Actor / Director Profile

Robert Z'Dar was born Robert J. Zdarsky on June 3rd, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. He caught the acting bug while attending Proviso West High School in Hillside. He received a BFA from Arizona State University. Prior to acting Z'Dar was a singer/keyboardist/guitar player for the Chicago-based rock band Nova Express, which performed as an opening act for such groups as Jefferson Airplane, the Who and the Electric Prunes. Other early jobs include a jingle writer for the Leo Burnett and J. Walter Thompson ad agencies, a Chicago police officer, and even a brief stint as a Chippendales dancer. Big, brawny and imposing, with an enormous face, gigantic jaw and a massive, muscular physique, the hulking 6'2" Z'Dar projects a strong, aggressive and intimidating screen presence that's ideally suited for the steady succession of mean, nasty and extremely scary larger-than-life villains he's often portrayed throughout the years since the mid 80s. Z'Dar made his film debut in "Code Name: Zebra." He achieved his greatest and most enduring cult movie fame as the vengeful, relentless and seemingly indestructible undead New York City police officer Matt Cordell in the immensely entertaining "Maniac Cop" pictures. Among Z'Dar's other memorable roles are a prison guard in the enjoyably sleazy "Hellhole," a crazed prostitute-murdering serial killer in "The Night Stalker" (this part directly led to Z'Dar being cast as Matt Cordell), a vicious criminal who savagely beats up Sylvestor Stallone in "Tango and Cash," the Angel of Death in "Soultaker," a smooth drug dealer in the delightfully outrageous "The Divine Enforcer," and Linnea Quigley's abusive husband in "The Rockville Slayer." A popular frequent guest at horror film conventions, Robert Z'Dar has also produced several movies and continues to act with pleasing regularity in a slew of features.