Billy Zane

Born: February 24 1966
Where: Chicago, Illinois, USA

The actor has played roles ranging from the seaborne serial killer in the thriller Dead Calm to Kate Winslet's selfish fiance in Titanic.

Born to parents who ran a medical school, he was making Super-8 videos as a child before enrolling at Wisconsin's Harrand Camp of the Theatre Arts.

After attending the American School in Switzerland he went to Chicago's Francis Parker High School, where his classmates included Daryl Hannah and Jennifer Beals.

Upon graduation, he moved to California and within three weeks won his debut (uncredited) role alongside Michael J Fox in Back To The Future.

After appearing in Critters he was cast as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing - but lost the role when director Emile Ardolino realised her couldn't dance.

However, he made a brutal impression in 1989's Dead Calm alongside Sam Neill and Nicole Kidman and went on to star in WWII drama Memphis Belle.

Subsequent appearances included the romantic drama Orlando, and the westerns Posse and Tombstone before he played the lead in the family adventure The Phantom in 1996.

The following year he was cast as Cal Hockley in Titanic and he went on to memorably play a neo-Nazi leader in the controversial The Believer.

In 2004, he made his directorial feature debut with the action comedy Big Kiss as well as starring in John Sayles' political thriller Silver City.