Michael Zegen

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. 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.

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. 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

+ 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