Adrian Zmed

• Name — Adrian Zmed • Birth Name — Adrian George Zmed • Born — 14 March 1954 • Birthplace — Chicago, Illinois, U.S. • Occupation — Actor, singer and television personality • Years Active — 1978–present • Spouse — * Susan Wood (1995–?) • Children — 2

Zmed was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of three sons of George Zmed, later known as George Zmed-Smith (1916–2010), a Romanian Orthodox priest, who served from 1952 until his retirement in 1983, and his wife, Persida (née Golub) Zmed, later known as Sadie Smith (1923–2015). His father George was a Romanian American born in Chicago to Nicolae and Paraschiva (née Bălan), who had emigrated from Nagykomlós, Temes County, Hungary (now Comloșu Mare, Timiș County, Romania) in the early 20th century. At the age of five, George and his family went to Romania, where he was educated, and returned to the United States in November 1952. His mother Persida was born in Romania. George and Persida were married October 15, 1942, in Timișoara. The couple had three sons, in the following order: Cornel, Walter, and Adrian. Adrian graduated from Lane Tech High School in Chicago. He began playing football for the school's team until, when playing in 1968, he broke his leg which in turn punctured a major artery. He quit sports and began acting, appearing in his high school's production of Guys and Dolls. After being featured on a local TV show as one of Chicago's top high school performers, Zmed transferred to the Goodman School of Drama and began studying voice at the Chicago Conservatory of Music. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Goodman School of Drama.

Zmed's first major acting gig was the role of Johnny in the national touring company production of Grease. He later appeared in the Broadway musical three times, twice in the role of Danny. At 40, Zmed revived the role of Danny in the 1995 Broadway revival.

In 1978, Zmed made his television debut, appearing as Marty Decker in an episode of Starsky & Hutch. From there, he won the role of Socks Palermo in the short-lived television series Flatbush (1979). Following the show's cancellation, he was cast as Frankie Millardo in Goodtime Girls, which lasted one season (1980). He had guest roles on such series as Angie, I'm a Big Girl Now and Bosom Buddies, and made a guest appearance on An Evening at the Improv in 1982. Zmed reached celebrity status as Officer Romano in ABC's T. J. Hooker. He played Fred Feliciano in Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story (1984) and made guest appearances on a number of television shows throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Hotel, Empty Nest, Murder, She Wrote and Caroline in the City. After T.J. Hooker was cancelled by ABC in 1985, he was offered the job of host of Dance Fever for its final two seasons, replacing Deney Terrio. This left him unable to return to T.J. Hooker when it was later picked up by CBS. He has appeared as himself on VH1's I Love the '80s, Saturday Night Live and The Bozo Show. He appeared as Basil (the "floating head") on the soap opera Passions and participated in VH1's Confessions of a Teen Idol.

Following the huge success of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the movie version of Grease, Paramount Pictures quickly secured the rights to a sequel. Zmed was chosen to play one of the lead roles in Grease 2, Johnny Nogerelli, the new leader of the T-Birds gang. His performance led to other movie roles, including The Final Terror (1983) and Bachelor Party (1984). He appears in the film The Craving Heart (2006).

Zmed returned to stage work in the 1990s. In 1990, he appeared as the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Birmingham Theatre and as Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors at The Muny. He appeared as Nick Arnstein in the 1991 production of Funny Girl at the Long Beach Civic Light Opera. In 1992, he appeared Off-Broadway in the musical version of Eating Raoul as the title role. He headlined the musical Children of Eden at the Paper Mill Playhouse as Adam/Noah. He starred in three shows on Broadway: Falsettos (as Marvin), Blood Brothers (as the Narrator), and Grease (as Danny). He later appeared as Noah in the musical The Ark in New York City. Zmed played Billy Flynn in the 1999 US tour of Chicago. He played Nick in the short-lived play Surf the Musical at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas in 2012. He returned to Grease as Teen Angel in regional productions in 2006 and 2013. From January to August 2017, he starred as Georges in a UK tour of La Cage aux Folles.

Zmed provided the voiceover for Toth in the 2002 video game Star Wars Jedi Starfighter. He was also under contract from June 2008 to April 2009 with Princess Cruise Lines to perform Adrian Zmed, in Concert... aboard the Coral Princess and the Island Princess. In 2006, he filmed a 30-second public service announcement for the non-profit organization Dogs Deserve Better.

Zmed has been married three times. He married his high school sweetheart, Barbara Fitzner, in 1976. Their two sons, Zachary and Dylan, are rock musicians who have been members of the rock band The Janks and the Bird Dogs, an Everly Brothers tribute band. Zmed was briefly engaged to Tracee Grossman but their vast age difference led to their breakup. Soon after, Zmed married Broadway actress/singer Susan Wood in 1995; that marriage also ended in divorce. He married Lyssa Lynne Baker on October 5, 2012. They held another (smaller) wedding in Thailand on November 23, 2012. Zmed remains friends with his co-star and childhood television hero William Shatner. He spoke in a 2016 interview with Las Vegas Magazine about Shatner:

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1978 — Starsky & Hutch — Marty Decker — Episode: "Discomania" • 1979 — Flatbush — Socks Palermo — 6 episodes • 1979–80 — Angie — Maxie — Episodes: "The First Separation", "The Thief", "Marie Moves Out" • 1980 — Goodtime Girls — Frankie Millardo — 13 episodes • 1980 — For the Love of It — Fernando — TV movie • 1981 — I'm a Big Girl Now — Mechanic — Episode: "There's No Business Like Joe Business" • 1981 — Riker — Bobby — Episode: "Gun Run" • 1981 — Bosom Buddies — Joseph "Joey Midnight" Raybonz — Episode: "Best Friends" • 1982–85 — T. J. Hooker — Officer Vincent "Vince" Romano — 72 episodes • 1984 — Glitter — Tom — Episode: "Pilot" • 1984 — Victims for Victims: The Theresa Saldana Story — Fred Feliciano — TV movie • 1985–87 — Dance Fever — Himself (host) — 60 episodes • 1986 — Hotel — Bob — Episode: "Shadows of Doubt: Part 1" • 1986 — The Love Boat — Eddy Conrad — Episode: "Spain Cruise: Love's Labors Found" (Parts 1 & 2) • 1987 — Alfred Hitchcock Presents — Edgar Kraft — Episode: "When This Man Dies" • 1987 — You Are the Jury — Stanley Manning — Episode: "The State of Oregon vs. Stanley Manning" • 1987 — Hotel — Scott Osborne — Episode: "Dark Horses" • 1988 — Empty Nest — Gary — Episode: "Your Check Isn't in the Mail" • 1989 — Murder, She Wrote — Bert Firman — Episode: "From Russia...with Blood" • 1994 — Silk Stalkings — Calvin — Episode: "Judas Kiss" • 1998 — The Steve Harvey Show — Derrick Love — Episode: "White Men Can Funk" • 1998 — Storm Chasers: Revenge of the Twister — Smitty — TV movie • 1998 — Caroline in the City — Jonathan — Episode: "Caroline and the Rotten Plum" • 1999 — Diagnosis: Murder — Himself — Episode: "Trash TV: Part 2" • 2000 — Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show — Hook — Episode: "Hook, Whodunit?" • 2007 — Passions — Basil — 13 episodes • 2007 — Larry the Cable Guy's Christmas Spectacular — Dirty Caroler Dad — TV movie • 2013 — Outside the Box — Jack Torrence — Episode: "The Shining" • 2016 — Lady Dynamite — Himself — Episodes: "A Vaginismus Miracle", "Knife Feelings" • 2016 — Sharknado: The 4th Awakens — Himself — TV movie • 2018 — Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures — Randy Riff-Raff (voice) — Episode: "The Roadsterettes/Oh Happy Day"

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2002 — Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter — Toth (voice)