Date of Birth
24 February 1966, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth Name
William George Zane Jr.
Height
6' (1.83 m)
William George Zane Jr., popularly known as Billy Zane, was born February 24, 1966, in Chicago, Illinois. Both his parents, William and Thalia Zane, ran a medical technical school. His family's original surname, "Zanikopoulos", was anglicized to "Zane" by his grandparents. Both of his parents are of Greek descent. Zane also has a sister, Lisa, born 1961, who is a well-known actress by her own merits.
After completing a year abroad at the American School in Switzerland, Zane graduated from the Francis W. Parker School and attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts, located in Wisconsin.
He then went on to attend the American School in Switzerland at the young age of sixteen, but Zane completed high school back in his hometown of Chicago. He attended Francis Parker High School with classmates Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals.
Upon graduation, Zane made the decision to move to California. He knew jobs would be easier to
come by there than in the Midwest, and Zanes move paid off quicker than he could have expected. Within the first month, Zane won the role of Match in the 1985 classic sci-fi comedy Back to the Future. Starring opposite Michael J Foxand Christopher Lloyd, Zane played one of Biff Tannens thug friends.
He then garnered a larger part in the 1989 film Dead Calm. The film starred a young Nicole Kidman and an always impressive Sam Neill. The two played a married Australian couple attempting to forget a recent auto accident with a relaxing sailing trip. When they come across a long survivor of an abandoned ship (Zane), the two quickly find he is not what he appears. On the set of this film, Zane won more than acclaim. He also met and subsequently married Lisa Collins. The two were married in 1988 but divorced seven years later in 1995.
In 1989, Zane also reprised his role of Match in Back to the Future Part II. Zane continued to work steadily, winning a recurring role on Twin Peaks in 1991 as John Justice Wheeler. During this period, Zane worked in several films alongside his family, including his sister Lisa in Femme Fatale in 1991 and his then wife Lisa inTombstone in 1993.
Zanes next big break came in 1996 when he was asked to play the lead in the comic book turned
film The Phantom. The film also featured Kristy Swanson (original vampire slayer Buffy), Treat Williams, and Catherine Zeta-Jones (before she was a star). While the film was basically a box office failure, it did seem to be slightly ahead of its time. In the ten years following this film, the comic book to film genre absolutely explodedthe Spiderman series, Batman Begins, and Sin City being just a few examples.
Zane followed this film with a supporting role in the immensely popular and successful film Titanic in 1997. Zane played Kate Winslets unlikable, money-hungry fianc?, Cal Hockley. For this role, Zane won the publics heart indicated by his receipt of the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor. He was also inducted into the youth culture with his MTV Award nomination for Best Villain.
Since its release, Zane hasnt managed to land a role in a film as popular as Titanic. However, as is the case with his entire career, Zane has found steady work. In 1999, he bulked up to play the historical figure Mark Anthony in the made for television film Cleopatra. He starred with ex-James Bond portrayer Timothy Dalton and the beautiful Leonor Varela as Cleopatra. Zane and Varela became engaged after shooting the film together, but then subsequently split without ever actually marrying.
Always looking for work on the big screen or small, Zane landed several recurring roles in television series. He played Matthew Baskin in Boston Public, the four-season high school drama created by television guru David E. Kelley. He also appeared for several episodes in the comedy-fantasy series Charmed, as Drake.
In 2006, Zane starred in the thriller Three about a millionaire couple stranded on an island with their former servant, Manuel. The film was mildly received, and is really only of note because Zane met English actress Kelly Brook on the set, the woman with whom he is currently engaged.
Zane is of Greek descent, and his trademark is almost always noted as his bald head. Zane, an avid swimmer, started shaving his head in 1997 for increased aerodynamics.
Zane married actress Lisa Collins in 1989. The couple divorced in 1995. He was also engaged for a time to Chilean actress Leonor Varela, his costar in the 1999 television movie Cleopatra, in which he played Marcus Antonius. In 2001, he met Emma Howard on the set of The Diamond of Jeru. They dated for three years. Zane was engaged to marry British model turned actress Kelly Brook, whom he met when starring with her in the movie Survival Island, also known as Three. They split in April 2008, got back together again shortly thereafter, then ended the relationship in August 2008. He has been dating Croatian model Jasmina Hdagha since July 2009.
Zane's leisure interests include riding, painting, swimming, photography, frisbees, taking nature walks, cycling, and collecting cars. He has named Sean Connery, Gene Kelly, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin as his movie heroes.
In 1999, Zane participated in the first Gumball 3000 rally, driving a 1964 Aston Martin DB5. He was featured in the music video of Staind's "Epiphany". Zane executive-produced a CD by bluesman Tim O'Connor that includes three songs from Dead Calm, in which Zane had one of the lead roles.
In November 2008, Zane's parents, William and Thalia Zane, were reported to have closed down their Chicago-based Medical Careers Institute and left for Greece after collecting approximately US$30,000 in tuition fees for the upcoming semester. The school's attorney, Arthur Evans, reported only that the school "went out of business." The Illinois Board of Education and attorney general's office were reported to have begun an investigation.
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