Billy Van Zandt

Billy Van Zandt

Billy Van Zandt, 2006, NYC
Born William Van Zandt
(1957-12-13) December 13, 1957
Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation Actor, Director, Playwright
Spouse(s) Adrienne Barbeau (1992– present, separated)
Children 2 (twin sons)

William "Billy" Van Zandt (born December 13, 1957) is an American playwright and actor.

Personal life

Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, to Mary H. Lento and William Brewster Van Zandt.[1] He is of Italian and Dutch descent[2] He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.[3]

Van Zandt is the half-brother of musician/actor Steven Van Zandt and brother-in-law of Steven's wife, actress Maureen Van Zandt. Billy married actress Adrienne Barbeau on December 31, 1992. The couple met in 1991 during the West Coast premiere of Billy's play Drop Dead! They have twin sons, William and Walker (born March 17, 1997).

Career

Van Zandt is the co-author and star of the Off-Broadway plays You've Got Hate Mail, Silent Laughter, Drop Dead!, and 20 other theatrical plays written with Jane Milmore, including A Night at the Nutcracker, Wrong Window, and summer stock perennial Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. He also wrote The Property Known as Garland for Adrienne Barbeau, which ran Off-Broadway at the Actor's Playhouse in 2006.

Van Zandt was nominated for an Emmy Award for his television special I Love Lucy: The Very First Show, and won People's Choice and NAACP Image Awards for his work on the Martin Lawrence comedy Martin and a Prism Multi-Cultural Award for his work on TV's The Hughleys.

Along with partner Jane Milmore, he created and/or developed television's The Wayans Bros. for Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans, Suddenly Susan for Brooke Shields, Bless This House for Andrew Dice Clay, and Daddy Dearest for Don Rickles and Richard Lewis.

In addition to starring in his own plays, he has had roles as Bob, one of the sailing teenagers, in Jaws 2 (1978), an alien Starfleet ensign in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), a military school cadet in the 1981 movie Taps, and a mobster wannabe in the 1999 film A Wake in Providence, which he also co-wrote.

On television, Billy was a regular cast member on the second season of ABC's Anything but Love and usually does small cameo roles within his own writing-producing television work, notably acting as writer, creative consultant and guest star on the 1990 Valerie Bertinelli series Sydney.

He is currently tours in the Off-Broadway hit You've Got Hate Mail which ran at the Triad Theater from 2010-2015.[4]

Full-length plays

The plays are published with Samuel French, Inc. and performed worldwide.

World premieres of the Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore comedies take place every May and June in New Jersey.

Television

Film

References

  1. ↑ http://www.user1.netcarrier.com/~muriel/VanZandtSociety/gene.htm Archived February 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,172,00.html
  3. ↑ Strauss, Robert. "IN PERSON; These Two People Are a Riot", The New York Times, April 14, 2002. Accessed June 13, 2011. "ABSTRACT - Article on Hollywood actors and television writers Billy Van Zandt, native of Middletown, and Jane Milmore, who grew up in nearby Keansburg; duo has been returning to Jersey Shore each spring for two decades for spring comedy productions."
  4. ↑ http://www.samuelfrench.com/store/Focus_VanZandt.php

External links

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