William Zabka
| William Zabka | |
|---|---|
Zabka in 2016
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| Born |
William Michael Zabka October 21, 1965 New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse(s) | Stacie Zabka (2008–present) |
William Michael Zabka (born October 21, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for his roles in several iconic 1980s films, such as his role as Johnny Lawrence in 1984's The Karate Kid. In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing and producing the film Most. His surname pronounced as "ZHAP-kuh," means "little frog."
Zabka was born in New York City, the son of Nancy (Heimert), a business liaison, producer, and production assistant, and Stanley William Zabka, a director, writer, and composer. His father, who was assistant director of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during the first two years of Carson's tenure, has worked as production manager on a number of motion pictures, including the Chuck Norris vehicle Forced Vengeance. Zabka grew up with two siblings.
Zabka's breakout role came in his first movie, 1984's The Karate Kid. He played Johnny Lawrence, the main antagonist to the title character played by Ralph Macchio. He had no previous martial arts experience at the time but was an accomplished wrestler. His participation in the film inspired him to learn the martial art of Tang Soo Do and later earning a second green belt.
During the 1980s, Zabka appeared 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 as the son of the title character (1986–89). He also played Jack, Audrey's jock boyfriend, in National Lampoon's European Vacation.
During the 1990s and 2000s, he acted mostly in independent films while studying to be a filmmaker. In 2003, he wrote and produced the short film Most, shot on location in the Czech Republic and Poland. Most (aka The Bridge) had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2003 and won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals, including Best of Festival at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films in 2003. In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Most in the Live Action Short Film category.
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