William Zabka’s character Johnny in Cobra Kai has a tumultuous relationship with his son, Robby Keene. However, when it comes to real life, William Zabka is a devoted and loving father, raising his kids with the utmost commitment.
Talking about his time with his kids, Zabka said, “We play some baseball, we’re swimming, we’re surfing, we’re going camping. It’s the real life, it’s what means the most to me.”
Zabka and his wife, Stacie, have a son and a daughter, and the couple is very protective of their children, who have been shielded from the public eye.
Despite his fame, William Zabka has successfully kept his kids’ information private, so much so that others don’t even know his children’s names and haven’t seen their faces yet, ensuring they grow up away from the limelight.
William Zabka’s kids haven’t seen his famous film, The Karate Kid, and he didn’t want them to either!
William Michael Zabka, 59, born on October 20, 1965, in New York City, gained international fame with the 1984 classic The Karate Kid for his role as Johnny Lawrence.
Despite it being the career-defining project of his life, Zabka didn’t want his kids to see The Karate Kid while they were still young because the movie depicted him as a bully.
Talking about it on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Zabka said, “I wasn’t ready to show my kids me being mean, kicking a guy’s ass against a fence and then getting a crane kick in the end.”
Zabka has had a remarkable resurgence in popularity recently with the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai, in which his character, Johnny Lawrence, has a fractured relationship with his son, Robby Keene, after years of neglect and absence.
Although he takes his kids to the sets of the show frequently, Zabka never urges them to watch it, as he doesn’t want any bad influence to fall on them.
Regarding the language on the show, Zabka added, “They haven’t watched the show but they’ve been on set. I had some nice colorful words to say. I had to come off and say, ‘Hey, just because Johnny says that doesn’t mean we get to say that at our dinner table.’”
In contradiction to the show, Zabka values the time he spends with his family and prioritizes being an involved and supportive parent.
Additional Information
- William Zabka has ventured into writing and producing, earning an Academy Award nomination for co-writing and producing the short film ‘Most’ in 2003.
- His father, Stan Zabka, is a director, writer, and composer, while his mother, Nancy Zabka, is a producer and production assistant.
- Zabka has 53 acting credits on IMDb, including ‘How I Met Your Mother’, ‘Back to School’, and ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’.