- Born
- Birth nameWilliam Van Zandt
- Nickname
- BVZ
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Billy Van Zandt and his writing partner, the late Jane Milmore, are two of the most often produced playwrights in the world. Billy and Jane met at a high school acting competition in their home state of New Jersey. Together for 46 years, they wrote and starred in 25 plays together, including the international hit comedy "You've Got Hate Mail;" Off-Broadway's tribute to slapstick comedy "Silent Laughter;" cult favorite ""Drop Dead"; the Marx Bros. musical "A Night at the Nutcracker;" and the summer stock stock perennial "Love, Sex, and the IRS." Billy's solo play "The Property Known as Garland" starring his ex-wife Adrienne Barbeau broke box office records at Off-Broadway's Actors Playhouse. The plays have been produced in thousands of theaters worldwide, including two productions directed by Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis ("Billy and Jane are funny, outrageous, off-the chart writers/performers") and one by film legend Burt Reynolds. For television, these award-winning writers have produced over three hundred hours of television comedy, including "Newhart;" "Martin," which won them a People's Choice Award; "The Hughley's," which won them a Prism Award;" "Suddenly Susan" for Brooke Shields; "Daddy Dearest" for Don Rickles and Richard Lewis; "Anything But Love" for Jamie Lee Curtis and Richard Lewis; "The Wayans Bros."; and "I Love Lucy: The Very First Show" which won them an Emmy nomination. As an actor, Billy made his film debut in "Jaws 2"; and has co-starred with George C Scott, Tim Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Giancarlo Esposito, Evan Handler, Karl Malden, Mrs. Maisel, That Girl Lay Lay, and the crew of the USS Enterprise. Billy lives in Los Angeles, when he's not touring the world in the last Van Zandt/Milmore musical, "The Boomer Boys Musical."- IMDb Mini Biography By: Van Zandt/Milmore Productions
- SpousesTeresa Ganzel(September 12, 2021 - present)Adrienne Barbeau(December 31, 1992 - 2018) (divorced, 2 children)
- RelativesSteven Van Zandt(Half Sibling)
- Brother of Steven Van Zandt ("Soprano's", "Lillehammer," Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band).
- Has identical twin sons, William Dalton and Walker Steven (born March 17, 1997) with his ex-wife, Adrienne Barbeau. Younger brother of rocker and "Sopranos" star "Miami" "Little Steven" Steven Van Zandt.
- Was a lifelong fan of actress Lucille Ball.
- Co-author (with Jane Milmore) of 25 theatrical plays published worldwide with Samuel French, Inc. including off-Broadway comedies "You've Got Hate Mail," "Silent Laughter", "The Property Known as Garland," "Drop Dead", "Confessions of a Dirty Blonde," "The Boomer Boys Musical," and "Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.".
- Played "Alien Boy" (known as a Rhaandarite) in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and then in the movie Taps (starring a young Tom Cruise), his character Bug was a Trekkie.
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