Who Are Zachary Levi’s Parents? How His Family Influenced His Path to Stardom

Zachary Levi, known for his roles in Shazam! and Chuck, has been open about his journey to healing and self-acceptance. He’s shared how his upbringing shaped much of his personal and professional path. Zachary was forced to navigate a difficult relationship with his parents, especially his mother.

Just who are Zachary Levi’s parents? How exactly did they influence the man he is today? Keep reading as we do a deep dive into both his mother and his father.

In his memoir Radical Love, Zachary reveals that his mother, Susan Marie Hoctor, struggled with untreated mental health issues. Per USA Today’s overview of his book, Zachary’s mother passed away in 2015. He shared that his therapists speculated his mother may have suffered from borderline personality disorder with narcissistic tendencies.

Zachary recalls moments of emotional abuse in his book, including how his mother’s unpredictable moods created a very tense home environment when he was growing up. During one particularly painful memory, his mother told him, "I'd be happier if you were dead."

Despite these difficult memories, Zachary doesn’t see his mother as the villain of his story. Instead, he attributes her behavior to her own past experiences with trauma, noting that she was a "product of the environment" she grew up in.

He reflected this belief in his memoir, "How could I possibly think that she is some horrible, evil, wicked person knowing full well that the only reason she behaves in the way that she behaves is because she was first abused by her own mother?"

Zachary describes "radical love" as a practice of empathy and forgiveness that helped him find peace with his past. Per USA Today, Zachary explained that understanding his mother’s struggles was essential to his healing. It allowed him to move forward while honoring his experiences instead of trying to pretend they didn’t happen. It is also what allowed him to realize his mother was not an abuser. She was a product of abuse.

"I can’t tell my story honestly … unless I can really go to those places and talk about the abuse that I suffered as a child or as an adult," he shared. Both in his book and when he talks about his book in interviews, he emphasizes that it is important to not only acknowledge pain but to understand who caused the pain. For him, the biggest step in his healing process was acknowledging his mother's humanity.

This compassionate way of thinking even extends to his stepfather. The actor describes his stepfather as a perfectionist who had very demanding expectations. Unfortunately, this in combination with his abusive mother only added to the tense home environment he grew up in.

Instead of seeing his stepfather as a villain, understanding the situation allowed him to overcome struggles with self-doubt. By seeing his mother and stepfather as people with their own trauma he was able to break the cycle of pain and resentment.

Unfortunately, both of Zachary’s parents have passed away. His father, Darrell Pugh, lost his battle with thyroid cancer in 2023. Zachary took to Instagram to confirm his father’s passing in a heartbreaking tribute.

In his post, he discussed how painful it was to watch a loved one slowly die of cancer. He admitted it was a bittersweet time for him. He was sad his father was gone. Zachary, however, was also happy his father was “no longer trapped in his decaying body.”

In the caption of his post, he encouraged his followers to hug their loved ones tight. Furthermore, he expressed the importance of saying everything you want to say before you find yourself without a chance to do so.

While his childhood was challenging, it also shaped his values and what gave him the drive to be an actor. His story is one many find inspiring as he believes in embracing your trauma, understanding it, and learning how to grow from it. Ultimately, the actor hopes that sharing his experiences with the concept of "radical love" can help others heal too.