Studied acting at the American School in Switzerland.
SPOUSE:
Lisa Collins (Divorced)
BILLY ZANE, a respected actor whose services are in constant demand, first gained recognition and critical praise for his riveting performance as "Hughie Warriner", in Warner Pros. suspense thriller Dead Calm.
Zane moved to Hollywood after high school to pursue an acting career. Just three weeks later, he was cast in the hit film, Back to the Future as one of Biff's bullies (he reprised his role for the sequel). After a small role in the feature film, Critters, Zane landed a starring role in the 1986 television movie, The Brotherhood of Justice with Kiefer Sutherland. In addition, Zane portrayed the serial killer, "Kenneth Bianchi" in the highly-acclaimed NBC movie, Two of a Kind: The Case of the Hillside Stranglers. He also starred in six episodes of David Lynch's internationally acclaimed series, Twin Peaks.
The actor recently starred in Universal Pictures' Demon Knight, the irreverent, humorous tale of demonic possession, from the Emmy® Award winning television series, Tales From the Crypt. He also recently starred with Mimi Rogers in the critically acclaimed art-house film, Reflections on a Crime. Zane will next be seen starring in the environmental thriller, Danger Zone, which was filmed on location in South Africa. The movie re-teams Zane with Robert Downey Jr., whom he starred with in Norman Jewison's romantic comedy, Only You, along with Marisa Tomei. Often called upon to play an array of heavies, Zane relished the opportunity to perform in the light-hearted comedy.
Billy Zane has the uncanny ability to play engrossing characters with an atypical attitude. This feature inspired director, Mario Van Peeble's to seek out Zane to play his arch enemy in Gramercy Pictures' Posse, a western focusing on the black cowboy in the post civil-war era. As Col. Graham, Zane treated audiences to a stylized, campy villain.
He starred as "Shalmerdine" in Sony Classic's critically acclaimed film Orlando, from Virginia Wolfs classic novel. Shot in exotic locations around the world, this film which was a European and American co-venture proved that you can make an extraordinary film without a huge studio budget.
His diverse characterizations include a starring role in the Tri Star political/actioner, Sniper with Tom Berenger. Billy starred as Olympic marksman "Richard Miller," a young, ambitious National Security Council official sent to the jungles of Panama on a sniper mission. While there, he was faced with the moral dilemma of killing realmen, (instead of shooting at targets) for the first time.
In 1991, Zane starred in IRS's hip whodunit, Blood and Concrete - A Love Story. Set in Hollywood's seedy underground, Zane brought his crack comedic timing to the main character, "Joey Turks," a hapless hood with a knack for being in the wrong place a the wrong time. The film continues to play in art-houses around the country.
Zane's theatre credits include performances of "American Music" at the Second Stage Theatre and "The Boys in the Backroom" with Tim Robbins' experimental group, The Actor's Gang.
Zane stared in the title role of Paramount Picture's big budget actioner, The Phantom, adapted from the popular comic character, in the Summer of 1996. His most widely noticed work to date is as "Cal" in the blockbuster film Titanic, also from Paramount.
Billy Zane is divorced from actress Lisa Collins, and currently resides in Los Angeles.