Born on February 24, 1966 in Chicago Illinois, Billy Zane is a noted actor and director best known for his role as Caledon Hockley, the fiancé of Rose, in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic. His other notable screen credits include Dead Calm, Twin Peaks, and The Phantom. The son of amateur actors, his ancestors were Greek-Americans, and his original surname Zanikopolous was anglicized to Zane by his grandparents. He was raised in the Greek Orthodox religion. He attended The American School in Switzerland for a year, after which he went to Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Finally, he went to Harand Camp of the Theater Arts in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
Billy Zane’s debut in the big screen was via Back to the Future, a sci-fi comedy. He played as one of Biff Tannen’s friends and henchmen. He reprised the role in the sequel Back to the Future II in 1989. In the same year, he played the psychotic villain in the thriller Dead Calm alongside Nicole Kidman. He acted in low-budget independent films in the 1990s, such as Megaville and Memphis Belle. H is other screen credits include the hit series Twin Peaks, Tombstone, Sniper, and Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight. In 1996, he played the iconic comic book hero in the big-budget action film The Phantom. He reportedly lifted weights for over a year and a half to do fit the physical requirements of the character.
In 1997, Billy Zane played the role of Rose’s slightly psychotic fiancé in Titanic. This earned him nominations for Best Villain in the MTV Movie and Screen Actors’ Guild awards. In 1998, he starred and produced a silent film called I Woke Up Early The Day I Died, a parody on bad filmmaking. He has also dabbled in directing, his first one being Big Kiss, a romantic comedy about two journalists. It was released in Sweden in 2004.
