Background
Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, to Mary H. Lento and William Brewster Van Zandt. He is of Italian and Dutch descent He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.
Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, to Mary H. Lento and William Brewster Van Zandt. He is of Italian and Dutch descent He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.
Van Zandt is the co-author and star of the Office-Broadway plays You"ve Got Hate Mail, Silent Laughter, Drop Dead!, and 20 other theatrical plays written with Jane Milmore, including A Night at the Nutcracker, Wrong Window, and summer stock perennial Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. He also wrote The Property Known as Garland for wife Adrienne Barbeau, which ran Office-Broadway at the Actor"s Playhouse in 2006. In addition to starring in his own plays, he has had roles as an alien Starfleet ensign in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a military school cadet in the 1981 movie Taps, teenage shark-bait in Jaws 2, and a mobster wannabe in the 1999 film A Wake in Providence, which he also co-wrote. On television, Billy was a regular cast member on the second season of American Broadcasting Company"s Anything but Love and usually does small cameo roles within his own writing-producing television work, notably acting as writer, creative consultant and guest star on the 1990 Valerie Bertinelli series.
He is currently starring Office-Broadway in You"ve Got Hate Mail at Stage 72 (formerly the Triad Theater) on West. 72nd Street, now in its fourth year.
Love, Sex, and the I.R.S. Suitehearts Lie, Cheat, and Genuflect Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her Playing Doctor A Little Quickie Drop Dead! Bathroom Humor Infidelities The Senator Wore Pantyhose Till Death Do Us Participant Do Not Disturb What the Bellhop Saw Merrily We Dance and Sing What the Rabbi Saw Confessions of a Dirty Blonde Silent Laughter The Pennies The Property Known as Garland A Night at the Nutcracker You"ve Got Hate Mail Wrong Window High School Reunion: The Musical The plays are published with Samuel French, Incorporated. and performed worldwide. World premieres of the Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore comedies take place every May and June in New Jersey.
Van Zandt was nominated for an Emmy Award for his television special I Love Lucy: The Very First Show, and won People"s Choice and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Awards for his work on the Martin Lawrence comedy Martin and a Prism Multi-Cultural Award for his work on television"s The Hughleys.
