- He was not at all experienced in martial arts prior to the filming of The Karate Kid (1984). He was actually an accomplished wrestler. However, in the years since, he has earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do.
- Speaks Czech fluently. The Czech translation of his surname (pronounced "zhuh-b-kuh") is "little frog".
- His paternal grandfather was Czech, while his paternal grandmother was born in Nebraska to Czech parents. William's mother is of German ancestry.
- His parents are: Stanley William Zabka, a director/writer/composer whose credits include the Chuck Norris movie Forced Vengeance (1982); and Nancy Heimert, a business-liaison/producer/PA. William grew up with two siblings: brother Guy; and sister Judy. Both siblings are accomplished singers, musicians and songwriters...as is WZ himself, who plays guitar and piano.
- Best known by the public for his role as Johnny Lawrence, the main villain of John G. Avildsen's classic The Karate Kid (1984) and the web television series Cobra Kai (2018).
- He and Diora Baird played husband and wife in Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), and eight years later, they played ex-husband and wife and parents to Tanner Buchanan's character in Cobra Kai (2018).
- In Just One Of The Guys, his character's girlfriend goes after a guy (actually a girl dressed as a guy) that she says looks like "The Karate Kid" (aka Ralph Macchio) who was William's foe in The Karate Kid.
- Viewed acting as a hobby until the age of 14, when he first viewed it as a potential career.
- Made his screen debut at the age of five: his father Stanley, then an associate director of 'The Tonight Show'" and a staff director at NBC, directed a documentary which focused on Vietnam soldiers...and which WZ briefly appeared in.
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