Who is Chris Zylka? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Girlfriend: Hanna Beth, Paris Hilton

Also Known As: Christopher Michael Settlemire

Age: 38 Years, 38 Year Old Males

Models Actors

Notable Alumni: The University Of Toledo

U.S. State: Ohio

Ancestry: Ukrainian American

More Facts

education: The University of Toledo

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Career

Aspiring to be an actor, Chris Zylka moved to Los Angeles from Ohio, looking for chances to break into the show business. He was inspired by his grandfather, who kindled in him the love for acting. He wanted to make his grandfather proud by making his mark in the film industry. However, Zylka found it very hard to get opportunities and was forced to work various odd jobs. He was even homeless for a brief period and worked at a restaurant as a server. One day at the restaurant, he met Jon Simmons, an agent, who enquired about his intentions to pursue a career in the show business. Zylka immediately expressed his desire to have an acting career and Simmons began to groom him. Before long, Chris Zylka got the role of ‘Jason’ in the teen drama series ‘90210’. He appeared in one episode in 2008. This followed by a role in the period sitcom ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ in the same year.

In the ensuing years, he appeared in shows like ‘Hannah Montana’, ‘Cougar Town’, and ‘Zeke and Luther’ in special/guest roles. He got the recurring role of ‘Joey Donner’ in the sitcom ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. He was part of the show for 16 episodes across two seasons.

Zylka made his debut in films with a small role in the 2009 sex comedy film, ‘The People I've Slept With’. Later, he appeared in the 2010 French-American science fiction mystery fantasy movie ‘Kaboom’. He also appeared in the horror film ‘Shark Night’ as ‘Blake Hammond’ and portrayed the character of ‘Kyle’ in the horror comedy film ‘Piranha 3DD’ (2012), which was the sequel to the 2010 film ‘Piranha 3D’.

In the 2010s, Chris Zylka was still looking for that one elusive role that would define his career but wasn’t getting much luck. However, small roles in popular flicks continued to flow in and he picked up the role of ‘Eugene "Flash" Thompson’ in both parts of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ film franchise. After appearing in two television films, ‘My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2’ and ‘Teen Spirit’, Zylka featured in the supernatural teen drama show ‘The Secret Circle,’ in which he portrayed ‘Jake Armstrong’ in 17 episodes.

Zylka finally found a regular role on television when he was approached by the makers of ‘The Leftovers’, a supernatural mystery show, for the role of ‘Tom Garvey’ in 2014. Between 2014 and 2017, Zylka appeared in the show as one of the lead characters and became a popular figure among the audience.

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Family & Personal Life

Chris Zylka was born as Christopher Michael Settlemire in Warren, Ohio, on May 9, 1985. He is of part Ukrainian descent. He adopted his mother's maiden name as a stage name in order to honor his maternal grandfather. He completed his education from the University of Toledo and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the show business.

After dating model and designer Hanna Beth for a brief time, Zylka got engaged to her in 2014. However, they called off their engagement in 2015. He later began a relationship with Paris Hilton, a socialite, actress, and model, and proposed to her. Zylka gave her a diamond ring worth $2 million, which the model fell in love with. However, a few months later, the couple broke up and called off their engagement. Paris Hilton refused to give the ring back to Zylka, stating that he had never paid for it in the first place. From her statement, it seemed like the ring was “a freebie from the jeweler.”

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