Michael Zegen (born February 20, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series Rescue Me (2004–2011), Boardwalk Empire (2011–2014), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023).
Personal life Zegen was born to a teacher mother and a lawyer father, and lived in Glen Rock, New Jersey, before moving to nearby Ridgewood when he was five. He has two brothers. He is Jewish. His mother was born in Austria in a displaced persons' camp, and his maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Ukraine and Poland. He attended Ridgewood High School, where he was active in the school's theater program.Stiansen, Laura Adams. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel praised by Ridgewood's Michael Zegen for its Emmy wins", The Record (Bergen County), September 18, 2018. Accessed December 20, 2018. "He’s played American mobster 'Bugsy' Siegel in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and a bandit-turned-zombie in The Walking Dead; now he stars as Joel Maisel in the Amazon original series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. So, Ridgewood native Michael Zegen may look very familiar.... But the 39-year-old actor, who now calls New York City home, hasn’t forgotten his Jersey roots ('I still prefer Paramus Park to Garden State Plaza,' he says. 'Guess I’m just nostalgic') or the Ridgewood High School theater program that helped him develop his passion (and that he used to consider his 'home')." Zegen is a 2001 graduate of Skidmore College. Zegen married actress Jennifer Damiano in January 2025. The pair had met while starring in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice off-Broadway in 2020. Their daughter, Oona Rose Zegen, was born on January 3, 2026. https://www.instagram.com/p/DTTutJ1kfHd/?img_index=1
Career His role on Rescue Me began as a recurring character in seasons 1–3, playing the nephew of series lead Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary). In seasons 5–6, he was promoted to the main cast when his character began probationary firefighter school to become a firefighter.
In 2010, Zegen was cast as gangster Bugsy Siegel for the second, third, and fifth seasons of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. In 2011, Zegen, along with James Ransone, was cast in supporting roles in the HBO comedy series How To Make It In America. In mid-2011, Zegen was cast in a recurring guest role in the second season of the AMC series The Walking Dead. In 2014 he created the role of Liam off-Broadway in the dark comedy Bad Jews. Zegen made his Broadway debut in A View from the Bridge in 2015. In 2017, Zegen played Joel Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For the role he won two Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series awards from the Screen Actors Guild. He returned to Broadway in 2021 to star in Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress.
Filmography + Film Year Title Role Notes 2005 Bittersweet Place Todd 2007 Eddie 2008 Assassination of a High School President Steven Lohman 2009 Adventureland Eric Taking Woodstock Bernie (Young Man #1) Garcin 2012 Frances Ha Benji Ex-Girlfriends The Blogger 2015 Brooklyn Maurizio 2017 Becks Pete 2018 Tyrel Eli The Seagull Mikhail 2020 The Stand In Steve 2024 Notice to Quit Andy Singer TBA Thumb Post-production
+ Television Year Title Role Notes 2004 Partygoer 1 episode 2004–2011 Rescue Me Damien Keefe 42 episodes 2006 Love Monkey Luther 1 episode 2009 Mercy Jason Keener 1 episode 2011 How to Make It in America Andy Sussman 4 episodes (Season 2) 2011–2014 Boardwalk Empire Ben Siegel 11 episodes (Seasons 2–3; 5) 2012 Randall Culver 4 episodes (Season 2) 2014 Girls Joe 3 episodes (Season 3) 2015 The Good Wife Justin Partridge 1 episode Happyish Atomic Goldfarb 3 episodes 2016 BrainDead Ben Valderrama 1 episode 2017–2023 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Joel Maisel 43 episodes 2024 The Penguin Alberto Falcone 3 episodes 2025 Too Much Zev 8 episodes
Awards and nominations +AwardYearWorkCategoryResultRef.Screen Actors Guild Awards2015Boardwalk EmpireOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series2019The Marvelous Mrs MaiselOutstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series2020Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy SeriesSatellite Awards2022 Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
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