This article is about the actor John LaZar. For the mayor of Adelaide, Australia please see: John Lazar.John LaZar (born May 22, 1946) is an American actor of both stage and screen, best remembered for his lead role as Ronnie 'Z-man' Barzell in the 1970s Russ Meyer film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), co-written by Meyer and Roger Ebert.LaZar grew up in San Francisco, California and is of Mediterranean and Native American heritage.