Tampabay.com
OCTOBER 19, 2009

Ooh-ooh-ooooh! Horshack from 'Welcome Back Kotter' teaching acting classes in Florida

Palillo "Hello, class. How are ya? I'm Arnold Horsha-a-ck." Yes, actor Ron Palillo is now a drama teacher in South Florida.

Okay, Welcome Back Kotter wasn't an '80s series. In fact, it died on the front doorstep of our favorite decade, lasting from 1975 to 1979. But I seriously doubt there's many of us out there who don't remember Palillo, Gabe Kaplan and some unknown guy by the name of John Travolta in the ABC sitcom.

Kaplan is now a professional poker player. Travolta, well ... he's doing okay too. But "Horshack" is definitely taking the road less traveled. According to USA Today, Palillo now lives in Palm Beach Gardens, where he teaches acting at the G-Star School of the Arts for Motion Pictures and Broadcasting, an 860-student charter high school in Palm Beach County.

"You don't see any Sweathogs in my class," Palillo tells USA Today, though his kids are starting to find Kotter clips on YouTube and reciting the classic lines. "They haven't done this yet, but I'm waiting for the 'Ooh ooh ooooooh!"'

Palillo's acting career continued after Kotter went off the air. During the '80s, he appeared on TV in Mork & Mindy, The A-Team, CHiPs, Matt Houston, Murder She Wrote, the Love Boat and Cagney & Lacey. He has continued to appear in films and write plays.

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About the blogger

Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

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