--- description: The actor was known for his work in the 'Maniac Cop' movies and other cult films title: 'Maniac Cop' Actor Robert Z'Dar Dies at 64 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f4a2a59072cd959/6987862f5f570f6e84b1608d/robert-zdar.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [celebrities](/tag/celebrities/) ## celebrities Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Maniac Cop_ Actor Robert Z'Dar Dies at 64  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 1, 2015 11:40 AM CUT  Robert Z'dar attending the 2007 Chiller Theatre Convention at the Hilton Hotel on October 5, 2007 in Parsippany, New Jersey. Robert Z'dar attending the 2007 Chiller Theatre Convention at the Hilton Hotel on October 5, 2007 in Parsippany, New Jersey.Bobby Bank—WireImage  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 1, 2015 11:40 AM CUT Robert Z’Dar, the cult-film actor best known for his work in the _Maniac Cop_ series, [died Monday at age 64](http://www.pnj.com/story/entertainment/events/pensacon/2015/03/31/cult-actor-robert-zdar-dies-pensacola/70745990/ "undefined") after being hospitalized in Pensacola, Fla. Z’Dar, who was recovering from chest pains when he went into cardiac arrest, was in town to for [Pensacon](http://pensacon.com/ "undefined"), the city’s comic convention, the _Pensacola News Journal_ reports. “We talked every day,” longtime manager Jim Decker tells the _Journal_. “We’ve been together through thick and thin. He was the first actor I took on in my career as an agent. We spent many weekends on the road together and a lot of time enjoying each other’s company. I miss him dearly.” The man born Robert J. Zdarsky appeared in 121 films, at least one movie annually for 27 out of the past 29 years. In addition to the three _Maniac Cop_ films, he also appeared in _Mobsters, Tango & Cash,_ _Soultaker_ and _The Final Sanction_. He had TV roles on _Growing Pains_ and _The Flash._ Z’dar was recognizable due to his prominent chin, which often scored him roles as villains. Prior to becoming an actor, Z’Dar was on Arizona State University’s football team, played in a band called Nova Express and worked as a Chippendales dancer, Decker said. Z’Dar was due to film _Samurai Cop 2_, the sequel to the 1991 movie. \[[_Pensacola News Journal_](http://www.pnj.com/story/entertainment/events/pensacon/2015/03/31/cult-actor-robert-zdar-dies-pensacola/70745990/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/"},"headline":"Maniac Cop Actor Robert Z'Dar Dies at 64","datePublished":"2015-04-01T11:40:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:36:24.039Z","description":"He appeared in more than 100 films in his lifetime","url":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/","keywords":["celebrities","movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f4a2a59072cd959/6987862f5f570f6e84b1608d/robert-zdar.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5f4a2a59072cd959/6987862f5f570f6e84b1608d/robert-zdar.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"2007 Chiller Theatre Convention","caption":"2007 Chiller Theatre Convention","creditText":"Bobby Bank—WireImage","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/","name":"Maniac Cop Actor Robert Z'Dar Dies at 64"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Best TV Dads","description":"The Best TV Dads","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/6dNnDwSX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-13T20:29:42.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/6dNnDwSX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/","duration":"PT1M54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3766780/robert-zdar-dies-maniac-cop/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```