Zack Gottsagen is an actor, known for The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), Ready To Ride: A Musical Homecoming and Bulletproof (2012).

While some thought his acting goals seemed unlikely because he has Down Syndrome, Gottsagen never let that stop him. With help from his mom Shelley, who fought Palm Beach County when it rejected his application, Gottsagen enrolled in a performing arts school and took acting lessons. After years of training and dedication to the craft, Gottsagen achieved what many thought would be impossible. In Peanut Butter Falcon, Gottsagen stars alongside his childhood idol Shia LaBeouf, and Dakota Johnson.

Gottsagen lives in his own apartment, and used to supplement his income by working at a local movie theater and taking small acting roles. His work on 2014’s Becoming Bulletproof, about actors with disabilities, caught the eyes of writers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz, who were so impressed that they wrote a role for him in Peanut Butter Falcon.

Down Syndrome, Disability, Learning Disabilities