Dubuque can boast a few famous sons and daughters who've made their mark in Hollywood: Kate Mulgrew, Tony Danza and Don Ameche immediately spring to mind.
But one who was a little more under the radar was a living legend who adopted the tri-states as his home and claimed the people here as family.
Robert Zdarsky, better known by his stage name Robert Z'Dar, was born June 3, 1950, in Chicago and passed away due to cardiac arrest on Monday, March 30, in Pensacola, Fla. He was 64.
Zdarsky had been battling health issues for several years, including a fight with throat cancer that he ultimately won. He was visiting Pensacola to attend a comic book convention named Pensacon.
"Even when he was sick, when he was down, he still had this way of looking forward," said Bryce Parks, who counted himself as a friend. Parks met Zdarsky through an article he wrote about him for 365 Ink, and would often help him get around town when his health didn't allow him to drive.
"He was never, 'You know, things are bad.' He was always, 'We're going to get past this. We're going to do a movie here, we're going to make an appearance there,' whatever the next positive thing was what he was looking forward to."
Making appearances and making movies were passions for Zdarsky who has 120 acting credits on www.IMDb.com.
The role he was perhaps best known for was the 1988 movie, "Maniac Cop," where he played the titular maniac cop, Matt Cordell. It was an emblematic role, as Zdarsky made a name for himself in cult film circles as a B-movie character actor with a large, prominent chin and penchant for playing bad guys.
"He was so devoted to his craft and what he did," said Val Voshell, the sister of Zdarsky's wife Christy Voshell. "He loved acting, he was good at it and he was generous to anybody who wanted to know about it."
Other notable credits in his career include a role in "Tango & Cash," opposite Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell; playing the grim reaper in "Soultaker," which was featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000;" and "High on the Hog," a film that is yet to be released and was shot in Elizabeth, Ill.
Recommended for you
"I was a wardrobe assistant, but in a small film like that, you end up doing a lot of things," said Crescentia Volz, who worked with Zdarsky on the set of "High on the Hog." "He was just such a great guy. He could be a bit gruff -- he told it like it was -- but he was always a really, really nice guy to me; really sweet."
Zdarsky ended up moving first to East Dubuque, Ill., then to Dubuque because he had met a local girl, Christy, whom he married. At the time of his passing, she was living with her son in Pueblo, Colo.
Zdarsky "came in and kind of claimed" his wife's family from the beginning.
"When we first met him, he came to a dinner at our house," Val said. "Afterward, we all went to the living room, and Bobby's (college) major was music. We have a motley crew: Some of us play instruments, and some of us know nothing about music. But within 20 minutes, he had us all singing in harmony. It was a Neil Young song, 'Down by the River.'"
It was a personal example of the charisma that Zdarsky brought exuded in everyday life, no matter where he was, how his health was affecting him or whom he was around.
"One of the things I really loved about Bobby, I could be with Bobby out shopping in the store, and he had a way of going into character at any time, any place, on the spot," said Andrea Shireman, mother of Val and Christy. "And, you just had to be ready for this because as soon as he'd walk up to line to pay for something, he'd have some off-the-wall little thing going on in his head, and he would address the clerk or whoever like he'd known them all their lives. And, they responded."
Zdarsky had a huge cache of stories about his time "in the business," according to friends and family. He also cultivated a variety of interests outside of acting, which included weight training, music (he played in the band Nova Express, which opened for The Who and Jefferson Airplane), cooking and religion.
"He was a Catholic," said Brian Lau, Val's fiance and a friend of Zdarsky. "He'd pray beforehand, every time he'd eat. He went to church on Sunday whenever he could, at the Cathedral. Another thing was, I'd go over (to his house) often, and he'd be writing a check to St. Jude Children's Hospital. He was a very charitable guy."
To his fans, he was a massive screen presence, standing at a muscular 6 feet, 2 inches. To the many actors, actresses and film crew he worked with he was a professional who loved his job and the people he worked with. To his family, he was a generous man filled with stories and good cheer.
"His family, they're name was Zdarsky," Val said. "And, I said, 'What does that mean, Bobby?' And, he said, 'The meaning of my name is from the stars. Zdarsky means from the stars.' And, that was the perfect name for him."
