Steve James Zahn was born on November 13, 1967, in Marshall, Minnesota. His father, Carleton Edward, was a Lutheran minister, while his mother, Zelda Clair, was an administrator at YMCA.
Zahn made his stage debut in Minnesota’s Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues production in 1991. He was eager to be on a bigger stage than he fibbed about being a member of Actor’s Equity.