Biography
This page uses content from the Robert Z'Dar biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.
Robert Z'Dar is an American actor of Lithuanian descent, who was born on June 3, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. His birth name is Robert J. Zdarsky but after using several pseudonyms during his early acting career settled on Robert Z'Dar.
Early life
Z'dar discovered his love for acting in high school while going to Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois. After high school, Z'dar received his BFA from Arizona State University. He then returned to Chicago for a time, where he was employed as a police officer.
Acting Career
Eventually Z'Dar made his move to Hollywood, California to pursue his dreams of acting. Z'Dar's acting career has been defined by his large jaw, providing him with a mythical, comic book-style look.
In 1984, Z'Dar appeared in his first feature film, Joe Tornatore's Code Name Zebra. This is a film about a band of ex-soldiers forming an international anti-crime unit.
Z'Dar has appeared in at least one film a year, including: The Night Stalker (1987), The Killing Game (1988), and Dead End City (1988). It was 1988's Maniac Cop that forever cemented Z'Dar's position in film history as Matt Cordell, a maniac in an NYPD cop uniform who brutally murders people. A good cop named Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell) must hunt down the Maniac Cop.
It was perhaps Z'Dar's performance in Maniac Cop that landed him the role of "Face" in 1989's Tango and Cash alongside action stars Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell. Then in 1991 he shared the screen with F. Murray Abraham, Christian Slater, and Lara Flynn Boyle in Mobsters.
Robert Z'Dar has continued making at least one film every year despite a serious back injury he suffered in 2002 on a movie set. As of January 2006 he has acted in 76 films, produced three films, and also appeared on television. Two of Z'Dar's films, Soultaker and Future War appeared in Season 10 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. On seeing Z'Dar on screen as the Angel of Death, Crow T. Robot remarks, "My God, he's a catcher's mitt with eyes!"
Z'Dar is surely one of the most hard-working and instantly recognizable figures in cult film and B-movies, along with Joe Estevez. Says Z'Dar of his career: "I go to work everyday, just like everyone else...and I do bring my Josie and the Pussycats lunch box with me. Just in case. "
He is currently filming Lost Girls and another film, Silvergun Samurai is in preproduction, due out in 2007.
Sources
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