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, although he also has some English roots and Jewish ancestry (from Austria) on 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]
