John LaZar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John LaZar (born May 22, 1946) is a classically trained American actor of both stage and screen.

LaZar grew up in San Francisco, California and is of Mediterranean and Native American heritage. He is best remembered for his lead role as Ronnie 'Z-man' Barzell in the 1970s Russ Meyer film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). His character in the film is a Svengali-type pop music producer who speaks in Shakespearean-sounding sentences and whose eccentricities descend into a drug-induced, deranged lunacy in the film's climax.

LaZar would also appear as Cal McKinney in Supervixens (1974), also by Russ Meyer, and Roger Corman's DeathStalker Two.

A veteran of many Shakespearean stage productions and well-respected acting schools, Lazar is also a martial arts expert and schooled fencer.