Who is Dweezil Zappa? See Net-worth, Quote, Awards, Fact, Wiki

Dweezil Zappa Wiki Biography

Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa was born on 5 September 1969, in Los Angeles, California, USA, of Sicilian, Arab, Greek, French, Danish, and Irish ancestry. He later learned how he had a different birth name from his nickname Dweezil, and resolved to change his name, which his parents obliged. Dweezil is a guitarist and actor best known for his proficiency in playing the guitar, and being the son of performer Frank Zappa. He’s also appeared in various films and done some voice acting work. All of his endeavors have helped raise his net worth to where it is today.

How rich is Dweezil Zappa? As of early-2016, sources estimate that his net worth is at $3 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the music industry. His occasional acting stints have also helped in raising his wealth somewhat. He’s said to own several valuable guitars, most of which are custom made.

Dweezil Zappa Net Worth $3 Million

At a young age, Zappa showed an affinity for playing guitar and producing music. He was taught how to play the guitar by famous guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. Dweezil started his career y being noticed as a VJ for MTV – he was subsequently fired after badmouthing the network on “The Howard Stern Show”. Around this time he was working on solo albums and playing for other artists as well, some of whom include the Fat Boys, Winger and Don Johnson. He also had a few small acting roles, including in “The Running Man” which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and “Pretty in Pink”. During the 1990s, Zappa started working on a project called “What the Hell Was I Thinking?” and it features guitar solos from several popular guitarists – the project is still under work today.

In the mid-1990s Dweezil was given the chance to voice the character Ajax Duckman in the series “Duckman”. He continued to take various television opportunities presented to him like the sitcom “Normal Life”, and “The Ben Stiller Show”. Dweezil was also part of a popular show entitled “Happy Hour” which however only lasted for one season due to copyright disputes.

In 2003, Zappa helped record for Weird Al Yankovic’s album “Poodie Hat”. Three years later he formed a band of young musicians for the “Zappa Plays Zappa” tour, which hoped to bring his father’s music to the younger generation. It began its tour in Europe during 2006 and then continued on to the United States, taking breaks but eventually continuing with each year. The tour has had various guests like Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and Ray White.

For his personal life, it is known that Dweezil dated Lisa Loeb for around six years and Zappa even toured with Loeb’s band. They also had a Food Network show called “Dweezil & Lisa” which aired in 2004. However, he married fashion stylist Lauren Knudsen in 2005 and they have two children, but divorce was filed for in 2010, with his wife citing irreconcilable differences. Dweezil subsequently married again in 2012, to Megan Marsicano.



Full Name Dweezil Zappa
Net Worth $3 Million
Date Of Birth September 5, 1969
Place Of Birth Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Profession American rock guitarist, actor
Nationality American
Spouse Megan Marsicano (m. 2012), Lauren Knudsen (m. 2005)
Children Ceylon Indira Zappa, Zola Frank Zappa
Parents Frank Zappa, Gail Zappa
Siblings Moon Zappa, Ahmet Zappa, Diva Zappa
Nicknames Dweezil,
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DweezilZappaOfficial
Twitter https://twitter.com/DweezilZappa
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/dweezilzappa
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005574
Music Groups Fat Boys, Winger , Don Johnson, “Zappa Plays Zappa” (2006), LOEBS
Nominations Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Movies “Duckman” (1997), “The Running Man” (1987), “Pretty in Pink” (1986)
TV Shows “The Howard Stern Show”, “Normal Life”, “The Ben Stiller Show”, “Happy Hour”
Quote
1 I didn’t really hear any music other than what my dad was working on until I was twelve. My recollection of hearing other music was that I liked some things that I heard but I always thought,’Where’s the rest of it?’. It didn’t have the same amount of detail or instrumentation in the arrangements. I liked a lot of the things other people liked – Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Van Halen, AC/DC – but if I compared it to my dad’s music, there just seemed to be elements missing.
2 [on ‘St. Alonzo’s Pancake Breakfast’] As a kid, his song about pancakes was the best thing ever. There’s a crazy interlude at the end. It’s a very short song – under two minutes – but it has this one interlude that’s the most difficult thing he ever wrote. I learned it on the guitar.
3 [on the ‘Zappa Plays Zappa’ project] We’ve been doing this since 2006 and we started with the simple goal to give people an opportunity to see and hear the music played live, a chance to hear a selection of songs that, in my estimation, is the best representation of my dad’s work. Part of the struggle is that his music is relegated to a novelty section – a combination of novelty and nostalgia at this point. My feelings are very different. To me his music is still very contemporary, if not still from the future. There’s stuff he’s done that nobody else ever came close to.
Fact
1 Just finished the “Zappa plays Zappa” tour [October 2007]
2 New TV show, with Lisa Loeb, Dweezil & Lisa (2004). [March 2005]
3 Brother-in-law of Paul Doucette.
4 Was always called Dweezil by his family, but wasn’t registered as such on his birth certificate; the hospital where he’d been born refused to record the unusual name, so father Frank gave him the names of his bandmates. When Dweezil found out about this as a boy, he wanted to make the name official – so his parents took him to legally change it.
5 Attended Walter Reed Jr. High in North Hollywood, CA.
6 Cousin of Lala Sloatman
7 Brother of Moon Unit Zappa, Diva Zappa, and Ahmet Zappa.
8 Son of Frank Zappa and Gail Zappa.

Actor

Title Year Status Character
Metalocalypse 2012 TV Series Bullied Camper
Fully Loaded 2011 Eric
On the Spot 2003 TV Series Bandleader
According to Jim 2001 TV Series Joe
Son of the Beach 2001 TV Series Tom Maxwell
Behind the Seams 2000 Siro
Jack Frost 1998 John Kaplan
Anarchy TV 1998 Sid
MADtv 1998 TV Series German Tourist Tobias
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man 1994-1997 TV Series Ajax
Second Noah 1997 TV Series Cirrus Rose
Duckman 1997 Video Game Ajax (voice)
Normal Life 1990 TV Series Jake Harlow
Mother Goose Rock ‘n’ Rhyme 1990 TV Movie Special Guest Appearance
The Running Man 1987 Stevie
Heartbeat 1987 Video Band Performer
Pretty in Pink 1986 Simon

Music Department

Title Year Status Character
The Jamie Kennedy Experiment 2002 TV Series composer – 3 episodes
The Ben Stiller Show 1992-1993 TV Series composer – 15 episodes
Pee-wee’s Playhouse 1986 TV Series composer: additional music

Soundtrack

Title Year Status Character
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2011 TV Series performer – 1 episode
Gracie 2007 performer: “Bad Intensions” / writer: “Bad Intensions”
Legally Blonde 2001 producer: “We Could Still Belong Together”
Ready to Rumble 2000 performer: “Diamond Dallas Page King Of Ba-Da-Bing Theme”, “… Baby One More Time” / producer: “Diamond Dallas Page King Of Ba-Da-Bing Theme”, “… Baby One More Time” / writer: “Diamond Dallas Page King Of Ba-Da-Bing Theme”
The Ben Stiller Show 1992 TV Series performer: “Groove Holmes”
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure 1989 writer: “Two Heads Are Better Than One”
Back to the Beach 1987 performer: “Wipe Out”

Composer

Title Year Status Character
Summer ’82: When Zappa Came to Sicily 2014 Documentary
1982. L’estate di Frank 2012 Documentary short
On the Spot 2003 TV Series
Normal Life 1990 TV Series
Pee-wee’s Playhouse 1988 TV Series 1 episode

Thanks

Title Year Status Character
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words 2016 Documentary special thanks – as Dweezil
Roxy the Movie 2015 Documentary special thanks
Zappa’s Universe 1993 Video special thanks

Self

Title Year Status Character
Hearing Is Believing 2017 Documentary completed Himself
Chopped 2015 TV Series Himself – Contestant
Celebrity Wife Swap 2014 TV Series Himself
Skavlan 2013 TV Series Himself – Guest
American Masters 2013 TV Series documentary Himself
Morgan Agren’s Conundrum: A Percussive Misadventure 2013 Documentary Himself
1982. L’estate di Frank 2012 Documentary short Himself
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 1999-2011 TV Series Himself – Musical Guest / Himself
Cry Baby: The Pedal that Rocks the World 2011 Video documentary Himself
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson 2008 TV Series Himself
Late Night with Conan O’Brien 1994-2007 TV Series Himself / Himself – Guest
Zappa Plays Zappa 2007 Video Himself
Classic Albums: Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘)/Over-Nite Sensation 2007 Video documentary Himself
Cinderella: Rocked, Wired & Bluesed – The Greatest Video Hits 2005 Video Himself (Segment: “Shelter Me”)
Spinal Tap Goes to 20 2004 TV Movie documentary Himself
Dweezil & Lisa 2004 TV Series Himself
Life with Lisa Loeb 2002 TV Series Himself
Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s 2002 TV Movie documentary Himself (uncredited)
Frank Zappa: Phase II – The Big Note 2002 Documentary Himself
The Chris Isaak Show 2001 TV Series Himself
Grosse Pointe 2001 TV Series Himself
Dancing Outlaw II: Jesco Goes to Hollywood 1999 Documentary short
Hollywood Squares 1999 TV Series Himself
Happy Hour 1999 TV Series Himself – Host
Celebrity Profile 1998 TV Series documentary Himself
The Weird Al Show 1997 TV Series Himself
In a Metal Mood 1996 Documentary Himself
Grill Me 1996 TV Movie Himself – Contestant
1995 MTV Movie Awards 1995 TV Special Himself
Roseanne 1994 TV Series Himself – Guitarist
Zappa’s Universe 1993 Video Himself – Guitar
MTV Video Music Awards 1993 1993 TV Special Himself
Newton’s Apple 1993 TV Series Himself
Ein Leben als Extravaganza – Das Genie Frank Zappa 1993 TV Movie documentary Himself
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 1990 TV Series Himself – Guest
Negligee and Underpants Party 1988 TV Movie Himself
Square One Television 1987 TV Series Himself
The 4th Annual American Cinema Awards 1987 TV Special Himself
MTV Video Music Awards 1986 1986 TV Special Himself – Host
Ozzy Osbourne: The Ultimate Ozzy 1986 TV Special Himself
Frank Zappa 1971 TV Movie documentary Himself

Archive Footage

Title Year Status Character
X-Large 1989 TV Series documentary Himself
The True Story of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels 1988 Video documentary Himself

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