William Zabka
William Zabka
William Michael "Billy" Zabkais an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for his villain roles in several iconic 80s 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". It means "little frog"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth21 October 1965
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
My training in martial arts was kind of a crash course in how to look like a black belt. I know the moves of a black belt - my kicks, and my stretches, and my punches and all that.
You know, all 'The Karate Kid' fans from the original are parents these days. I think it's a cool thing.
Back when I was maybe 19, guys would go, 'I can kick your butt!' So I had a few showdowns. To my advantage, I learned martial arts, and what you really learn is not to fight.
Strangely, when I was a kid, my first acting job, at 5 years old, was a performance of 'The Three Little Pigs.' They cast me as the Big Bad Wolf.
Prior to 'The Karate Kid', I did commercials - Kool-Aid, Pepsi, milk - and I had always been cast as the all-American nice guy.
I didn't set out to be a villain in film. I'm a character actor, and if my first movie was a comedy, I could have played a geek just as well.
Sometimes you become a character, and sometimes the character becomes you.