William Michael Zabka (/ˈzæbkə/; born October 20, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid (1984), The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and the TV series Cobra Kai (2018–present).
Ali Mills is a fictional character portrayed by Elisabeth Shue in The Karate Kid franchise, appearing in the original film The Karate Kid (1984), and a minor character in the third season of its sequel series Cobra Kai (2021).
It is the sixth film in The Karate Kid franchise and stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, both reprising their roles from previous films, with Ben Wang as the main lead alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight and Wyatt Oleff.
The Karate Kid: Daniel is the REAL Bully [J. Matthew Movies, Ep 3]
Does Will Smith own Karate Kid?
Sony owned the Karate Kid franchise when the first four movies were made, but Smith's production company Overbrook Entertainment acquired the rights to spearhead the 2010 Karate Kid.
Ralph Macchio was 22 when he played the teenage underdog Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid, even though the character was 17. Macchio aged two years between The Karate Kid Part II and The Karate Kid Part III, with the actor being 24 during filming.
Originally slated to arrive in June 2024, the release date was first delayed to December where it stayed for some time. Unfortunately, due to strike-related delays which sidetracked the filming of Cobra Kai season 6, Karate Kid will now be released on May 30, 2025.
Apart from four jiu-jitsu lessons when I was 10, I had no martial arts experience. Before filming, I was trained in Okinawan Gōjū-ryū karate by Pat E Johnson, who coordinated the fight scenes and played the head referee in the tournament at the end of the film.
The Karate Kid was reexamined from the other side's perspective in a now-viral YouTube video, which suggests that Daniel – and not Johnny – was the bully responsible for the events that unfolded in the 1984 classic.
The titular character, originally named Danny Webber, was renamed Daniel LaRusso to suit Macchio's Italian-American heritage. In the film, Daniel is a New Jersey kid who has just relocated to California and is suffering at the hands of a gang of boys who are part of a local karate school called Cobra Kai.
Why does Mr Miyagi call Daniel "Daniel-san"? In the Japanese language, -san is a polite title that is used after a person's name, the equivalent of Mr., Mrs., or Miss. Daniel could just as easily refer to Mr Miyagi as "Miyagi-san".
Ali also gives her version of the events that led to her breakup with Daniel: she reconnected with an old friend of hers at prom and Daniel overreacted to what he saw, though she admits she egged on the situation in the heat of the moment.
After Robyn Lively was cast as Jessica Andrews in The Karate Kid Part III in 1988, producers were forced to modify her role of protagonist Daniel LaRusso's new love interest because Lively was only 16 at the time of filming and still a minor, while Ralph Macchio was 27 (although his character Daniel is 17).
Many of our instructors began training when they were still too young to go to school — but that's not a requirement! The truth is that it's never too late to start training in the martial arts because you're never too old to learn something new! In fact, it's great for the brain to take on new challenges at any age.
There is no exact age range to pick up a martial art. Some people start at a very young age, some people don't start until they are older. It all depends on your own personal schedule, how much you want to dedicate to training, and most importantly, whether you have the desire to begin learning.
The Next Karate Kid is a 1994 American martial arts drama film directed by Christopher Cain, produced by Jerry Weintraub, and written by Mark Lee. It serves as the fourth installment in the Karate Kid franchise, following The Karate Kid Part III (1989).
Personal life. Macchio was introduced to his future wife, Phyllis Fierro, by his grandmother when he was 15. They got married on April 5, 1987, and have two children. Fierro is a nurse practitioner.
The Karate Kid follows Daniel LaRusso (Macchio), a teenager taught karate by Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to help defend himself and compete in a tournament against his bullies. The first clip, 'Wax on, Wax off' — starts off with an important line by Mr.
The prized pupil of Cobra Kai's sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove), Johnny hated Daniel from the moment they met when LaRusso became romantically interested in Johnny's ex-girlfriend, Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue), at a beach party.
Both Macchio and Zabka agreed it is up to the fans to decide who is the bad guy in this franchise and stated both Johnny and Daniel have their evil moments in both Karate Kid and Cobra Kai.
In the All-Valley Tournament, it was Daniel LaRusso who famously won by beating Johnny Lawrence. However, that wasn't the only competition that Daniel won. In The Karate Kid III, he went up against Mike Barnes in the All-Valley Tournament and took first place trophy home once more.
