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Billy Zane (born William George Zane, Jr. on February 24, 1966) is an American actor and director. He is perhaps best recognized for his role as Caledon Hockley in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic and as The Phantom in the 1996 eponymous film based upon the comic book superhero. Up to and including 2006, Zane has appeared in over 50 films and numerous TV-series.
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 family's original surname, "Zanikopolous", was anglicized to "Zane" by his grandparents. Both of his parents are Greek American and Zane was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion. He has an older sister, Lisa Zane, who is also an actress. After completing a year abroad at TASIS (The American School in Switzerland), Zane graduated from the Francis W. Parker School and attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts, located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Career
Zane's first screen role was in Back to the Future (1985) playing Biff Tannen's friend Match. He landed the role as a fluke by appearing nonchalant, dressed in a T-shirt. Zane later reprised the role for the 1989 sequel, Back to the Future II. Later the same year, Zane gained international recongition with a supporting role as the psychotic villain Hughie Warriner in the thriller Dead Calm, alongside Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill. Zane's first starring role was in a 1990 independent film, the low budget science fiction thriller, Megaville. Zane also forayed into television work. In 1991 he appeared as John Justice Wheeler in several episodes of David Lynch's hit TV-show Twin Peaks, and in 1993, he played the Shakespearian actor "Mr. Fabian" in Tombstone.
In 1996, Zane played the eponymous classic comic book hero in the big budget action film The Phantom (based on his favorite comic). Zane pumped iron for over a year and a half to fill the Phantom's tight spandex costume properly, and studied samples of the comic carefully in his attempt to copy the character's body language. Zane became known for playing Caledon Hockley in the 1997 movie blockbuster Titanic. He went on to be nominated to a MTV Movie Award for "Best Villain" in Titanic. For the same role, he also won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award, and was nominated for a SAG-award. Premature hair loss has not diminished Zane's acting career. In some of his most famous films, like Titanic and The Phantom, he wore a wig, and frequently does so when the role requires it.
Zane was instrumental in getting the critically acclaimed film The Believer made, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2001. In it, he portrayed neo-Nazi Curtis Zampf. The same year, he also had a cameo as himself in Zoolander. Zane keeps busy in other parts of the entertainment industry as well. He is a singer and can occasionally be seen in various Broadway shows, like "Chicago", where he played lawyer Billy Flynn.
He voiced John Rolfe in Pocahontas 2, and Ansem in Squaresoft and Disney's renowned video game Kingdom Hearts, and voiced Etrigan "The Demon" in an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Zane also had a recurring role in the popular television series Charmed in which he played poetry loving ex-demon Drake. In 1998, Zane starred in and produced I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, a silent film of Ed Wood's last script. He won the B-Movie Award for this work.
Zane's debut as a director was Big Kiss, a light-hearted romantic comedy about two journalists involved in a diamond caper in which he also starred. Although released in Sweden in 2004, the date of a wider distribution remains uncertain. In January 2006, he made his debut on the London stage in Arthur Allan Seidelman's production of Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks by Richard Alfieri, a two-hander in which he co-starred with Claire Bloom.
As of 2007, Zane is rumoured to be a candidate for the role of Marlon Brando in a biopic about the legendary actor written by newcomer Johnny Bas. He is also rumoured to star in a dark comedy produced by Bob Yari, the man behind the Academy Award-winning Crash. Zane has lined up several projects, including horror film The Mad, in which a doctor and his daughter are attacked by zombies at a truck stop; 4Chosen (together with Laurence Fishburne); Alien Agent; Don Juan; a directorial effort, Uptown, about a man who starts a theater company for the mentally ill; and Memory, a psychological thriller where Zane stars opposite Ann-Margret and Dennis Hopper. He is also starring in a Mario Lanza biopic, and opposite his fiancee Kelly Brook in Fishtales.
Personal life
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, where he played Marcus Antonius. As of 2006, Zane is engaged to marry British model turned actress Kelly Brook whom he met on the set of "Survival Island". His leisure interests include riding, painting, swimming, photography, frisbees, taking nature walks, riding a bicycle, and collecting cars. He has described his movie heroes to be Sean Connery, Gene Kelly, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
In 1999, Zane participated in the first Gumball 3000 rally, driving a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 and won first place with a $2.00 grand prize and free gumballs for a year. He was featured in the music video, Epiphany, by Staind, and appeared in his friend Marilyn Manson's Dope Show video.
Zane executive-produced a CD made by bluesman Tim O'Connor. The album includes three songs from Dead Calm, where Zane had one of the lead roles.
| Latest news about Billy Zane |
Listen to your friend, Billy Zane | Philadelphia Daily News | 06 ...Locate the perfect pet dog, cat or other animals on Philly.com. Continue reading
Won't Somebody Please Adopt Billy Zane? | PhillyNow | News and ...The dog to your right is Billy Zane, a pit bull featured in the Daily News' Adopt-a-Pet series under a Zoolander-riffic headline. It is not the actor Billy Zane, who as we all know should not be adopted, but put down like the rabid dog ... Continue reading
Billy Zane EXCLUSIVE! | Buzz Foto | Paparazzi As An Art Form!Billy Zane wore a gray hat, green dress shirt, black pants and shoes along with a sweater tied around his waist while taking a stroll in Beverly Hills. Photo. Continue reading
Pirate Bay: Billy Zane in Surviving Evil... decide to go on one of its remote islands intending to live in it for a week. The result is a menace they haven't encountered before. Billy Zane stars in this film along with Christina Cole, Natalie Jackson Mendoza and Joel Torre. ... Continue reading
Twitch - Bald Billy Zane Battles Greek Zombies In EVIL IN THE TIME ...Twitch specializes in spreading the news on strange little films from around the world. Continue reading
» Can Billy Zane survive Evil? HorrorMovieFans.com News Blog: For ...The film which stars Billy Zane and Natalie Mendoza (Juno from 'The Descent') is set for premiere in South Africa this July with a UK run to follow. No word on a U.S. release yet though. 'Surviving Evil' centers on a TV documentary crew ... Continue reading
Billy Zane & Natalie Mendoza Team Up In 'Surviving Evil', Trailer ...Terence Daw's upcoming film 'Surviving Evil' has hit the web and you can check it out below. Daw wrote and directed the film which stars the legendary Billy. Continue reading
So Stylish So Sassy: Spotted: Billy ZaneSpotted: Billy Zane. Just came back from Soho with my co-worker. We were running around looking for Father's Day presents when the owner of a store mentioned Billy was outside. I, of course, forgot my camera today at home... how ... Continue reading
Billy Zane in Surviving Evil - JIVIDHere is the trailer for writer-director Terence Daw's Surviving Evil starring Demon Knight's Billy Zane and The Descent's Natalie Mendoza The film premieres in South Africa this July with a UK bow to follow in September. Continue reading
Trailer for the Billy Zane starrer SURVIVING EVIL - UHMThe trailer is now available for Surviving Evil, a new flick with Billy Zane in the lead. The film is getting a South African release mid-July, with the UK not too far behind. There's currently no US distribution. ... Continue reading
Hollywood Actors Jessica alba Billy Zane pictures and Billy Zane biography
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