William Zabka
Actor
Biography
William Michael "Billy" Zabka (born October 20, 1965) is an American actor, martial artist, screenwriter, and film producer. Zabka is best known for his role of Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986), and decades later reprises the role of Johnny in the Netflix series Cobra Kai (2018-), along with Ralph Macchio as Daniel.
During the 1980s, Zabka appeared in the comedy movies Just One of the Guys (1985) and Back to School (1986). Zabka also co-starred on the CBS television series The Equalizer as the son of the title character (1986–89). He also played Jack, Audrey's jock boyfriend, in National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985).
During the 1990s and 2000s, he acted mostly in independent films while studying to be a filmmaker. In 2003, he wrote and produced the short film Most, shot on location in the Czech Republic and Poland. Most (aka The Bridge) had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2003 and won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals, including Best of Festival at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films in 2003. In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Most in the Live Action Short Film category.
As Director
Filmography
The Karate Kid
as Johnny Lawrence 1984
Hot Tub Time Machine
as Rick 2010
The Karate Kid Part II
as Johnny Lawrence 1986
Karate Kid: Legends
as Johnny Lawrence 2025
National Lampoon's European Vacation
as Jack 1985
Back to School
as Chas 1986
Just One of the Guys
as Greg 1985
Smiley Face
as Prison Guard 2007
Where Hope Grows
as Milton Malcolm 2014
Python
as Greg Larsen 2000
Shootfighter: Fight to the Death
as Ruben 1993
Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson
as Self 2024
Epoch
as Rover Driver Joe 2001
Cross
as Saw 2011
Python 2
as Greg Larson 2002
More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story
as Self 2021
Shootfighter II
as Ruben 1996