Long before Denzel Washington played the quietly deadly Robert McCall the Equalizer movies.Edward Woodward portrayed the character in the original CBS TV series. "The Equalizer" aired on the network from 1985 to 1989 and starred Woodward as a retired intelligence officer who uses his skills to help bring justice to those wronged in their everyday lives.

It's a remarkably durable formula that not only spawned three Denzel-led films (co the fourth and fifth "Equalizer" movies have already been confirmed), but also a reboot series starring Queen Latifah that has been on the air for five full seasons. Each iteration of this franchise has brought something new to the table, but none of them could exist without the original series from co-creators Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim.

There was a lot to love about the '80s show, which took a simple premise and, with the help of Woodward and a rotating cast of top guest stars, turned it into a show that continues to resonate some 40 years after it first debuted. Unfortunately, we've since lost many of the actors who appeared in The Equalizer, with Woodward himself passing away in 2009. As it stands, only a few of the main cast members from the original series are with us today.

Complimenting his British co-star nicely, American actor Keith Sarabajka played Mickey Kostmeyer in The Equalizer. A former Navy SEAL who joined the company on the recommendation of Robert McCall, Kostmeier first appeared in Season 1, Episode 2, and remained a part of the show for all four seasons, with McCall contacting him for help with many of his jobs.

Kostmeier was Sarabajka's first major television role after appearing in an episode of Miami Vice. However, after his tenure on the CBS series, he continued to work steadily, landing small roles in other popular shows such as Law & Order, Babylon 5, and Walker, Texas Ranger throughout the 90s. He also had parts in several films throughout the decade, but it wasn't until the 2000s that he began appearing in higher-profile projects.

After playing 18th-century vampire hunter Daniel Holtz in 11 episodes of Angel, Sarabajka played Gotham detective Gerard Stevens in The Dark Knight (which is still somehow better than you remember)where he had a memorable scene alongside Heath Ledger's Joker, who mocks Stevens for killing his colleagues. Sarabajka briefly reprized the role in The Dark Knight Rises before playing Adam Engel in Argo. The actor has also lent his voice talents to several video games, with his last film role being in 2023's Art Thief.

Although he only had 12 episodes, William Zabka played a fairly important role as Robert McCall's son Scott. Zabka has appeared throughout the show's four seasons as McCall reconnects with his previously estranged son, increasingly bringing him into the rent-aware side of his business. Before The Equalizer, Zabka was already well known for playing Johnny Lawrence, the rival of Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, in 1984's The Karate Kid—a role he briefly reprized in 1986's The Karate Kid Part II before returning to the role more than 30 years later for the legacy sequel series Cobra Kai.

Between his original portrayal of Lawrence in 1984 and his more recent appearances as the character, Zabka not only found time to earn his black belt, but also continued to work as an actor, appearing in 1986's Back to School and " A Tiger's Tale" from 1988. . While working mostly in independent films for the next decade, Zabka maintained his desire to become a filmmaker, and in 2002 he wrote and produced the short film The Most, which earned him an Academy Award nomination in the live action short category.

After a cameo appearance in 2013's How I Met Your Mother, Zabka appeared as a fictional version of herself on a recurring basis in the sitcom's 9th season. A small role in an episode of Psych and parts in other independent films preceded Zabka's return to the role of Johnny Lawrence in 2018 for the first season of Cobra Kai - a role he would play for all six seasons on YouTube Red turned the show on Netflix. Unfortunately, however, it seems that Zabka will not be part of the upcoming one "The Karate Kid: Legends" legacy sequel film.