1. [Gilford, Zach, 1982- , Library of Congress authority record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2008070327.html)
2. [Zach Gilford, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472917/)
3. [Zach Gilford List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/credits/3000385012/)
4. [Zach Gilford on making his directorial debut with Criminal Minds: Evolution, Entertainment Weekly](https://ew.com/zach-gilford-directorial-debut-criminal-minds-evolution-interview-8678332)
5. [Zach Gilford, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/zach_gilford)
6. [Zach Gilford Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/zach-gilford/bio/3000385012/)
7. [Zach Gilford Ends His Role on 'Friday Night Lights', New York Magazine](https://nymag.com/arts/tv/profiles/61832/)
8. [Zach Gilford on the Religious Horror of Netflix's 'Midnight Mass', GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/zach-gilford-netflix-midnight-mass-interview)
9. [Zach Gilford, Entertainment Weekly](https://ew.com/person/zach-gilford/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames G to Gl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license