Zylka was born and raised in Howland Township, Ohio.[4][5][6] He took his mother's maiden name, Zylka, as a stage name.[7][8] Zylka was raised by his mother and has never met his biological father.[9][10]
He graduated from Howland High School in 2003.[8] Zylka studied art at the University of Toledo for two years, but dropped out to care for his maternal grandfather when he suddenly became ill.[11] His grandfather is from Ukraine.[12]
At the age of 19, he relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting.[11] He was homeless for six months upon arriving to Los Angeles and lived in his car in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Burbank.[7] Zylka began working at restaurants, where he was discovered by manager and acting coach Jon Simmons.[7]
Zylka starred in two animal-attack-themed films, Shark Night (2011) and Piranha 3DD (2012).[16] Zylka portrayed Flash Thompson in the superhero film The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).[17] He played the role of Jake Armstrong in The CW's supernatural drama television series The Secret Circle.[18][19] He had a leading role as Kermit in the crime drama film Dixieland (2015). The film centers around good-hearted Kermit, who just got out of prison and returns home to Mississippi.[20]
He played Tom Garvey in HBO's supernatural television series The Leftovers from 2014 to 2017.[21][22] He portrayed Alex Lachan in Lifetime's television filmI Killed My BFF (2015). The film is inspired by a true story, the murder of Anne Marie Camp by Jamie Dennis and her husband, Michael Gianakos, in Minnesota in 1997.[23] He played Chuck Harris in the drama film Novitiate (2017). The film received generally positive reviews from critics and fans.[24][25] In 2018, he directed Paris Hilton's music video for the song "I Need You".[26][27] He portrayed Will Jefford Jr. in the drama film The Death & Life of John F. Donovan (2018), released in September 2018.[28][29][30] In April 2019, Zylka was cast in a recurring role in USA Network's teen drama television series Dare Me.[31] The series follows the lives of competitive high school cheerleaders in a small Midwestern town.[32] In April 2020, USA Network canceled the series after one season.[33] On May 29, 2019, talent agency ICM Partners announced that they signed Zylka.[34] Zylka portrayed Adult Ray in the short film Sorry or What Could Have Been (2020) opposite Paris Hilton.[35]
He portrayed Oliver in the thriller television film Killer Infatuation (2021), which was filmed in Oklahoma City.[36] The title was later changed to "How I Met Your Murderer".
Modeling
Early in his career, Zylka appeared in an advertising campaign for Abercrombie & Fitch, shot by photographer Bruce Weber.[9] He has appeared on the cover of several magazines, including Wonderland,[37]Glamoholic[38] and Bello.[39]
Art
He launched his first art exhibition titled "Why Use A Name" at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza, Spain in August 2018.[40][41]
Personal life
Zylka dated actress Lucy Hale for nine months,[42][43] and the couple split in September 2012.[44] He was engaged to model Hanna Beth Merjos in April 2014.[45][46] The couple called off the engagement and broke up in early 2015.[47][48] Zylka became engaged to heiress and media personality Paris Hilton in January 2018.[49][50] He proposed to her with a ring worth US$2 million during a vacation in Aspen, after one year of dating.[51][52] The couple called off the engagement in November 2018.[53][54][55]
He has several tattoos, including a tattoo that says "Mom" in a heart, "an angel gone bad" and a gorilla.[10][56]
^"Paris Hilton to wed former UT student". Toledo, Ohio: WTOL-TV. January 3, 2018. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019. Zylka was born in Warren, Ohio, and attended Howland High School as well as the University of Toledo.
^Gray, Andy (January 3, 2018). "Howland native engaged to Paris Hilton". Tribune Chronicle. Warren, Ohio. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019. Zylka, whose name was Chris Settlemire growing up, played quarterback for Howland High School, where he graduated in 2003.
^Rathe, Adam (February 16, 2012). "Chris Zylka". Out. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2019. Zylka was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio—back then he was Chris Settlemire (Zylka is his mother's maiden name)
^ abZylka in Brown, Emma (June 25, 2014). "Chris Zylka Remains". Interview. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. The Warren, Ohio native.... [M]y grandfather [is] from the Ukraine, Kiev.
^Hilton, Paris (January 2, 2018). "I said Yas!". Paris Hilton verified Instagram account. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018. So happy & excited to be engaged to the love of my life.
