William Zabka Biography

Born in New York City, New York, William Zabka has been in the industry since a young age and continues to prove his excellence. Growing up with successful parents and a big family, William was a normal kid with an aspiration to study film. Dipping his toes in the water with a guest role on The Greatest American Hero in 1983, his break into Hollywood happened when he was only 19 years old.

Playing antagonist Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984), William had no karate knowledge but managed to work up to a second-degree green belt in the art of Tang Soo Do for the film. The film has gone on to become William’s most notable role and a staple in the film industry.

Since then, he has appeared in many films such as Back to School (1986), High Voltage (1997), Landspeed (2002), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and more. During this time, he continued to also appear on television shows, including The Equalizer for nine episodes, and guest appearances on Robot Chicken, How I Met Your Mother, Psych, and Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street.

In 2019, William and The Karate Kid co-star Ralph Macchio joined the YouTube Red revival series Cobra Kai as executive co-producers — and leads — reprising his role of Johnny Lawrence. Following their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves competing again as Johnny reopens Cobra Kai Dojo.

William appears in his iconic role in the fifth season of Cobra Kai, now on Netflix. The show will return for a sixth and final season, closing out the entity of The Karate Kid series.