Tony O'Dell
Tony O’Dell (born January 30, 1960) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Cobra Kai member Jimmy in the 1984 film The Karate Kid, and the second season of its spinoff Cobra Kai (the 2018 YouTube web series based on the adult lives of the Karate Kid characters), and as preppy Alan Pinkard on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class (1986–91).
Tony O'Dell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Anthony Dell'Aquila January 30, 1960 Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
Early life and career edit
O'Dell was born Anthony Dell'Aquila in Pasadena, California, and graduated from St. Francis High School.[1] His first television appearance was the 1978 Halloween episode of the NBC television series CHiPs, titled "Trick or Trick." He later appeared in the short lived 1985 CBS science fiction series Otherworld, as Trace Sterling. One of his longest roles was of high school student Alan Pinkard on the ABC sitcom Head of the Class (1986–91). He later appeared in Suddenly Susan, The George Lopez Show, and K.C. Undercover.
In 1984, he portrayed Cobra Kai member Jimmy, in the first two Karate Kid films, and appeared in the 2007 music video for the song Sweep the Leg by No More Kings as a caricature of himself and Jimmy from The Karate Kid.[2][3] O'Dell reprised the role of Jimmy during the 2019 Season 2 YouTube web series Cobra Kai.[4]
Selected filmography edit
Movies edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff | Student | |
| 1980 | Falling in Love Again | Donny Lewis (Present day) | |
| 1981 | Rivals | Student | |
| 1983 | Hadley's Rebellion | Dorm Boy | |
| 1984 | The Karate Kid | Jimmy | |
| 1985 | Evils of the Night | Billy | |
| 1986 | Chopping Mall | Ferdy Meisel | |
| The Karate Kid Part II | Jimmy |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | CHiPs | Teenager | 1 Episode, Trick or Treat |
| 1979 | Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo | Additional Voices | |
| 1980 | Fridays | Boy (Uncredited) | 1 Episode, #1.2 |
| Eight Is Enough | Scott | 1 Episode, Finally Grad Night | |
| Family | Howard | 1 Episode, Letting Go | |
| 1981 | Dynasty | Christopher | 4 Episodes |
| ABC Weekend Specials | Tommy | 1 Episode, The Puppy Saves the Circus | |
| 1982 | The Scooby & Scrappy-Doo/Puppy Hour | Tommy | |
| 1983 | The Puppy's Further Adventures | Tommy | |
| 1984 | Lottery! | 1 Episode, Miami: Sharing | |
| 1985 | Otherworld | Trace Sterling | 8 Episodes |
| Simon & Simon | Jerry Carton | 1 Episode, Facets | |
| 1986 | Airwolf | Terry Haines | 1 Episode, Break-In at Santa Paula |
| 1986-1991 | Head of the Class | Alan Pinkard | 114 Episodes |
| 1988 | Murder, She Wrote | Larry McIver | 1 Episode, Snow White, Blood Red |
| 1996 | In the House | Jonathan | 1 Episode, Home Again |
| 2000 | Suddenly Susan | Bird (Uncredited) | 1 Episode, The Bird in the Wall |
| 2002-2003 | George Lopez | Patrick / Delivery Guy | 2 Episodes |
| 2011 | Shake It Up | Kelly | 1 Episode, Vatalihootsit It Up |
| 2015 | K.C. Undercover | Mr. Hancock | 1 Episode, The Neighborhood Watchdogs |
| 2019 | Cobra Kai | Jimmy | 1 Episode |
References edit
- ^ Delmar, Carie J. (20 April 1988). "His clean cut character is not an act". Los Angeles Daily News. p. Z4. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ Frye, Cory (March 10, 2018). "Of Being and Johnny Lawrence (Sweep the Leg)". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ Strauss, Chris (October 9, 2014). "'Karate Kid' villain Billy Zabka is still best friends with the Cobra Kais". USA Today. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
- ^ Topel, Fred (April 27, 2019). "'Cobra Kai' Season 2: About That 'Karate Kid' Reunion in Episode 6…". /Film. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
External links edit
- Tony O'Dell at IMDb