Zachary Wolfe Galligan (born February 14, 1964)[1] is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Billy Peltzer in the comedy-horror films Gremlins (1984) and Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990).
Early life and education
Galligan was born on February 14, 1964, in New York City, the son of Carol Jean (née Wolfe), a psychologist, and Arthur John Galligan, a lawyer who was a founding partner of the law firm of Dickstein Shapiro. He is mostly of Irish descent, and he has Jewish ancestry through his mother’s side.[2][3][4][5] He has a sister, Jessica, and graduated from Columbia University.[6][7]
Career
Galligan's first major and most widely seen role was as Billy Peltzer in the 1984 film Gremlins.[8][9][10] Prior to being cast in Gremlins, he filmed Nothing Lasts Forever, which had its theatrical release cancelled and went unreleased in any form for years.[11] In 1988, he starred as Mark Loftmore in the horror comedy Waxwork.[12] He reprised his role as Billy in the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, and returned to the role of Mark for Waxwork II: Lost in Time.[9]
In early 2021, Galligan appeared in a Mountain Dew commercial in which his Gremlins character, Billy, gives Gizmo a drink of his Mountain Dew.[14] Galligan returned to the Gremlins franchise again in the animated series Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai.[15]
Personal life
Galligan married Ling-Ling Hu Ingerick at the Yale Club in New York on September 25, 2005; they divorced in 2010.[16]
