Billy Van Zandt ('Bob'): JAWS 2 45th Anniversary Interview

Billy Van Zandt: aka ‘Bob’
Billy Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, to Mary H. Lento and William Brewster Van Zandt. He is of Italian and Dutch descent. He grew up in Middletown Township, New Jersey.
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[@battlestarmarc]

Jaws 2 was a good sequel.

[@americandespot6520]

"Amity still means friendship!" ;)

[@LiirThropp2687]

It's wonderful to know they stayed in touch. Jaws 2 is great and that makes it even better knowing that they were becoming friends in real life.

[@dougmasters4579]

Great interview, what a fun guy. A lot of memorable characters in this film. "What's after cable junction? The Atlantic. Then Ireland."

[@thickerconstrictor9037]

Crazy that so many of them would keep in touch after all these years. I mean a lot of us like to think that that's common with movies but a lot of times it's just a job for people. They work they do their job and that's it. You may have one or two people that you keep in contact with her over the years but for so many of them to continue is really cool

[@billbrock8740]

Agreed! I was a stage actor for 30 years with some commercial and television credits. I haven’t kept in touch with ANY fellow actors. Would’ve have liked to, but you’re right. It’s just a job.

[@leightonbate7516]

His death scene ifs a holy grail for Jaws fans and something we probably will never see,it was interesting hearing Billy talk about it but i'm pleased he survived as he was the funniest guy in the movie "Do you have to talk like that",the scene were he falls in when the shark bumps the boat is good foreshadowing if his death were kept in..

[@blinderII]

I don't know why so many criticized this movie. Personally, i always liked JAWS 2 more than JAWS. ...and great interviews by the way! Really enjoying them!!

[@amitypredator9385]

For one thing, in many ways it's a rehash of the original movie. Another is the shark, with its retooling and bad paint job, really did look like a rubber toy. Also, it devolves into a Friday the 13thesque slasher on the ocean with All the horny kids. Don't get me wrong, in spite of my criticisms, I still enjoy JAWS 2 and there are several great scenes, but the things I mentioned are a few of the problems people had with this sequel.

[@sirjaya2534]

I think that Roy's disposition adds to the intensity of the performance. He didn't want to have to battle that shark again but had to do it.

[@aweaver6895]

Glad to hear the actors are still getting love. I hope they know how much we Jaws fans appreciate them.

[@SurlyInsomniac]

Thank you, Mr. Van Zandt and The Daily Jaws. These are a great series of Jaws 2 interviews that I'm still working my way through. Bob was the character in the the group of teens that I most identified with. I'm learning all kinds of things I never knew before, including the fact that Billy is Little Steven's brother. It also finally clicked that he's in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Looking at his IMDB page now...I had no idea he was married to Adrienne Barbeau or all the other stage & screen work he's done since Jaws 2. I sort of had my own personal Jaws moment back in the early 80s as a teen when I was body surfing in Hawaii and saw two sharks inside the wave I was about to catch. Needless to say I spent the rest of the day on the beach, but I was back in the water the next day. The thing to remember about sharks is that most of them are harmless and even the dangerous ones tend to not want to have anything to do with people. They are amazing creatures that deserve our respect and protection.

[@littlemiss80s88]

This was great! I have such love for Jaws 2 … a real childhood favourite which I still enjoy watching.

[@volkerschemberg4803]

Great interview, thank you so much for that! Billy still looks very cute after all those years and just seems a fun guy, and it's amazing to get his opinion on everything.

[@dirkboon3296]

oh thank you, thank you.. thank you thank you thank you thank you.

[@lottiefallulahmae]

My favourite interview so far! I love jaws and I'm so happy I have just discovered this channel 😊

[@garyseiter3722]

My number 1 favorite movie Jaws 2 .

[@TheDottiep]

Bob was always my favorite Jaws 2 kid! (Which doesn't mean I wouldn't love,love, LOVE to see his death scene). Fantastic interview!

[@daveruda]

This was a good interview. You can tell he accually cares about movies in general and remembers things about this movie and esp the Hankock version was really cool to hear about.

[@disneytherapy8028]

Where are all those deleted scenes? Universal has to have it somewhere. Hopefully one day they will release all that footage.

[@wonderboy76]

people have looked for it with no success. It's likely lost forever.

[@billbrock8740]

Thank you, Ross, for this amazing series of interviews! You have done a masterful job! Each one is STELLAR in its own right! So many surprises discovered. Wow! To think that Anne didn’t even have to audition just blows my mind! The brandy on the boats. The freezing temps endured. The switching out of certain cast members. The 4-week job stretching out to 11 months! Such an amazing journey discovered all these years later. BRAVO TO ALL INVOLVED!! : )

[@LingLiu2014]

Amazing to see these guys still doing well :)

[@jeremiah5342]

That was a great interview.

[@Albendova666]

I can when I look in the mirror.. Me too good sir, me too 😢 Thank you Ross, Billy, the J2 cast and crew, TDJ crew and everyone else involved in these FANTASTIC interviews.

[@LuisSanchezLouieLouie]

You did a great job man! Great interview!

[@davidprice6994]

Such a great interview

[@johnmcnulty1129]

"We looked around.... There's too many people in this movie !" :)

[@wonderboy76]

Great interview, he's such a nice guy. Though it makes me want to see the footage of his death even more now and sadly i don't think we ever will.

[@medicinemansworld6462]

Excellent interview. I learned quite a bit that I previously didn't know. I just stumbled upon your channel. I could listen to you interview the casts of JAWS for hours on end if I had the time. Do you have any interviews with the cast of part 3? Again, thanks for the quality content. This has been one of my favorite channels to have stumbled upon in recent memory.

[@TheNancypoo]

I definitely had a crush on "Bob", I thought he was adorable as a 12 year old. He's still not bad 😊

[@rmo5582]

great interview! I like the way all these interviewees all state "Roy Sheider sat on a lawn chair and held a thing up to tan his face". or some version of that!

[@cc_1983]

Great to hear about the previous Hancock idea and see some stills. I imagine bob was also a reference to when quint says at the Indianapolis when he pulls his friend up and the same thing happened being eaten in half. That’s also why they cut the helicopter pilot

[@alanbeattie1470]

I can believe that it is That Time Already...

[@babyshambler]

What a lovely fella. And wait! His bro is Sil from the Sopranos! Niiiice.

[@jefffuller9918]

Billy a year later had a part in Star Trek The Motion Picture.

[@mgdonner312]

so bad i always thought another teen should have die after marge i wish a cut where billie character die it would be so amazing

[@ppiorkowski1502]

I believe Billy was partly responsible for getting my favorite movie of all time made. Rumor has it the he was the one who personally gave Sean Penn the script for the movie At Close Range. The script was originally going to be made with Jack Nicholson attached and Bob Ralfelson directing with a 13 million dollar budget.

[@pdbordelon]

He is married to the great Teresa Ganzel and was married to Adrienne Barbeau.

[@chiefscheider]

Wow he snagged Greedy Gretchen? Nice! 😁

[@Fizbin1701]

I can't believe this was never mentioned on the interview, but Billy is married to the insanely hot Adrienne Barbeau. He was also in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Don't leave those things out.

[@chiefscheider]

I guess they called it 'Start' Trek cuz it was the first big screen version 😁

[@jimmyo1123]

Rip gary dubin

[@allanford7767]

Deep Blue Sea is my favourite shark movie other than Jaws and Jaws 2

[@powertothepeople9271]

The 1970s had the great young casts of HAPPY DAYS and GREASE and JAWS 2.

[@marc1128]

Great interview, jaws 2 really needed that Bob death near the end as the nibble on the girl is nothing lol...blooming censors sigh

[@ryanjacobson2508]

Without Spielberg at the helm, the MPAA went harder on Jaws 2. He must have some kind of free pass from the MPAA because I don't think any of his movies have ever been censored too much. BTW, if the studio wanted an R rating they could have left the death scene in but since the original was PG, I guess the studio wanted another PG.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

But definitely, not having the death scene messes up the end. The actors all give reactions to the death scene, so taking out the death suddenly makes the performances seem odd. And the finale diminishes in urgency and stakes because of the censoring.

[@marc1128]

@@ryanjacobson2508 exactly, a shame, would have been even better with that near the end...sigh

[@notyouraveragebear9326]

@@ryanjacobson2508what scene exactly in the movie actually shows the teens reacting to Tom’s death?

[@wonderboy76]

​@@notyouraveragebear9326the scene where just after most of the kids end up in the water, Jackie is screaming uncontrollably and Shaun is visibly terrified and slightly shaking his head in fear as he looks at something we don't see. They had both just watched Bob eaten.

[@Mike-wf1nm]

What assholes would make you miss your grandmother's funeral to finish a shot? That would be a lawsuit now.

[@Eggmanontheair]

Also pretty cool that Billy's brother is Little Steven Van Zandt.

[@mgdonner312]

i didn"t know billy was really dying in the original cut of jaws 2 IT IS REALLY TRUE?

[@chiefscheider]

12:19 Bob wouldn't lie 😁

[@lucifersam1972]

I thought you were going to give the actor the final word?

[@jeffmuehlman2313]

what happened to the actor who played vaughns son? I dont see him in the group. pass a way?

[@Mike-wf1nm]

David Elliot? I think he's still around.

[@chiefscheider]

I'd check for you guys but my internet's down at the moment

[@markv2596]

Steve Van Zanth'ss brother

[@jasonfagan1454]

It's a shame the shark couldn't get him.

[@jasonsmith3336]

Jaws 2 out ranked three and four

[@mgdonner312]

i like jaws 2 as much as the first one and with bob death and the helicopter attack underwater and the scene with the mayor who is against brody been fired it would have been for me better than jaws 1

[@billferguson8288]

Thats same guy ?

[@mgdonner312]

IN 3 YEARS ALL CHANGE ALREADY THE FIRST JAWS QUINT DEATH ALSO SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN R MOVIE IT DIDN't SO WHY IN JAWS 2 I AM SURE BOB DEATH ARE NOT AS VIOLENT THE SAME AS QUINT SO BAD I WISH A CUT OF JAWS 2 WITH BOB DEATH

[@kevincharbonneau5953]

I enjoyed this movie as is but would've loved to have seen Hancock's version. Dark and brutal would've been fine with me

[@mgdonner312]

ME TOO

[@kotobukiya70]

Hey did you interview Martha Swatek and Cindy Grover? They played Marge and Lucy respectively. I’d LOVE to hear from those two!!!

[@chiefscheider]

Not to mention Keith Gordon, Marc Gilpin, and G Thomas Dunlop (Timmy)

[@kotobukiya70]

@@chiefscheider Agreed!!! He dropped the ball BIG TIME!!!

[@kotobukiya70]

@@tonyrenaud3734 Damn. I didn’t know that.

[@chiefscheider]

@@tonyrenaud3734 I hadn't heard. That's really sad, he's still so young

[@ryeguy7941]

Donna Wilkes too Aka Jackie.