William Michael Zabka (born October 20, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is best known for his roles in several iconic 1980s films, such as his role as Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984). In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing and producing the short film Most.\n', '

Zabka was born in New York City, the son of Nancy (Heimert) Zabka, business liaison, producer, and production assistant, and Stanley William Zabka, a director, writer and composer. He has a brother and a sister. His father, Stan Zabka, was assistant director of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson during the first two years of Carson\'s tenure, and worked as production manager on a number of motion pictures, including the Chuck Norris film Forced Vengeance (1982).\n', '

Zabka\'s breakout acting role came in his first movie, The Karate Kid (1984). He played Johnny Lawrence, the main antagonist to the title character played by Ralph Macchio. He had no previous martial arts experience at the time but was an accomplished wrestler. His participation in the film inspired him to learn the martial art of Tang Soo Do and he later earned a second degree green belt.\n', '

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