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William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''
Dead Calm Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor. He has since appeared in numerous films and television series, notably playing Caledon Hockley in the epic
romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...
disaster film '' Titanic'' (1997), for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Zane's other film roles include Kit Walker / The Phantom in the superhero film '' The Phantom'' (1996), "Match" in the ''Back to the Future'' franchise, Lieutenant Val Kozlowski in '' Memphis Belle'' (1990), The Collector in ''
Demon Knight ''Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'' is a 1995 American horror comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson, starring Billy Zane, William Sadler, and Jada Pinkett. Brenda Bakke, C. C. H. Pounder, Dick Miller and Thomas Haden Churc ...
'' (1995), Curtis Zampf in ''
The Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Beli ...
'' (2001), and Richard Miller in the ''Sniper'' film series. He also played the recurring role of John Justice Wheeler in the second season of the TV series '' Twin Peaks'', and provided the voice of Ansem in the video game ''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square Eni ...
'' (2002).


Early life

Zane was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Thalia and William George Zane Sr., both of whom were professional actors and founders of a school for medical technicians. His parents are both of Greek descent (from
Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mastic ...
through his mother and
Mani Mani may refer to: Geography * Maní, Casanare, a town and municipality in Casanare Department, Colombia * Mani, Chad, a town and sub-prefecture in Chad * Mani, Evros, a village in northeastern Greece * Mani, Karnataka, a village in Dakshina ...
through his father), and his family's original surname, "Zanetakos", was
anglicized Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
to "Zane" by his parents, who also raised him in the Greek Orthodox faith. He has an older sister, Lisa Zane, who is an actress and singer. After completing a year abroad in Switzerland at
The American School in Switzerland TASIS or TASIS Switzerland, formally known as The American School In Switzerland, is a private American international boarding and day school in Switzerland. It is the oldest of the four TASIS Schools. TASIS is the oldest American college-prepa ...
(TASIS), Zane graduated from Francis W. Parker School and attended
Harand Camp of the Theater Arts Harand Camp of the Theatre Arts is a performing arts summer camp located at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and based in Evanston, Illinois. Camp Overview Established in 1955, Harand Camp of the Theatre Arts was one of the nation's first ca ...
, located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.


Career


1980s

Zane's first two screen roles were in the science fiction films ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'' in 1985 and '' Critters'' in 1986, around the same time he appeared in the music videos for Sheena Easton's songs "Do It For Love" and "Magic of Love". In 1988, he played Tony Gambini alongside Jessica Fletcher in ''Murder, She Wrote: A Very Good Year for Murder''. Zane also appeared in an episode of '' Matlock'' entitled "The Nurse". In 1989 he reprised his henchman role in ''
Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film '' Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the '' ...
''. Earlier that same year, Zane gained international recognition with the role of villain Hughie Warriner in the thriller ''
Dead Calm Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
'', alongside Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill. He also starred in the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
film ''The Case of the Hillside Stranglers'' (1989), and Adam Sandler's "no budget" debut ''
Going Overboard ''Going Overboard'' is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Valerie Breiman, and stars Adam Sandler in his film debut, Burt Young, Allen Covert, Billy Zane, Terry Moore, Milton Berle and Billy Bob Thornton in a small role. The film was orig ...
'' (1989) which was not released to a wider audience until 1996.


1990s

Zane's first starring role was in a 1990
independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, in ...
, the
low budget A low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. Many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or ...
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'' Megaville''. In 1990, he also co-starred in the film '' Memphis Belle'', a film version of a 1944 film about a World War II
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
bomber, as the bombardier. Zane also forayed into television work, and in 1991 he appeared as John Justice Wheeler in several episodes of
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
's hit TV-show '' Twin Peaks''. In 1992 Zane co-starred alongside Tilda Swinton in the
film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of
Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...
's novel '' Orlando''. In 1993, he played the Shakespearean actor "Mr. Fabian" in '' Tombstone'', took a starring role in ''
Sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...
'' was also in Lake Consequence and played a playboy named Harry, posing as the elusive, albeit fake Damon Bradley alongside Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. in '' Only You''. He also starred in a couple of ''Tales from the Crypt'' productions, including '' Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight'', where he played a henchman of Satan called The Collector, and the episode "Well-Cooked Hams", where he played a poorly skilled magician who killed to steal good tricks from other magicians. In 1996, Zane played the eponymous classic comic book hero in the big budget action film '' The Phantom'', based on Lee Falk's comic. Zane played the snobbish millionaire
misanthrope Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species, human behavior or human nature. A misanthrope or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings. The word's origin is from the Greek words μῖσ� ...
Caledon Hockley in
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...
's 1997 blockbuster '' Titanic''. This role as Rose's (played by
Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, inc ...
) fiancé earned him an MTV Movie Award nomination for "Best Villain" and a Blockbuster Entertainment Award. He was also nominated for a
SAG award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
. In 1998, he starred in and produced ''
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died ''I Woke Up Early the Day I Died'' is a 1998 American camp black comedy film, based on a unproduced screenplay written by Edward D. Wood Jr. in 1974. Wood originally wrote the script in 1961 as ''Silent Night'', then rewrote it in 1974 as ''I ...
'', a silent film based on
Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cl ...
's last script, intended as a parody on bad filmmaking. He won several awards at the
B-Movie Film Festival The Scare-A-Con Film Festival (formerly the B-Movie Film Festival) is an annual film festival held in Syracuse, United States. The festival was founded in 1999 by local filmmaker Ron Bonk to promote the art of B-movie making. It was canceled in it ...
, including Best Movie and Best Actor, for this work. The year after, he starred opposite Timothy Dalton,
Bruce Payne Bruce Martyn Payne (born 22 November 1958) is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, film director and theatre director. Payne is best known for portraying villains, such as Charles Rane in ''Passenger 57'', Jacob Kell in '' Highlander: End ...
,
Sean Pertwee Sean Carl Roland Pertwee''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916–2007'' (born 4 June 1964) is an English actor, narrator and producer with an extensive career since the 1980s in television and cinema productions. He is known ...
and
Leonor Varela Leonor Magdalena Varela Palma (; born 29 December 1972) is a Chilean actress. She played the title role in the 1999 television film ''Cleopatra'', and vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos in the 2002 Marvel Comics film '' Blade II''. Early lif ...
(who became his fiancé after shooting ended) in a TV-movie about
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...
. Zane played the part of Mark Antony. The same year, he voiced
John Rolfe John Rolfe (1585 – March 1622) was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia in 1611. Biography John Rolfe is believed ...
in Disney's '' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World'' and
Etrigan the Demon Etrigan the Demon is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Etrigan is a demon from Hell who, despite his violent tendencies, usually finds himself allied with the forces of good, mainly beca ...
in an episode of ''
The New Batman Adventures ''The New Batman Adventures'' (often shortened as ''TNBA'') is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, which aired on Kids' WB from September 13, 1997 to January 16, 1999. Produced by Warner Bro ...
''.


2000s

Zane was instrumental in realizing the critically acclaimed film ''
The Believer Believer(s) or The Believer(s) may refer to: Religion * Believer, a person who holds a particular belief ** Believer, a person who holds a particular religious belief *** Believers, Christians with a religious faith in the divine Christ *** Beli ...
'', which won the Grand Jury Prize at
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
in 2001. In it, he portrayed neo-Nazi Curtis Zampf, and starred opposite Ryan Gosling. The same year, he also had a cameo as himself in the comedy ''
Zoolander ''Zoolander'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the ''VH1 Fashion Awards'' television s ...
''. Zane appeared on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in '' Chicago'', where he played lawyer Billy Flynn. Zane also had a recurring role in the
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed bet ...
''
Charmed ''Charmed'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Constance M. Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling and his production company Spelling Television, with Brad Kern serving as showrunner. The series was originally broadcast ...
'' in which he played poetry-loving ex-demon Drake. He also provided the voice of Ansem, the main antagonist of the 2002 video game ''
Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya Nomura, a longtime Square Eni ...
'', opposite Haley Joel Osment. Though archive audio of Zane was later used for '' Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories'', he was replaced by Richard Epcar for the rest of the series from ''
Kingdom Hearts II is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hearts (video game), King ...
'' onwards. Zane's performance, however, was kept for the ''Kingdom Hearts Final Mix'' remaster in ''Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMix''. In 2006, Zane starred in
Arthur Allan Seidelman Arthur Allan Seidelman is an American television, film, and theatre director and an occasional writer, producer, and actor. Career Born in New York City, he received his B.A. from Whittier College and an M.A. in Theatre from UCLA. He subsequently ...
's West End production of ''
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks ''Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks'' is a 2001 play by American playwright Richard Alfieri. It is a play with only two characters: Lily Harrison, the formidable widow of a Baptist minister, and Michael Minetti, a gay and acerbic dance instructor ...
'' as an acerbic gay dance instructor opposite
Claire Bloom Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...
. The same year, he appeared in the Turkish film ''
Valley of the Wolves Iraq ''Valley of the Wolves: Iraq'' ( tr, Kurtlar Vadisi: Irak) is a 2006 Turkish action film directed by Serdar Akar and starring Necati Şaşmaz, Billy Zane and Ghassan Massoud. The story concerns a Turkish commando team which goes to Iraq to track ...
'' (''Kurtlar Vadisi: Irak'' in Turkish), part of the
Kurtlar Vadisi 'Valley of the Wolves' ( tr, Kurtlar Vadisi) is a Turkish television drama that originally aired on Show TV. The show was subsequently acquired by Kanal D for its final season. The show focuses on the protagonist Agent Polat Alemdar, an underc ...
franchise. The film tells the story of the U.S. Army run amok in Iraq, eventually brought into check by a Turkish soldier. Zane plays Sam William Marshall, a cruel U.S. soldier who is the main antagonist in the film. He took over
Timothy Olyphant Timothy David Olyphant ( ; born May 20, 1968) is an American actor. He made his acting debut in an off-Broadway theater in 1995, in ''The Monogamist'', and won the Theatre World Award for his performance, and then originated David Sedaris' ''The ...
's role as
Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film a ...
's ex-boyfriend on ''
Samantha Who? ''Samantha Who?'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from October 15, 2007, to July 23, 2009. The series was created by Cecelia Ahern and Donald Todd, who also served as producers. Although highly rated during its fir ...
''. The show, however, was not renewed for the 2009–2010 season. Zane is a principal at RadioactiveGiant, a film and television production and distribution company.


2010s

Zane starred in the 2012 action/thriller film ''
The Kill Hole ''The Kill Hole'' is a 2012 American action thriller war film written and directed by Mischa S. Webley and starring Chadwick Boseman, Tory Kittles, Dennis Adkins, Victoria Blake, Ted Rooney with Peter Greene and Billy Zane. It is Webley's directo ...
'', and in January 2017 he appeared in a commercial for KFC as a gold-colored
Colonel Sanders Colonel Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890 December 16, 1980) was an American businessman, best known for founding fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand amba ...
to pitch the restaurant chain's newest limited-time flavor, Georgia Gold Honey Mustard BBQ chicken. Zane also appeared in an episode of '' Community'', season 6's " Advanced Safety Features". Zane was also featured in two episodes of '' The Boys'' portraying a fictional version of himself who made a movie with Popclaw and also attended a comic convention with
Tara Reid Tara Donna Reid (born November 8, 1975) is an American actress. She played Vicky in the films '' American Pie'' (1999), ''American Pie 2'' (2001), and ''American Reunion'' (2012), and Bunny Lebowski in ''The Big Lebowski'' (1998). In 2013, she ...
. In season 3, Zane appeared as himself portraying Alastair Adana in the Vought film ''Not Without My Dolphin'.


Personal life

Zane was married to actress Lisa Collins from 1989 until 1995. He was also engaged for a time to Chilean actress
Leonor Varela Leonor Magdalena Varela Palma (; born 29 December 1972) is a Chilean actress. She played the title role in the 1999 television film ''Cleopatra'', and vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos in the 2002 Marvel Comics film '' Blade II''. Early lif ...
, his co-star in the television film ''
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...
'' (1999). Zane was later engaged to marry British model-turned-actress
Kelly Brook Kelly Ann Parsons (born 23 November 1979), known professionally as Kelly Brook, is an English model, actress, and media personality. She is known for her modelling work in the UK, and in the US for her role as Prudence on the NBC sitcom '' On ...
, whom he met when they co-starred in the movie '' Survival Island'' (2005), also known as ''Three''. They split in April 2008, got back together again shortly thereafter, then ended the relationship in August 2008. Zane dated Croatian model Jasmina Hdagha in 2010, but they broke up later that year. Through a friend he met American model Candice Neil who is the mother of his two daughters and to whom he is also currently engaged. Their first daughter, Ava Catherine, was born in 2011, and their second daughter, Gia, was born in 2014. In 1999, Zane participated in the first
Gumball 3000 The Gumball 3000 is an annual international celebrity motor rally, which takes place on public roads. The name comes from the 1976 movie ''The Gumball Rally''. It was established in 1999 by Maximillion Cooper, with his vision to combine cars, ...
rally, driving a 1964
Aston Martin DB5 The Aston Martin DB5 is a British grand tourer (GT) produced by Aston Martin and designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera. Originally produced from 1963 to 1965, the DB5 was an evolution of the final series of DB4. Alt ...
. Zane is also an
abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of t ...
painter. He has had numerous solo and group exhibitions.


Other media projects

Zane executive-produced a CD by bluesman Tim O'Connor that includes three songs from ''
Dead Calm Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
'', in which Zane had one of the lead roles.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Music videos


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zane, Billy 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American people of Greek descent Greek Orthodox Christians from the United States Living people Male actors from Chicago American expatriates in England American expatriates in Switzerland Francis W. Parker School (Chicago) alumni 1966 births