Another Chicago native, Zane attended Francis Parker High School where the lucky bugger’s classmates included Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals. He soon moved to California, and within three weeks his brooding dark features won him the role of Match, Biff’s matchstick-chewing stooge.
Soon after BACK TO THE FUTURE, Billy was cast as Johnny Castle in DIRTY DANCING, though during a rehearsal it became clear that he had about as much rythm as an uncoordinated orang-utan, and the role went to Patrick Swayze instead. Zane soon bounced back, to play the charming psychopath Hughie Warriner in the excellent DEAD CALM. Unfortunately, he was unable to capitalise on the success of that film, and nearly flushed it down the toilet as the Phantom in the lacklustre comic book adaptation of THE PHANTOM. He did appear in the biggest film of the ’90s, TITANIC, playing the dastardly, Picasso-hating Cal Hockley. The 21st ccentury has seen Zane reach his ’90s heights of fame, but he has worked continuously and there is still hope of a Billy Zane comeback.