| Billy Van Zandt | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Van Zandt December 13, 1957 Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, Director, Playwright |
| Spouse | Adrienne Barbeau, 1992-present |
| Children | twin sons William and Walker, born 1997 |
William "Billy" Van Zandt (born December 13, 1957) is an American playwright and actor.
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Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, the son of 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 his wife, actress Maureen Van Zandt. He married actress Adrienne Barbeau 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).
Van Zandt is the author of the Off-Broadway play The Property Known as Garland and coauthor and star of 23 other theatrical plays written with Jane Milmore, including the Off-Broadway comedies You've Got Hate Mail, Silent Laughter, A Night at the Nutcracker, Drop Dead, and summer stock perennial Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. He is known for his mixture of broad slapstick-style comedy and adult humor.
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 an alien Starfleet ensign in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a military school cadet in the 1981 movie Taps, teenage shark-bait in Jaws 2, 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. Most recently, he wrote and produced Jack and Janet Save the Planet with Jane Milmore for the Disney Channel.
He is currently starring Off-Broadway in You've Got Hate Mail at the Triad Theater on W. 72nd Street.[4]
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.
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