- William Zabka
Infobox actor
imagesize =
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1965|10|20
birthplace =New York City ,New York , U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
height = 5' 8"
othername = Billy Zabka
yearsactive = 1983 - presentWilliam "Billy" Zabka (born October 20, 1965) is an American
actor ,screenwriter , andfilm producer . Zabka is best known for playing bully types in several popular '80s films, such as his role as Johnny Lawrence in 1984's "The Karate Kid ".Biography
Early life
Born in
New York City , Zabka, who is ofCzechoslovak descent, is the son of Stan and Nancy Zabka. Stan Zabka is afilm director , writer, andcomposer while Nancy is a producer, production assistant, and business liaison. [cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/97/William-Zabka.html|title=William Zabka Biography (1965-)|publisher=filmreference.com|accessdate=2008-10-03]1980s
Zabka's breakout role came in his first movie, 1984's "
The Karate Kid ". Zabka played the role of Johnny Lawrence, the main antagonist to the title character played byRalph Macchio . An unused ending to the film later became the beginning of the 1986 film "The Karate Kid, Part II ", giving Zabka a brief appearance in the sequel.During the 1980s Zabka continued to define his bully role in the comedy movies "
Just One of the Guys " (1985) and "Back to School " (1986). Zabka also co-starred on the CBS television series "The Equalizer " withEdward Woodward (1986-1989) and he played Jack, Audrey's insensitive jock boyfriend, in "National Lampoon's European Vacation ".1990s-2000s
During the 1990s and 2000s, Zabka sporadically acted mostly in independent films while studying to be a screenwriter and filmmaker. In 2003, he wrote and produced the short film "Most", shot on location in the
Czech Republic andPoland . "Most" (aka "The Bridge") had its world premiere at theSundance Film Festival 2003 and won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals. In 2004, Zabka was nominated for anAcademy Award for "Most" in the Live Action Short Film category.In 2007, Zabka directed and starred in a music video for the band
No More Kings entitled "Sweep the Leg ". The video stars Zabka as a caricature of himself, living in a trailer park and obsessed with his role in "The Karate Kid". The video includes cameos by several of the original "Karate Kid" cast members, includingMartin Kove andRalph Macchio . The video received over 80,000 views within its first week of release, 3 million views as of May 2008, and became the number one video onYouTube on March 16, 2007.Filmography
Award nominations
External links
*imdb name|id=0951420|name=William Zabka
*amg name|2:78324
* [http://www.zabka.com/william.html Profile at Big Island Music, Inc]
* [http://www.sweeptheleg.com/ Official "Sweep the Leg" Music Video]
* [http://www.billyzabka.com/ Unofficial Fan Website, Fraternal Order Of Zabka (FOZ)]Persondata
NAME= Zabka, William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Zabka, Billy
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor, screenwriter, producer
DATE OF BIRTH= October 20, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH=New York City ,New York , U.S.
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
