An American actor, producer, and artist, William George Zane Jr, popularly known as Billy Zane was born on February 24, 1966, in Chicago, Illinois, the US to Thalia and William George Zane Sr, both professional actors. His parents are of Greek descent. He also has an elder sister, Lisa Zane, who is an actress and singer.
After completing a year abroad in Switzerland at The American School (TASIS), he graduated from the Francis W Parker School and attended Harand Camp of the Theater Arts which is located in Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin.
Speaking about his career, it was in the 1980s, that he bagged his first starring roles in an independent film, Megaville following which in the same year in 1990, he co-starred in the film, Memphis Belle. At the same time, he also forayed into television work, and then in 1991, he appeared as John Justice Wheeler in multiple episodes of the hit show, Twin Peaks.
In 1992, he co-starred in the film adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando following which in 1993, he was seen in many other works including Tombstone, Sniper, and Only You. In addition to that, he was seen in many other films like I Woke Up Early the Day I Died and the TV movie, Cleopatra. In the same year, he also gave voice to the character of John Rolfe in Disney’s Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World and Etrigan the Demon in an episode of The New Batman Adventures.
Next in the 2000s, Zane was seen win the critically acclaimed film, The Believer which also went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001. He then also appeared on Broadway in Chicago where he was seen in the role of a lawyer titled Billy Flynn. He also had a recurring role in the TV series, Charmed following which he gave the voice to the 2002 video game, Kingdom Hearts. He is also the principal at RadioactiveGiant, which is a film and television production and distribution company.
In 2012, he starred in the action/thriller film, The Kill Hole, and in January 2017 he was seen in a commercial for KFC as a gold-coloured Colonel Sanders. He also appeared in an episode of Community, season 6’s ‘Advanced Safety Features’.
Over the following years, he was seen in films like Zoolander 2, Dead Rising: Endgame, The Adventure Club, Samson, The Great War, Ghosts of War, Guest House, and many others. Speaking about his television career, some of his other shows are Red Clover, Robot Chicken, Community, Mad Dogs, Legends of Tomorrow, and Deception. The Boys, and many others.
Talking about his personal life, he got married to actress Lisa Collins in 1989 but got divorced in 1995. He was also engaged to Chilean actress Leonor Varela and British model-turned-actress Kelly Brook. However, they broke up soon after that too.
Later, he started dating American model Candice Neil and got engaged to her. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter Ava Catherine in 2011 and then their second daughter, Gia in 2014.
Name | William George Zane Jr. |
Nick Name | Billy Zane |
Profession | Actor, Producer |
Date of Birth | February 24, 1966 |
Age | 56 years old (in 2022) |
Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
Nationality | American |
Hometown | N/A |
School | The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) Francis W. Parker School Harand Camp of the Theater Arts |
Collage | N/A |
Debut | Back to the Future (1985) |
Religion | Greece |
Zodiac Sign | Pisces |

Billy Zane Career
Quick Tour
- It was in the 1980s, that he bagged his first starring roles in an independent film, Megaville following which in the same year in 1990, he co-starred in the film, Memphis Belle.
- At the same time, he also forayed into television work, and then in 1991, he appeared as John Justice Wheeler in multiple episodes of the hit show, Twin Peaks.
- In 1992, he co-starred in the film adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando following which in 1993, he was seen in many other works including Tombstone, Sniper, and Only You.
- In addition to that, he was seen in many other films like I Woke Up Early the Day I Died and the TV movie, Cleopatra.
- In the same year, he also gave voice to the character of John Rolfe in Disney’s Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World and Etrigan the Demon in an episode of The New Batman Adventures.
- Next in the 2000s, Zane was seen win the critically acclaimed film, The Believer which also went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001.
- He then also appeared on Broadway in Chicago where he was seen in the role of a lawyer titled Billy Flynn.
- He also had a recurring role in the TV series, Charmed following which he gave the voice to the 2002 video game, Kingdom Hearts.
- He is also the principal at RadioactiveGiant, which is a film and television production and distribution company.
- In 2012, he starred in the action/thriller film, The Kill Hole, and in January 2017 he was seen in a commercial for KFC as a gold-coloured Colonel Sanders.
- He also appeared in an episode of Community, season 6’s ‘Advanced Safety Features’.
- Over the following years, he was seen in films like Zoolander 2, Dead Rising: Endgame, The Adventure Club, Samson, The Great War, Ghosts of War, Guest House, and many others.
- Speaking about his television career, some of his other shows are Red Clover, Robot Chicken, Community, Mad Dogs, Legends of Tomorrow, and Deception. The Boys, and many others.
Billy Zane Family
Father Name | William George Zane, Sr. |
Mother Name | Thalia Zane |
Brother | N/A |
Sister | N/A |
Wife | Candice Neil (2010–), Lisa Collins (m. 1989–1995) |
Billy Zane Relationship / Marital Status & Many More
Billy Zane married actress Lisa Collins on April 2, 1989. The couple got divorced in 1995 after six years of marriage. After his divorce, Billy had been engaged to Chilean actress Leonor Varela, who played the titular role in ‘Cleopatra’, and British model and actress Kelly Brook.
In 2010, Billy Zane met with American model Candice Neil. The couple started dating and have two daughters together, Ava Catherine (born 2011) and Gia (born 2014). The couple got engaged in April 2013, but had to put the wedding plans on hold due to Candice being pregnant with Gia at the time.
Marital Status | Divorced |
Affairs / Girlfriend | Candice Neil |
Wife/ Spouse | Lisa Collins (M. 1989–1995) |
Marriage date | April 2, 1989 |
Marriage Place | N/A |
Children | Ava Catherine (born 2011) and Gia (born 2014)![]() |

Billy Zane Physical Stats
Height | 6 feet 0 inches (1.84 m) |
Weight | 84 kg (185 lbs) |
Eye Color | Light Brown |
Hair Color | Bald |
Billy Zane Favourite
Favourite Actor | N/A |
Favourite Actress | N/A |
Favourite Song | N/A |
Favourite Hobbies | Swimming, Listening to Music |
Favourite Movie | N/A |
Favourite Cuisine | N/A |
Favourite Color | N/A |
Favourite Sport | N/A |
Favourite Destination | N/A |
Billy Zane Education
School | The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) Francis W. Parker School Harand Camp of the Theater Arts |
Collage | N/A |
Educational Qualification | Graduate |
Billy Zane’s Net Worth
Net Worth | N/A |
Salary | N/A |
Income Source | N/A |
Car Collection | N/A |
Some Unknown facts about Billy Zane
- The actor was also seen in the hit film, Titanic.
- He is a swimming enthusiast and has been shaving his head since 1997 for aerodynamics.