William Zabka Biography
William Zabka born William Michael Zabka is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his roles in several iconic 1980s films including in The Karate Kid in 1984, The Karate Kid Part II and the spin-off TV series Cobra Kai.
William Zabka Age
William was born on 20 October 1965 in New York City, New York, United States. He is 53 years old as of 2018.
William Zabka Family
He is the son of Stanley William Zabka, a director, writer and composer and Nancy (Heimert) Zabka, business liaison, producer, and production assistant. He has two siblings, a brother, and a sister.
William Zabka Wife | William Zabka Married | William Zabka Stacie Zabka | William Zabka Karate Kid
He is married to Stacie Zabka. The couple married in 2008. It is not known whether the couple has children or not, for news about Stacie’s pregnancy has not risen yet. We will update any information we get about their kids.
William Zabka Gay
He is not gay, he is married and is sexually straight.
William Zabka Commercial
He directed commercials for clients including Little Tikes and Verizon at Heresy in Venice, California.
william zabka photoWilliam Zabka Dancing With The Stars
He has not appeared on Dancing With The Stars.
William Zabka El Verdadero Karate Kid
He was cast as Johnny Lawrence, the arrogant ex-boyfriend of Ali Mills in the American martial arts drama film The Karate Kid.
William Zabka Movies
|
Year |
Film |
Role |
|
1984 |
The Karate Kid |
Johnny Lawrence |
|
1985 |
Just One of the Guys |
Greg Tolan |
|
National Lampoon’s European Vacation |
Jack |
|
|
1986 |
Back to School |
Chas Osborne |
|
The Karate Kid Part II |
Johnny Lawrence |
|
|
1988 |
A Tiger’s Tale |
Randy |
|
1991 |
For Parents Only |
Ted |
|
1992 |
Shootfighter: Fight to the Death |
Ruben |
|
1994 |
Unlawful Passage |
Howie |
|
1995 |
Shootfighter II |
Ruben |
|
The Power Within |
Raymond Vonn |
|
|
1997 |
High Voltage |
Bulldog |
|
1999 |
Interceptors |
Dave |
|
2000 |
Falcon Down |
Security Guard John |
|
2001 |
Ablaze |
Curt Peters |
|
Mindstorm |
Rojack |
|
|
2002 |
Gale Force |
Rance |
|
Hyper Sonic |
The Executive |
|
|
Landspeed |
Bob Bailey |
|
|
Dark Descent |
Marty (Opening credits only) |
|
|
Antibody |
Otto Emmerick |
|
|
2003 |
Most |
– |
|
2004 |
Roomies |
Slick Salesman |
|
2007 |
Smiley Face |
Prison guard |
|
Cake: A Wedding Story |
Sam |
|
|
Starting from Scratch |
Bill Bowman |
|
|
2010 |
Hot Tub Time Machine |
Rick Steelman |
|
Mean Parents Suck |
Detective Ted Clement |
|
|
2014 |
Where Hope Grows |
Milton Malcolm |
|
2015 |
The Dog Who Saved Summer |
Officer Johnny |
|
2016 |
The Man in the Silo |
Kevin |
William Zabka Karate Kid
He appeared as Johnny Lawrence, the main antagonist to the title character in the American martial arts drama film The Karate Kid.
William Zabka Ralph Macchio
He co-executive produces with Ralph Macchio in a 10 episode Karate Kid revival series for YouTube Premium titled Cobra Kai that debuted in 2018.
William Zabka How I Met Your Mother | Himym William Zabka
He guest starred in the season 8 episode of How I Met Your Mother as Clown/Himself.
William Zabka Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of around $1.5 million.
William Zabka Twitter
Ralph Macchio & William Zabka are back in COBRAI KAI Trailer – Karate Kid Series
William Zabka Interview
Cobra Kai William Zabka Interview: Johnny Is An ‘Analog Man In A Digital World’
Zabka spoke with Screen Rant before the premiere of Cobra Kaiand shared some details on how the project came about, where Johnny Lawrence is in his life, and why he’s excited to be part of YouTube Red. Check out his comments below:
Tell me a little bit about how the project came about and when you knew it was something you wanted to be involved with.
The project came to me through Josh [Heald] and John [Horrowitz] and Hayden [Shclossberg], who called me about a year and a half ago — a little more now, December 2016. I worked with Josh on Hot Tub Time Machine. They emailed me and asked if I would like to have lunch and they had a project they wanted to talk to me about. Never in a million years did I think it would be this one. We went out to a Mexican restaurant, had some chips, and before we could even order the three of them fired this pitch off to me that just knocked my socks off. And at the end of it, they were just going back and forth, like one brain with three mouths, they just finished each other’s sentences and painted the picture so clearly. At the end of it I was just completely in love with the angle they were going for and the pitch they were selling me. My first question to them was ‘What’s the tone of it?’ They explained the tone and I think they delivered that tone. Having seen the episodes, it’s exactly what they pitched. And then I said you’re gonna have to get clearance for all of this. They said, ‘Everybody’s on board.’ That’s when I was really floored and asked what the next step was, and they said, ‘Well we need to go get Ralph.’
They got Ralph and he and I talked on the phone and agreed that this sounded like a smart, fresh approach to bringing these characters back. We felt like this was something really worth looking at and that it could really happen.
What was your reaction to how the show flipped the script on the core relationship, and to see Johnny in the role of the underdog?
We all know Daniel LaRusso well, from the three Karate Kids. Johnny, we only got to scrape the surface of in the one first film. So I think the smart way to go into this was story give a little backstory on who Johnny is and help connect the audience with where he’s at because I think people kind of come in knowing who LaRusso is. As far as flipping the script and all, I mean it does that but it does that back and forth. Everybody’s trying to figure out what team they’re on. The way I see it, both of their teams work in one way or another. So it’s not so much just about the rivalry, it’s about these two characters in 2018 and it’s about all the ways culture and kids and the idea of mentorship and bullying are all different from how they were in 1984. Both characters are both at a place where they’re searching for themselves. Johnny and Daniel in the Karate Kid hate each other. If Johnny had never met Daniel, Daniel never would have become the Karate Kid, and if it wasn’t for Daniel, Johnny never would have seen the light. So even though they are total opposites and have gone their own way, these two characters sharpen each other.
Was there any discussion about managing the level of nostalgia for the original Karate Kid and the ‘80s in Cobra Kai?
From the pitch, they said this would be a show that would stand on its own and not need the film. The show could just live on its own. What’s crazy is the built-in audience and the fans who grew up with these characters give it more dimensions. And people who are familiar with the film are going to get a lot more out of the show. But as far as being too nostalgic and too retro and too on the nose, this is not a spoof-type satire. It’s all being played straight and the things that are in there are going to feel very familiar, but they’re designed not to lean on the film or nostalgia too heavily. But you will feel it. They always told me from the beginning that this was going to be a true continuation of the story and that’s what this is. So, it doesn’t need to be nostalgic. It’s like when you grow up and you talk to your friends about things that happened a long time ago. There are these moments that feel familiar, but it doesn’t lean on it too much.