William Zabka - wikipedia William Zabka William Zabka Zabka at the 2016 Phoenix Comicon William Michael Zabka ( 1965 - 10 - 20 ) October 20, 1965 ( age 52 ) New York City, U.S. Nationality American Occupation Actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, poet Years active 1983 -- present Spouse ( s ) Stacie Zabka ( 2008 -- present ) 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. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Filmography 4 Award nominations 5 References 6 External links Early life Zabka was born in New York City, the son of Nancy ( Heimert ) Zabka, a 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 ). Career 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. During the 1980s, Zabka appeared in the comedy movies Just One of the Guys ( 1985 ) and Back to School ( 1986 ). Zabka also co-starred on the CBS television series The Equalizer as the son of the title character ( 1986 -- 89 ). He also played Jack, Audrey 's jock boyfriend, in National Lampoon 's European Vacation ( 1985 ). He later tried to step away from playing the class bully character. He mentioned in an interview how he was sometimes hassled in public by random people because of the villainous characters he was best known for. During the 1990s and 2000s, he acted mostly in independent films while studying to be a filmmaker. In 2003, he wrote and produced the short film Most, shot on location in the Czech Republic and Poland. Most ( aka The Bridge ) had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2003 and won numerous awards at prestigious film festivals, including Best of Festival at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films in 2003. In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Most in the Live Action Short Film category. In 2007, Zabka directed and starred in a music video for the band No More Kings entitled `` Sweep the Leg ''. The video stars Zabka as a caricature of himself, living in a trailer in the desert and obsessed with his role in The Karate Kid. The video includes cameos by several of the original Karate Kid cast members, including Martin Kove and Ralph Macchio. In 2010, Zabka directed Rascal Flatts in their music video for the song `` Why Wait ''. That same year, Zabka made a cameo appearance in the comedy movie Hot Tub Time Machine. In 2013, Zabka, along with Macchio, guest starred in the season 8 episode of How I Met Your Mother, `` The Bro Mitzvah ''. Zabka also appeared in several episodes of the sitcom 's ninth season. Zabka also directed commercials for clients including Little Tikes and Verizon at Heresy in Venice, California. On August 4, 2017, it was announced that Zabka would reprise his role as Johnny Lawrence in a 10 episode Karate Kid revival series for YouTube Red titled Cobra Kai that debuted in 2018. He also co-executive produces the series with Ralph Macchio. The series is set 34 years after the events of the first film, and revolves around a down and out Johnny who, seeking to rebuild his life reopens the Cobra Kai dojo. It reignites his rivalry with a now - successful Daniel LaRusso ( Macchio ), who has been struggling to maintain balance in his life without the guidance of his deceased mentor, Mr. Miyagi. Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1984 The Karate Kid Johnny Lawrence 1985 Just One of the Guys Greg Tolan National Lampoon 's European Vacation Jack 1986 Back to School Chas Osborne The Karate Kid Part II Johnny Lawrence A Tiger 's Tale Randy 1991 For Parents Only Ted Alternative title : Mean Parents Suck Shootfighter : Fight to the Death Ruben Alternative title : Shootfighter Unlawful Passage Howie 1995 Shootfighter II Ruben The Power Within Raymond Vonn Alternative title : Power Man High Voltage Bulldog 1999 Interceptors Dave Alternative titles : Interceptor Force Predator 3 : Intercepters The Last Line of Defence 2000 Falcon Down Security Guard John Ablaze Curt Peters Mindstorm Rojack Alternative titles : Artificial Telepathy Project : Human Weapon 2002 Gale Force Rance Hyper Sonic The Executive Landspeed Bob Bailey Dark Descent Marty ( Opening credits only ) Alternative title : Descent Into Darkness Antibody Otto Emmerick 2003 Most - Alternative title : The Bridge, screenwriter & producer Roomies Slick Salesman Alternative title : Wild Roomies 2007 Smiley Face Prison guard Cake : A Wedding Story Sam Alternative title : Cake : A Wedding Comedy Starting from Scratch Bill Bowman Hot Tub Time Machine Rick Steelman Mean Parents Suck Detective Ted Clement 2014 Where Hope Grows Milton Malcolm 2015 The Dog Who Saved Summer Officer Johnny 2016 The Man in the Silo Kevin Television Year Title Role Notes The Greatest American Hero Clarence Mortner Jr. 1 episode 1984 Gimme a Break ! Jeffery 1 episode CBS Schoolbreak Special Rick Peterson 1 episode 1984 -- 1985 E / R Druggie Kid / Thief 1 episode 1985 -- 1989 The Equalizer Scott McCall 9 episodes To the Ends of Time Alexander Television movie 2000 Epoch Joe Television movie Python Greg Larsen Television movie 2002 Python II Greg Larsen Television movie, credited as Billy Zabka 2013 -- 2014 How I Met Your Mother Clown / Himself Guest Star ( Season 8 ), Recurring Role ( Season 9 ) 2014 Psych Coach Bagg Guest ( Season 8 ) 2015 Gortimer Gibbon 's Life on Normal Street Sensei Jeff Guest, Season 2, Episode 9, `` Stanley and the Tattoo of Tall Tales '' 2018 -- present Cobra Kai Johnny Lawrence Also executive producer Award nominations Year Award Film Result 1985 Young Artist Award Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Musical, Comedy, Adventure or Drama The Karate Kid Nominated Academy Awards Best Short Film, Live Action Most ( shared with Bobby Garabedian ) References ^ Jump up to : `` Sweep the Leg ! Interview with the real Johnny, William Zabka ''. Kung Fu Magazine. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2010. Jump up ^ `` William Zabka Biography ( 1965 - ) ''. Filmreference.com. 1965 - 10 - 20. Archived from the original on 2017 - 06 - 27. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 09. Jump up ^ `` A Little About Us... '' Zabka.com. March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` Billy Zabka on How I Met Your Mother, the Zabkatage, and Sweeping the Leg ''. Vulture.com. March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2018. ^ Jump up to : `` And the Number One Dick Is... Zabka ! ''. GQ.com. June 23, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2018. Jump up ^ `` ' Karate Kid ' TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red ( Exclusive ) ''. Hollywood Reporter. August 4, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The Karate Kid : Where Are They Now ? ''. Entertainment Weekly. August 4, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2018. Jump up ^ Goldberg, Lesley ( 4 August 2017 ). `` ' Karate Kid ' TV Sequel, Starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, a Go at YouTube Red ''. MSN. Microsoft. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Zabka. William Zabka on IMDb William Zabka at the TCM Movie Database William Zabka at AllMovie Profile, zabka.com Profile, SweeptheLeg.com BNE : XX1160145 BNF : cb144603819 ( data ) ISNI : 0000 0001 1628 8131 LCCN : no2010126251 SUDOC : 077446267 VIAF : 42063497 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Zabka&oldid=853761610 '' Categories : 1965 births Living people Male actors from New York City American male film actors American film producers American male screenwriters American male television actors American people of Czech descent American tang soo do practitioners Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from December 2013 Articles with hCards Turner Classic Movies person ID not in Wikidata Wikipedia articles with BNE identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu تۆرکجه Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 6 August 2018, at 21 : 01 ( UTC ). 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Question: who plays johnny lawrence in the karate kid
Answer: William Michael Zabka