Just as John Wayne is the undisputed king of the Western, Billy Zabka will always be "that total prick" from Back to School and The Karate Kid. It is his sour-faced performance in the latter film, of course, that truly sets him apart from his cocky peers. His tan, athletic, blond good looks, paired with that smirky, smug facial expression—not to mention his unparalleled ability to spew lines like "You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you, you little twerp? Well, now you're gonna pay!"—made him the perfect choice to receive his very public comeuppance via a crane kick to the nose, courtesy of bullied wuss Ralph Macchio. Surprisingly, Zabka, now 40, has spent much of the past two decades playing good guys in a string of B movies you've never seen (Python 2, anyone?). He was even nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for Most, an uplifting short film he cowrote and coproduced. Could it be that the ultimate bad guy has finally made good?
Congratulations—you've earned the top spot on our list.
It's a real honor.
Why do you think you were cast as the bully?
It's beyond me. Prior to The Karate Kid, I did commercials—Kool-Aid, Pepsi, milk—and I had always been cast as the all-American nice guy. The funny turn is that now what I'm known for are these assholes.
Has it affected your life?
I spend a lot of time having to say, "Dude, I'm an actor." People talk to me for a little bit and say, "Hey, you're actually a cool guy. I thought you'd be somewhat of an asshole." And if you're really tired or don't have time for them, they go, "See, you really are a dick!" It's taxing.
Ever get in a fight because of the roles you played?
Back when I was maybe 19, guys would go, "I can kick your butt!" So I had a few showdowns. To my advantage, I learned martial arts, and what you really learn is not to fight.
Were you ever a bully in real life?
Not at all. Well, actually, I was a wrestler in high school. One tournament, I ended up in the finals. For two hours, I stalked this kid around the gym, just staring him down and trying to intimidate him before our match. But when they called us out for the match, another guy came out. I realized I was staring down the wrong guy.
Do people still recognize you?
All the time. I had a birthday at the Friars Club the other night. I didn't know that anyone knew I'd be there. But they made a huge deal of it. They sang "Happy Birthday," and instead of saying my name they sang "Sweep the Leg, Johnny."
You didn't win at the Oscars, but what was your speech going to be?
I was going to say, "It's nice to get an award for writing and producing. But what I really want to be is an actor." And then I was going to go into a slow crane kick and just hold it there.
I can't help but point out that Billy Zabka is remarkably close to Bully Zabka.
Strangely, when I was a kid, my first acting job, at 5 years old, was a performance of The Three Little Pigs. They cast me as the Big Bad Wolf. The first thing I ever did, and right out of the gate I was "that guy."
How'd you do?
Good. I blew the house down.