William Zabka bio, age, photos in youth, career path, family, children, height 2025

Biography of William Zabka

William Michael Zabka, an American actor of Czech descent, shot to fame in the mid-eighties with his role as the cocky karate villain Johnny Lawrence in the Karate Kid trilogy.

The actor experienced a major comeback in 2018 with the release of the TV series "Cobra Kai" – a continuation of the conflict between Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, but 30 years later. Zabka reprised his role, with his character now portrayed as a down-and-out loser who decided to open his karate school.

Childhood, Youth, Family

Born in the autumn of 1965 in New York, Zabka was born to Stanley William Zabka and Nancy Heimert. His father was a director, composer, and writer whose family had immigrated from the Czech Republic. His German mother worked as a film producer and production assistant.

Zabka has a brother, Guy, and a sister, Judy, both of whom pursued careers in music. Zabka initially pursued music too, but he found a greater passion for creating and performing his own characters on stage.

From an early age, Zabka was active in drama club. He always remembered his first role – the Wolf in the production of "The Three Little Pigs". However, despite wanting to become an actor, after finishing school he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and study directing. Zabka studied the art of directing at California State University, Northridge but regularly participated in castings.

Acting Career

William Zabka's first appearance on screen was an episode of the series "The Greatest American Hero" in 1983. This was followed by a bit part in the series "Give Me a Break" (1984), and in the same year, Zabka landed his first notable role in a feature film as karateka Johnny Lawrence.

When director John G. Avildsen began casting for the coming-of-age action film "The Karate Kid," Zabka was just 18 years old. He had no knowledge of karate but had been wrestling for a long time, and Avildsen decided to take the risk.

Zabka trained relentlessly in karate to look authentic on camera. He recalled:

I trained four hours a day, five days a week for a month just rehearsing, and then for two months filming. So I had about three months of training, every day… I went home like spaghetti. My legs were dropping. My back was killing me. But Pat Johnson trained me – he just knew what he was doing and got me in shape. And martial arts actually healed my back.

While his co-star Ralph Macchio became a teen heartthrob playing the good-natured newcomer Daniel LaRusso, who learns karate from the wise Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), Zabka's character sparked hatred from audiences. Johnny trained at the "Cobra" school under the supervision of John Kreese (Martin Kove), who preached a ruthless and harsh fighting style. Johnny followed his sensei's brutal philosophy both on and off the mat, terrorizing Daniel LaRusso until Daniel finally beat him in the tournament.

William Zabka and Ralph Maccio in their youth

The movie's clash between two opposing martial arts philosophies struck such a chord that it spawned sequels in 1986 and 1989. During this period, Zabka landed five more film roles, but they were all supporting parts that felt like variations on the Johnny Lawrence bully archetype.

It wasn't until the '90s that William finally broke free from villain roles, appearing in action films like "Python," "Interceptors," and "Shootfighter: Fight to the Death." But audiences couldn't shake the image of him as Johnny Lawrence.

In 2003, Zabka co-wrote the screenplay for the short drama "Most" ("The Bridge"). The film wowed audiences and critics alike, earning multiple awards including the Grand Prix at Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and an Oscar nomination.

Most (2013 Short Film)

His big-screen career continued with several decent film appearances. Zabka experienced a career renaissance in 2018 when "Cobra Kai" premiered. The series explores how these former rivals have evolved over the decades: Johnny, once the star athlete, is now a washed-up loner, while Daniel has built a successful life as a car dealer, devoted husband, and father.

Frustrated by this situation, Johnny decided to open his dojo, which he called "Cobra Kai", and quickly acquired students, including fan favorite Miguel (Xolo Maridueña). LaRusso is convinced that his sworn enemy adheres to the same harmful philosophy as the founder of "Cobra Kai", and to get back at Lawrence, opens his own dojo - "Miyagi-Do Karate", where he welcomes his daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser) and Robbie (Tanner Buchanan), Johnny's son.

Oral History of «Cobra Kai» with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka

The series became a massive hit. "Cobra Kai" was renewed, and in 2022, its fifth season was released, after which it was renewed for a sixth season.

Personal Life of William Zabka

According to the actor, he has been happily married since 2008. He dated Stacey for several years before proposing.

The couple keeps their two children out of the spotlight. William and Stacey rarely post photos of them on social media - only from a great distance or from the back. However, William loves sharing photos of his many nephews.

The actor once revealed that he's never shown his sons the movie "The Karate Kid", because he doesn't want his kids to see their dad being cruel and unfair on screen.

William Zabka Now

The actor's biggest moment in 2022 was the September premiere of "Cobra Kai's" fifth season. Reflecting on filming all the seasons, William said he's thrilled with how his character Johnny Lawrence was reintroduced to audiences after so many years:

I think the writers' attempt to show the audience who Johnny really is and help them understand what he represents now has been quite successful, because I think people already have a good idea of who LaRusso is. The thing here is not so much about rivalry as it is about these two characters, but in their 2018 versions, and it's really about how culture, teenagers, and ideas about mentorship and bullying have all changed since 1984. Both characters are in the same position, they are trying to find themselves.

Interesting facts

Before filming "The Karate Kid," Zabka had no clue how complex Eastern martial arts could be. He successfully competed in wrestling and thought he was in great physical shape. After filming wrapped, William got seriously into the Korean martial art Tang Soo Do, finding real success and earning a second-degree green belt.
Despite constant rivalry in the films "The Karate Kid" and "Cobra Kai", in real life William Zabka and Ralph Macchio became best friends.
Zabka loved getting to visit his ancestral homeland while filming the drama "Most" in the Czech Republic and Poland. The actor speaks fluent Czech and loves his unique surname, which means "little frog" in Czech.