Zach Braff stars as fresh-faced, co-chief medical resident John "J.D." Dorian, who is embarking on his career at a hospital full of unpredictable staffers and patients. "This is a dream role for me," says Braff of his alter ego. "As an actor you're always struggling to convey everything that's going on in the character's mind," Braff comments. "But, as J.D., the audience is privy to all of my thoughts and neuroses. There's just so much room to grow in a role like this." Braff's love of acting dates back to his childhood in South Orange, New Jersey, where he watched his father, an attorney by trade, work in community theater for fun. "I was eight years old and, on opening night, when the curtain closed and the lights went up, it was the most exciting thing I'd ever seen," says Braff. At age 11, he attended the renowned children's acting camp, StageDoor Manor, and was scouted by a talent manager who got him started professionally. Braff's first role came at 14 in a television pilot produced by Bruce Paltrow ("St. Elsewhere"), where he co-starred opposite the producer's daughter, Gwyneth Paltrow. He went on to appear in the films "Getting to Know You" (opposite Heather Matarazzo and Bebe Neuwirth), and Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery," where he played the son of Allen's and Diane Keaton's characters. He also co-starred in "The Broken Hearts Club," winner of a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film. Braff has also appeared in theater in New York, working opposite Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett and Liev Schreiber in "Macbeth" at New York's Public Theatre, and as Romeo in Shakespeare-on-the-Sound's production of "Romeo and Juliet." He also spent summer 2002 appearing in the Shakespeare-in-the-Park version of "Twelfth Night." In his time off from his day job during the summer of 2003, Braff directed and starred in a movie that he wrote titled "Garden State" opposite Natalie Portman ("Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"). "Garden State" premiered to critical acclaim at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival in Utah and won the Audience Award at the Maui Film Festival. It premiered in theaters nationally on July 28. A graduate of Northwestern University's film school, Braff studied theater acting while writing and directing his own short films, including "Lionel on a Sun Day," which won numerous awards during the 1998 festival season. He also directed the music video of the "Scrubs" theme song, "Superman." When he's not busy with his acting career, Braff continues to work on screenwriting and looks forward to his next opportunity to act in the theater. Braff currently resides in Los Angeles.