Daniel Zovatto was born in San José, Costa Rica, to television personality Sylvia Blanco and Argentinian politician Daniel Zovatto Garetto.

After moving to New York City, Zovatto pursued theater and acted in two short films titled 55 Days and The Return.

Zovatto made his feature film debut as Johnny in the horror movie Beneath, directed by Larry Fessenden. This marked his first leading role in a movie.

Zovatto starred as Neils Hirsch in the horror drama film Innocence, alongside Linus Roache and Stephanie March.

Zovatto made his television debut in the season one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., titled "Seeds".

Zovatto starred as Junior in the romantic comedy Laggies, alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Mark Webber.

Zovatto had his breakthrough role as Greg Hannigan in the supernatural horror film It Follows, which received critical acclaim.

Zovatto played Gideon LeMarchal in a 3-episode arc in ABC's soap opera drama series Revenge, where his character dates Charlotte Grayson.

Zovatto landed a recurring role as Jack on AMC's horror drama series Fear the Walking Dead during the show's second season. His character shares a romance with Alicia Clark in the episodes "Blood in the Streets" and "Captive".

Zovatto appeared in an episode of the From Dusk till Dawn TV series as Tommy.

Zovatto played Money, a leading role in the horror film Don't Breathe, directed by Fede Álvarez. The film premiered at the South by Southwest film festival on March 12, 2016, and was released in the USA on August 26, 2016.

Zovatto had smaller roles in the films Lady Bird and Newness.

Zovatto appeared in an episode of Dimension 404 titled "Cinethrax" opposite Sarah Hyland.

Zovatto was cast in one of the main roles in HBO's dark comedy-drama series Here And Now as Ramon, one of the adopted siblings of a multiracial family. The series premiered in February 2018 and was canceled by HBO after one season.

Zovatto appeared in the revenge thriller Heavy opposite Sophie Turner, which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Zovatto starred as Nick Cruz in the independent movie Vandal, which premiered on March 7, 2019, at the Miami Film Festival. He was also invited to Variety's "10 Latinxs to Watch" brunch.

Zovatto starred in the crime movie Flinch, playing the role of Joe Doyle, a young hitman.

Zovatto played the series' protagonist, Santiago "Tiago" Vega, in John Logan's crime fantasy drama Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. The series premiered in April 2020 on Showtime and was canceled in August.

Zovatto returned to the small screen for HBO's miniseries Station Eleven, playing the role of a cult leader called “The Prophet”.

Zovatto co-starred opposite Russell Crowe in The Pope's Exorcist as Father Esquibel. The film received mixed reviews but was commercially successful.

Zovatto accepted the role of real life serial killer Rodney Alcala in Anna Kendrick's directorial debut Woman of the Hour, after being convinced by Russell Crowe.