Billy Zane William George Zane Jr., popularly known as Billy Zane, was born February 24, 1966, in Chicago, Illinois. Both his parents, William and Thalia Zane, ran a medical technical school. Zane also has a sister, Lisa, born 1961, who is a well-known actress by her own merits. Zane knew from an early age that he wanted to be an actor. He began his training at Herand Camp of the Theater Arts, located in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He then went on to attend the American School in Switzerland at the young age of sixteen, but Zane completed high school back in his hometown of Chicago. He attended Francis Parker High School with classmates Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals.
Upon graduation, Zane made the decision to move to California. He knew jobs would be easier to come by there than in the Midwest, and Zane’s move paid off quicker than he could have expected. Within the first month, Zane won the role of Match in the 1985 classic sci-fi comedy Back to the Future. Starring opposite Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd, Zane played one of Biff Tannens’ thug friends. He then garnered a larger part in the 1989 film Dead Calm. The film starred a young Nicole Kidman and an always impressive Sam Neill. The two played a married Australian couple attempting to forget a recent auto accident with a relaxing sailing trip. When they come across a long survivor of an abandoned ship (Zane), the two quickly find he is not what he appears. On the set of this film, Zane won more than acclaim. He also met and subsequently married Lisa Collins. The two were married in 1988 but divorced seven years later in 1995. In 1989, Zane also reprised his role of Match in Back to the Future Part II. Zane continued to work steadily, winning a recurring role on Twin Peaks in 1991 as John Justice Wheeler. During this period, Zane worked in several films alongside his family, including his sister Lisa in Femme Fatale in 1991 and his then wife Lisa in Tombstone in 1993.
Zane’s next big break came in 1996 when he was asked to play the lead in the comic book turned film The Phantom. The film also featured Kristy Swanson (original vampire slayer Buffy), Treat Williams, and Catherine Zeta-Jones (before she was a star). While the film was basically a box office failure, it did seem to be slightly ahead of its time. In the ten years following this film, the comic book to film genre absolutely exploded—the Spiderman series, Batman Begins, and Sin City being just a few examples. Zane followed this film with a supporting role in the immensely popular and successful film Titanic in 1997. Zane played Kate Winslet’s unlikable, money-hungry fiancé, Cal Hockley. For this role, Zane won the public’s heart indicated by his receipt of the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor. He was also inducted into the youth culture with his MTV Award nomination for Best Villain. Since its release, Zane hasn’t managed to land a role in a film as popular as Titanic. However, as is the case with his entire career, Zane has found steady work. In 1999, he bulked up to play the historical figure Mark Anthony in the made for television film Cleopatra. He starred with ex-James Bond portrayer Timothy Dalton and the beautiful Leonor Varela as Cleopatra. Zane and Varela became engaged after shooting the film together, but then subsequently split without ever actually marrying. Always looking for work on the big screen or small, Zane landed several recurring roles in television series. He played Matthew Baskin in Boston Public, the four-season high school drama created by television guru David E. Kelley. He also appeared for several episodes in the comedy-fantasy series Charmed, as Drake. In 2006, Zane starred in the thriller Three about a millionaire couple stranded on an island with their former servant, Manuel. The film was mildly received, and is really only of note because Zane met English actress Kelly Brook on the set, the woman with whom he is currently engaged. Zane is of Greek descent, and his trademark is almost always noted as his bald head. Zane, an avid swimmer, started shaving his head in 1997 for increased aerodynamics. YUDDY | 
