William "Billy" Zabka (born on October 20,1965, in New York City, New York) is an American actor most famous for playing "rival" and "bully" types. Zabka is best known for his role as Johnny Lawrence, the lead bully in 1984's The Karate Kid. He was also in early scenes of 1986's The Karate Kid, Part II.

He also appeared as Greg Tolan in the 1985 comedy Just One of the Guys, Jack in National Lampoon's European Vacation (also 1985), and Chas in the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield vehicle, Back to School. Television roles include The Equalizer. He also had a rare appearance as a protagonist in 1992's Fight to the Death. He has sporadic acting credits through the 1990s and 2000s, mostly in bit roles in B-movies.

Zabka also produced and wrote for the short film Most, which was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film. He is currently taking time off from acting to promote the film.

He has achieved cult recognition for his 1980s-era acting work, particularly in The Karate Kid.

He has talked about his Christian faith on TBN and how he loves the metal band, Fates Warning.

External links

• http://www.zabka.com/william.html

1965 births | American actors | American film actors | American television actors | Living people | People from New York City | B-movie actors | Czech-Americans