Robert Z'Dar
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| Robert Z'Dar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert J. Zdarsky June 3, 1950 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Robert Darcy Robert West Bobby Z'Dar Bobby Z'dar Robert Zdar |
| Occupation | Actor, film producer |
| Years active | 1976–present |
Robert J. Zdarsky (born June 3, 1950), better known as Robert Z’Dar, is an American actor and film producer, perhaps best known for his role as Matt Cordell in the cult horror film Maniac Cop and its two sequels. Due to his unusual facial structure, he is often referred to as "The Chin".
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[edit] Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Z'Dar is of Lithuanian descent. He first started acting while attending Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois. After high school, Z’Dar attended Arizona State University where he received a BFA. After graduation, Z'Dar returned to Chicago, for a time, where he was employed as a police officer.
[edit] Acting career
Eventually Z’Dar made his move to Hollywood, California to pursue a career in acting. In 1984, Z’Dar appeared in his first feature film, Joe Tornatore’s Code Name Zebra, 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) and Marching out of Time (1993) directed by Anton Vassil. Z’Dar's name became recognizable when he played Matt Cordell in 1988’s Maniac Cop, a film about a maniac in an NYPD cop uniform who brutally murders people.[1] Z'Dar repeated this role in both of its sequels (1990 and 1993).[2]
It was perhaps Z’Dar’s performance in Maniac Cop that landed him the role of "Face" in 1989’s Tango & Cash alongside action stars Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell.[3] 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. In 2005, he had a scene stealing role as a loveable thief in the independent film Spaced Out which was released by Ariztical Entertainment in 2009. As of January 2006 he has acted in seventy-six 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Hardy, Phil; Institute, British Film (1997). The BFI companion to crime. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 9780304332151. http://books.google.com/books?id=agfHUakbj5kC&pg=PA32. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ Newman, Kim (2011-05-10). Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen Since the 1960s. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 385. ISBN 9781408805039. http://books.google.com/books?id=cQEG83psnBQC&pg=PA385. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ Lindenmuth, Kevin J. (2002-01). The independent film experience: interviews with directors and producers. McFarland. p. 80. ISBN 9780786410750. http://books.google.com/books?id=xl6jii9wbzoC&pg=PA80. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
