Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
,
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and novelist.
Zappa was born in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, the third of four children born to businesswoman
Adelaide Gail SloatmanGail Zappa was the second wife of the late musician and composer Frank Zappa and is the executor of the Zappa Family Trust. They met in 1966, at the time, she was working at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles; and were married on September 21, 1967, while she was pregnant with her first child,...
and musician
Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album...
. Zappa's father was of Sicilian, Greek-Arab and French descent and his mother was of Danish, French, Irish and Portuguese ancestry. Zappa was named after
Ahmet ErtegünAhmet Ertegun was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry"...
, one of two brothers who founded and headed
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and played an important role in Frank Zappa's early career.
Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
,
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and novelist.
Early life
Zappa was born in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
,
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
, the third of four children born to businesswoman
Adelaide Gail SloatmanGail Zappa was the second wife of the late musician and composer Frank Zappa and is the executor of the Zappa Family Trust. They met in 1966, at the time, she was working at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles; and were married on September 21, 1967, while she was pregnant with her first child,...
and musician
Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album...
. Zappa's father was of Sicilian, Greek-Arab and French descent and his mother was of Danish, French, Irish and Portuguese ancestry. Zappa was named after
Ahmet ErtegünAhmet Ertegun was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry"...
, one of two brothers who founded and headed
Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm & blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and played an important role in Frank Zappa's early career. Zappa has released several albums with his brother
Dweezil ZappaDweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business, and musician Frank Zappa. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon Unit, younger sister Diva and younger brother Ahmet. He...
, as well as writing the song "Frogs With Dirty Little Lips" with his father. He also has two sisters named
Moon Unit ZappaMoon Unit Zappa is an American actress, musician and author. She goes by the name Moon Zappa; "Unit" is her middle name.-Personal life:...
and Diva Zappa and has also appeared in a few
feature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film made for initial distribution in theaters and being the "main attraction" of the screening...
s and
television programA television program , television programme , or television show is a segment of content broadcast on television...
s, sometimes appearing as a program host in the latter (see
RoboticaRobotica is a robot combat show produced for the American television cable channel TLC, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel. Three seasons of Robotica were produced. The shows first aired in April 2001, with the final season beginning in late 2002. Show hosts for the first season were Ahmet...
,
But Can They Sing?But Can They Sing? was a reality television series that premiered on October 30, 2005 on VH1 as part of its celebreality programming. Hosted by Ahmet Zappa, the series was partially based on NBC's announced but abandoned project I'm a Celebrity but I Wanna Be a Pop Star...
).
Career
In 2000, Zappa appeared in the film
Ready to RumbleReady to Rumble is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Steven Brill, which is based on Turner Broadcasting's now defunct professional wrestling promotion, World Championship Wrestling...
. Along with his brother
DweezilDweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business, and musician Frank Zappa. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon Unit, younger sister Diva and younger brother Ahmet. He...
, he also performed a cover of
Britney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American singer and entertainer. Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears first appeared on national television in 1992 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993 to...
' song "...Baby, One More Time" for the film's soundtrack.
In July 2006, Zappa saw the release of his debut novel, entitled
The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, aimed at younger readers. The rights to a movie have already been bought by Disney. The movie is in production with screenwriter
Tim FirthTim Firth is an English dramatist, screenwriter and songwriter.He was born and has lived all his life in the north west of England, on the border of Cheshire and Lancashire. He attended a comprehensive school in Warrington and read English at Cambridge University...
assisting, and an expected release in 2009.
On October 19, 2006,
The Jim Henson CompanyThe Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. , Jim Henson's children Brian, Lisa, Cheryl, John and Heather run the company: Brian and Lisa serve as co-chairs and co-CEOs...
announced it had hired Ahmet to write a treatment for a feature film version of the hit 1980s television show
Fraggle RockFraggle Rock is a children's television series with a total of 4 seasons and 96 episodes. The series originally ran from January 10, 1983 to March 30, 1987 on HBO in the United States, CBC Television in Canada, TV2 in New Zealand and TVS in the UK. Later Boomerang and Cartoonito broadcast it in the...
. He is also writing a sequel to
The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless. which had also been optioned to adapt to a screenplay.
Personal life
Zappa married
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Selma BlairSelma Blair is an American actress. After numerous supporting roles in the 1990s, she starred in the film Cruel Intentions and the short-lived TV series Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane in 1999. She has since had notable roles in Hollywood feature films such as Legally Blonde , The Sweetest Thing , and...
on January 24, 2004, at
Carrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, screenwriter and novelist. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy and her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge.-Early life:...
's mansion in
Beverly Hills, CaliforniaBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
. Blair filed for
divorceDivorce or dissolution of marriage is the final termination of a marriage, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons...
at the Los Angeles Superior Court on June 21, 2006, citing
irreconcilable differencesThe concept of inconsolable differences provides a possible ground for divorce in a number of jurisdictions.In Australian family law with no-fault divorce it is the sole ground, adequate proof being that the estranged couple have been separated more than 12 months.In the United States it can be one...
. In a statement to
PeoplePeople is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. As of 2006, it has a circulation of 3.75 million and revenue expected to top $1.5 billion. It was named "Magazine of the Year" by Advertising Age in October 2005, for excellence in editorial,...
, a spokesperson for the couple said, "Selma and Ahmet have decided to divorce but love each other very much and will continue to be close friends".
Discography
- Confessions (1991)
- Shampoohorn (1994)
- Music For Pets
Music for Pets is an album by the band "Z", led by Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa , released in 1996.The creation of the album was a troubled one, with multiple recording sessions interrupted by the death of Frank Zappa, the creation and recording of new material based on what was popular at the time, and...
(1996)
Filmography
- Pump Up the Volume
Pump Up the Volume is a comedy-drama written and directed by Allan Moyle and starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis. The original music score was composed by Cliff Martinez....
(1990) - Jaime
- Jack Frost (1998) - Snow plow driver
- Ready To Rumble
Ready to Rumble is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Steven Brill, which is based on Turner Broadcasting's now defunct professional wrestling promotion, World Championship Wrestling...
(2000) - Cashier
- Fraggle Rock: The Movie (Announced, October 2006) - producer
Television
- Robotica
Robotica is a robot combat show produced for the American television cable channel TLC, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel. Three seasons of Robotica were produced. The shows first aired in April 2001, with the final season beginning in late 2002. Show hosts for the first season were Ahmet...
- host for three seasons (2001-2002)
- webRIOT
webRIOT was a game show that debuted on MTV in December 1999. It was hosted by Ahmet Zappa and Masasa served as the announcer. The gameplay consisted of contestants answering multiple-choice music trivia questions while accompanying music videos played. After the question was read, four choices...
- host (1999)
- Happy Hour - host (1999)
- But Can They Sing?
But Can They Sing? was a reality television series that premiered on October 30, 2005 on VH1 as part of its celebreality programming. Hosted by Ahmet Zappa, the series was partially based on NBC's announced but abandoned project I'm a Celebrity but I Wanna Be a Pop Star...
- host (2005)
- Head Case Ep #105 (Parental Guidance Required) - Starz Channel Original Series - self (2008)
- Roseanne
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from 1988 to 1997 starring Roseanne Barr.The series reached #1 in the Nielsen Ratings becoming the most watched television show in the United States from 1989 to 1990, and remained in the top four for six of its nine seasons, and in the top twenty for...
1995