Billy Zane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billy Zane
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Zane at GalaxyCon Raleigh in 2019
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| Born |
William George Zane Jr.
February 24, 1966 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Lisa Collins
(m. 1989; div. 1995) |
| Partner(s) | Candice Neil (2010–present; engaged) |
| Children | 2 |
| Family | Lisa Zane (sister) |
William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. He became well-known for his role in the 1989 Australian film Dead Calm. He also played the main bad guy, Caledon Hockley, in the huge movie Titanic (1997). For this role, he and the other actors were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Billy Zane has appeared in many other films and TV shows. Some of his famous roles include Kit Walker / The Phantom in The Phantom (1996). He was also "Match" in the Back to the Future movies. He played Lieutenant Val Kozlowski in Memphis Belle (1990) and The Collector in Demon Knight (1995). On TV, he had a recurring role as John Justice Wheeler in Twin Peaks. He also voiced Ansem in the video game Kingdom Hearts (2002).
Contents
Early Life and Family
Billy Zane was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents, Thalia and William George Zane Sr., were both professional actors. They also started a school for medical technicians. His family comes from Greece, and their original last name was "Zanetakos." His parents changed it to "Zane." They raised him in the Greek Orthodox faith. Billy has an older sister, Lisa Zane, who is also an actress and singer.
After spending a year studying in Switzerland, Billy Zane finished school at Francis W. Parker School. He also attended a theater camp called Harand Camp of the Theater Arts.
Acting Career Highlights
Billy Zane's acting journey began in the mid-1980s.
Starting Out in the 1980s
His first two movie roles were in science fiction films. He appeared in Back to the Future in 1985 and Critters in 1986. He also showed up in music videos for singer Sheena Easton. In 1989, he became known around the world for playing the villain Hughie Warriner in the thriller Dead Calm. He starred alongside famous actors Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill in that movie.
Big Roles in the 1990s
In 1990, Billy Zane had his first main role in an independent science fiction thriller called Megaville. He also co-starred in Memphis Belle, a movie about a World War II bomber plane. From 1991, he appeared in several episodes of the popular TV show Twin Peaks as John Justice Wheeler.
In 1993, he played "Mr. Fabian" in the Western movie Tombstone. He also took on a main role in the action film Sniper. He appeared in some Tales from the Crypt productions, including Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight. In 1996, Zane played the main hero in the action film The Phantom, based on the classic comic book.
One of Billy Zane's most famous roles was as the rich and snobby Caledon Hockley in James Cameron's huge 1997 movie Titanic. He played Rose's (played by Kate Winslet) fiancé. This role earned him nominations for awards like the MTV Movie Award for "Best Villain." In 1998, he starred in and produced I Woke Up Early the Day I Died, a silent film. He won several awards for this movie. The next year, he played Mark Antony in a TV movie about Cleopatra. He also voiced John Rolfe in Disney's Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
Work in the 2000s and Beyond
Billy Zane helped create the film The Believer, which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. He played Curtis Zampf in the movie. He also had a small appearance as himself in the comedy Zoolander.
On Broadway, Billy Zane played the lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. He also had a recurring role in the TV series Charmed, playing an ex-demon named Drake. He provided the voice of Ansem in the 2002 video game Kingdom Hearts.
In 2006, Zane starred in a play called Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. He also appeared in the Turkish film Valley of the Wolves Iraq, playing a cruel U.S. soldier. In 2017, he appeared in a commercial for KFC as a gold-colored Colonel Sanders. He was also featured in two episodes of the TV series The Boys, playing a fictional version of himself.
Personal Life
Billy Zane was married to actress Lisa Collins from 1989 to 1995. He was also engaged to actress Leonor Varela and later to model Kelly Brook.
He is now engaged to American model Candice Neil. They have two daughters together: Ava Catherine, born in 2011, and Gia, born in 2014.
In 1999, Billy Zane took part in the first Gumball 3000 rally, driving a classic car. He is also a painter and has shown his artwork in many exhibitions.
Other Projects
Billy Zane helped produce an album by blues musician Tim O'Connor. The album includes three songs from the movie Dead Calm, which Zane starred in.
Film and Television Roles
Billy Zane has been in many movies and TV shows. Here are some of them:
Film Roles
- Back to the Future (1985) – "Match"
- Critters (1986) – Steve Elliot
- Dead Calm (1989) – Hughie Warriner
- Back to the Future Part II (1989) – "Match"
- Memphis Belle (1990) – Lieutenant Val Kozlowski
- Sniper (1993) – NSC Agent Richard Miller
- Tombstone (1993) – Mr. Fabian
- Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (1995) – The Collector
- The Phantom (1996) – Kit Walker / The Phantom
- Titanic (1997) – Caledon N. "Cal" Hockley
- Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) – John Rolfe (voice)
- Zoolander (2001) – Himself (cameo)
- The Believer (2001) – Curtis Zampf
- Valley of the Wolves: Iraq (2006) – Sam William Marshall
- The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012) – King Talus
- Zoolander 2 (2016) – Himself
- Samson (2018) – King Balek
- Ghosts of War (2020) – Dr. Engel
Television Roles
- Matlock (1987) – Eric Dawson
- Murder, She Wrote (1988) – Tony Gambini
- Twin Peaks (1991) – John Justice Wheeler (5 episodes)
- Tales From the Crypt (1993) – Miles
- The New Batman Adventures (1998) – Jason Blood / Etrigan the Demon (voice)
- Cleopatra (1999) – Marc Antony
- Charmed (2005) – Drake (3 episodes)
- Samantha Who? (2009) – Winston Funk (5 episodes)
- Community (2015) – Honda Boss
- Legends of Tomorrow (2017) – P.T. Barnum
- The Boys (2019, 2022) – Himself (3 episodes)
- MacGruber (2021) – Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (5 episodes)
Video Game Roles
- Kingdom Hearts (2002) – Ansem (voice)
Music Videos
- "Do It For Love & Magic of Love" (1985) by Sheena Easton
- "Rock n Roll" (2013) by Avril Lavigne
Images for kids
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Billy Zane at the Cannes Film Festival, 2010
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Zane in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Billy Zane para niños
