Best Martial Arts Actors of All Time
Unranked list
I'll also keep adding a Movies To Watch in the description based on which movies I liked for the fight scenes so check those out
Note: This is a list of people that I've actually seen fight in movies and feel like they deserve to be on the list based on their skill level. For example someone like David Carradine would not be on this list
If you feel there's a good martial artist that I'm missing let me know
And once again this list is NOT RANKED (and never will be). There just too many factors to consider in order to rank them fairly so a ranked list will always be subjective
I'll also keep adding a Movies To Watch in the description based on which movies I liked for the fight scenes so check those out
Note: This is a list of people that I've actually seen fight in movies and feel like they deserve to be on the list based on their skill level. For example someone like David Carradine would not be on this list
If you feel there's a good martial artist that I'm missing let me know
And once again this list is NOT RANKED (and never will be). There just too many factors to consider in order to rank them fairly so a ranked list will always be subjective
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Hong Kong's cheeky, lovable and best-known film star, Jackie Chan endured many years of long, hard work and multiple injuries to establish international success after his start in Hong Kong's manic martial arts cinema industry.
Jackie was born Kong-sang Chan on April 7, 1954, on Hong Kong's famous Victoria Peak, to Charles and Lee-Lee Chan, and the family immigrated to Canberra, Australia, in early 1960. The young Jackie was less than successful scholastically, so his father sent him back to Hong Kong to attend the rigorous China Drama Academy, one of the Peking Opera schools. Chan excelled at acrobatics, singing and martial arts and eventually became a member of the "Seven Little Fortunes" performing troupe and began lifelong friendships with fellow martial artists / actors Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Biao Yuen. Chan journeyed back and forth to visit his parents and work in Canberra, but eventually he made his way back to Hong Kong as his permanent home. In the early 1970s, Chan commenced his movie career and interestingly appeared in very minor roles in two films starring then rising martial arts superstar Bruce Lee: Fist of Fury (1972) (aka "The Chinese Connection"), and the Warner Bros. production Enter the Dragon (1973). Not long after Lee's untimely death, Chan was often cast in films cashing in on the success of Bruce Lee by utilizing words like "fist", "fury" or "dragon" in their US release titles.
Chan's own film career was off and running and he swiftly appeared in many low-budget martial arts films that were churned out at a rapid-fire pace by Hong Kong studios eager to satisfy the early 1970s boom in martial-arts cinema. He starred in Shaolin Wooden Men (1976), To Kill with Intrigue (1977), Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978) and Magnificent Bodyguards (1978), which all fared reasonably well at the cinemas. However, he scored a major breakthrough with the action comedy Drunken Master (1978), which has become a cult favorite among martial arts film fans. Not too long after this, Chan made his directorial debut with The Young Master (1980) and then "Enter the Dragon" producer Robert Clouse lured Jackie to the United States for a film planned to break Jackie into the lucrative US market. Battle Creek Brawl (1980) featured Jackie competing in a "toughest Street fighter" contest set in 1940s Texas; however, Jackie was unhappy with the end result, and it failed to fire with US audiences. In a further attempt to get his name known in the United States, Jackie was cast alongside Burt Reynolds, Sir Roger Moore and Dean Martin in the Hal Needham-directed car chase film The Cannonball Run (1981). Regrettably, Jackie was cast as a Japanese race driver and his martial arts skills are only shown in one small sequence near the film's conclusion. Stateside success was still a few years away for Jackie Chan!
Undeterred, he returned to East Asia to do what he did best--make jaw-dropping action films loaded with amazing stunt work. Chan and his legendary stunt team were without parallel in their ability to execute the most incredible fight scenes and action sequences, and the next decade would see some of their best work. Chan paired with the dynamic Sammo Kam-Bo Hung to star in Winners & Sinners (1983), Project A (1983), Wheels on Meals (1984), My Lucky Stars (1985) (aka "Winners & Sinners 2"), Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) (aka "Winners & Sinners 3"). Chan then journeyed back to the United States for another shot at that market, starring alongside Danny Aiello in The Protector (1985), filmed in Hong Kong and New York. However, as with previous attempts, Jackie felt the US director--in this case, James Glickenhaus--failed to understand his audience appeal and the film played to lukewarm reviews and box-office receipts. However, Jackie did decide to "harden" up his on-screen image somewhat and his next film, Police Story (1985) was a definite departure from previously light-hearted martial arts fare, and his fans loved the final product!
This was quickly followed up with the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)-influenced Armour of God (1986), during filming of which Jackie mistimed a leap from a wall to a tree on location in Yugoslavia and fell many quite a few feet onto his head, causing a skull fracture. It was another in a long line of injuries that Chan has suffered as a result of doing his own stunt work, and he was soon back in front of the cameras. Project A 2 (1987), Police Story 2 (1988), Miracles: The Canton Godfather (1989) (aka "Mr. Canton and Lady Rose)", Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (1991) (aka "Armour of God 2") and Supercop (1992) (aka "Police Story 3") were all sizable hits for Jackie, escalating his status to phenomenal heights in Asia, and to his loyal fanbase around the globe. US success was now just around the corner for the hard-working Jackie Chan, and it arrived in the form of the action film Rumble in the Bronx (1995) (though it was actually filmed in Canada) that successfully blended humor and action to make a winning formula in US theaters.
Jackie did not waste any time and went to work on First Strike (1996) (aka "Police Story 4"), Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Who Am I? (1998), which all met with positive results at the international box office. Jackie then went to work in his biggest-budget US production, starring alongside fast-talking comedian Chris Tucker in the action comedy Rush Hour (1998). The film was a bigger hit than "Rumble in the Bronx" and firmly established Jackie as a bona fide star in the United States. Jackie then paired up with rising talent Owen Wilson to star in Shanghai Noon (2000) and its sequel, Shanghai Knights (2003), and re-teamed with Tucker in Rush Hour 2 (2001), as well as starring in The Tuxedo (2002), The Medallion (2003) and the delightful Around the World in 80 Days (2004). Not one to forget his loyal fanbase, Jackie returned to more gritty and traditional fare with New Police Story (2004) and The Myth (2005). The multi-talented Chan (he is also a major recording star in Asia) shows no sign of slowing down and has long since moved out of the shadow of Bruce Lee, to whom he was usually compared early in his career.
Chan is truly one of the international film industry's true maverick actor / director / stuntman / producer combinations - he has done this the hard way, and always his way to achieve his dreams and goals to be an international cinematic star. Off screen, he has been directly involved in many philanthropic ventures providing financial assistance to schools and universities around the world. He is a UNICEF GoodWill Ambassador, and he has campaigned against animal abuse and pollution and assisted with disaster relief efforts to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami victims.Movies to watch: Drunken Master 1 & 2, Dragons Forever, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Police Story (series), Wheels on Meals, Armor of God 1 & 2, Project A 1 & 2, First Strike- Actor
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Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema and a key figure of modern popular media. Had it not been for Bruce Lee and his movies in the early 1970s, it's arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream North American and European cinema and audiences the way it has over the past four decades. The influence of East Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation... and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.
Lee was born Lee Jun Fan November 27, 1940 in San Francisco, the son of Lee Hoi Chuen, a singer with the Cantonese Opera. Approximately one year later, the family returned to Kowloon in Hong Kong and at the age of five, a young Bruce begins appearing in children's roles in minor films including The Birth of Mankind (1946) and Fu gui fu yun (1948). At the age of 12, Bruce commenced attending La Salle College. Bruce was later beaten up by a street gang, which inspired him to take up martial arts training under the tutelage of Sifu Yip Man who schooled Bruce in wing chun kung fu for a period of approximately five years. This was the only formalized martial arts training ever undertaken by Lee. The talented and athletic Bruce also took up cha-cha dancing and, at age 18, won a major dance championship in Hong Kong.
However, his temper and quick fists got him in trouble with the Hong Kong police on numerous occasions. His parents suggested that he head off to the United States. Lee landed in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1959 and worked in a close relative's restaurant. He eventually made his way to Seattle, Washington, where he enrolled at university to study philosophy and found the time to practice his beloved kung fu techniques. In 1963, Lee met Linda Lee Cadwell (aka Linda Emery) (later his wife) and also opened his first kung fu school at 4750 University Way. During the early half of the 1960s, Lee became associated with many key martial arts figures in the United States, including kenpo karate expert Ed Parker and tae kwon do master Jhoon Rhee. He made guest appearances at notable martial arts events including the Long Beach Nationals. Through one of these tournaments Bruce met Hollywood hair-stylist Jay Sebring who introduced him to television producer William Dozier. Based on the runaway success of Batman (1966), Dozier was keen to bring the cartoon character the Green Hornet to television and was on the lookout for an East Asian actor to play the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. Around this time Bruce also opened a second kung fu school in Oakland, California and relocated to Oakland to be closer to Hollywood.
Bruce's screen test was successful, and The Green Hornet (1966) starring Van Williams aired in 1966-1967 with mixed success. His fight scenes were sometimes obscured by unrevealing camera angles, but his dedication was such that he insisted his character behave like a perfect bodyguard, keeping his eyes on whoever might be a threat to his employer except when the script made this impossible. The show was canceled after only one season (twenty-six episodes), but by this time Lee was receiving more fan mail than the series' nominal star. He then opened a third branch of his kung fu school in Los Angeles and began providing personalized martial arts training to celebrities including film stars Steve McQueen and James Coburn as well as screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. In addition he refined his prior knowledge of wing chun and incorporated aspects of other fighting styles such as traditional boxing and Okinawan karate. He also developed his own unique style Jeet Kune Do (Way of the Intercepting Fist). Another film opportunity then came his way as he landed the small role of a stand over man named Winslow Wong who intimidates private eye James Garner in Marlowe (1969). Wong pays a visit to Garner and proceeds to demolish the investigator's office with his fists and feet, finishing off with a spectacular high kick that shatters the light fixture. With this further exposure of his talents, Bruce then scored several guest appearances as a martial arts instructor to blind private eye James Franciscus on the television series Longstreet (1971).
With his minor success in Hollywood and money in his pocket, Bruce returned for a visit to Hong Kong and was approached by film producer Raymond Chow who had recently started Golden Harvest productions. Chow was keen to utilize Lee's strong popularity amongst young Chinese fans, and offered him the lead role in The Big Boss (1971). In it, Lee plays a distant cousin coming to join relatives working at an ice house, where murder, corruption, and drug-running lead to his character's adventures and display of Kung-Fu expertise. The film was directed by Wei Lo, shot in Thailand on a very low budget and in terrible living conditions for cast and crew. However, when it opened in Hong Kong the film was an enormous hit. Chow knew he had struck box office gold with Lee and quickly assembled another script entitled Fist of Fury (1972). The second film (with a slightly bigger budget) was again directed by Wei Lo and was set in Shanghai in the year 1900, with Lee returning to his school to find that his beloved master has been poisoned by the local Japanese karate school. Once again he uncovers the evildoers and sets about seeking revenge on those responsible for murdering his teacher and intimidating his school. The film features several superb fight sequences and, at the film's conclusion, Lee refuses to surrender to the Japanese police and seemingly leaps to his death in a hail of police bullets.
Once more, Hong Kong streets were jammed with thousands of fervent Chinese movie fans who could not get enough of the fearless Bruce Lee, and his second film went on to break the box office records set by the first! Lee then set up his own production company, Concord Productions, and set about guiding his film career personally by writing, directing and acting in his next film, The Way of the Dragon (1972). A bigger budget meant better locations and opponents, with the new film set in Rome, Italy and additionally starring hapkido expert In-shik Hwang, karate legend Robert Wall and seven-time U.S. karate champion Chuck Norris. Bruce plays a seemingly simple country boy sent to assist at a cousin's restaurant in Rome and finds his cousins are being bullied by local thugs for protection.
By now, Lee's remarkable success in East Asia had come to the attention of Hollywood film executives and a script was hastily written pitching him as a secret agent penetrating an island fortress. Warner Bros. financed the film and also insisted on B-movie tough guy John Saxon starring alongside Lee to give the film wider appeal. The film culminates with another show-stopping fight sequence between Lee and the key villain, Han, in a maze of mirrors. Shooting was completed in and around Hong Kong in early 1973 and in the subsequent weeks Bruce was involved in completing overdubs and looping for the final cut. Various reports from friends and co-workers cite that he was not feeling well during this period and on July 20, 1973 he lay down at the apartment of actress Betty Ting Pei after taking a headache medicine called Equagesic and was later unable to be revived. A doctor was called and Lee was taken to hospital by ambulance and pronounced dead that evening. The official finding was death due to a cerebral edema, caused by a reaction to the headache tablet Equagesic.
Fans worldwide were shattered that their virile idol had passed at such a young age, and nearly thirty thousand fans filed past his coffin in Hong Kong. A second, much smaller ceremony was held in Seattle, Washington and Bruce was laid to rest at Lake View Cemetary in Seattle with pall bearers including Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Dan Inosanto. Enter the Dragon (1973) was later released in the mainland United States, and was a huge hit with audiences there, which then prompted National General films to actively distribute his three prior movies to U.S. theatres... each was a box office smash.
Fans throughout the world were still hungry for more Bruce Lee films and thus remaining footage (completed before his death) of Lee fighting several opponents including Dan Inosanto, Hugh O'Brian and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was crafted into another film titled Game of Death (1978). The film used a lookalike and shadowy camera work to be substituted for the real Lee in numerous scenes. The film is a poor addition to the line-up and is only saved by the final twenty minutes and the footage of the real Bruce Lee battling his way up the tower. Amazingly, this same shoddy process was used to create Game of Death II (1980), with a lookalike and more stunt doubles interwoven with a few brief minutes of footage of the real Bruce Lee.
Tragically, his son Brandon Lee, an actor and martial artist like his father, was killed in a freak accident on the set of The Crow (1994). Bruce Lee was not only an amazing athlete and martial artist but he possessed genuine superstar charisma and through a handful of films he left behind an indelible impression on the tapestry of modern cinema.Movies to watch: The Way of the Dragon, The Big Boss, Fists of Fury, Enter the Dragon, Game of Death- Actor
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Jet Li born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China. He started training at the Beijing wushu academy (wushu is China's national sport, largely a performance version of various martial art styles) at age eight. He won five gold medals in the Chinese championships, his first when he was only 11. In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20 he had starred in his first movie: The Shaolin Temple (1982), which started the 1980s Kung-Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung-Fu boom. His first directorial effort was Born to Defense (1988).Movies to watch: Fist of Legend, Contract Killer, The Enforcer, Once Upon a Time in China (series), Danny the Dog, Hero- Actor
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Yuen Biao is regarded as one of the most acrobatic martial artists ever. Unfortunately, he is still underrated and not as popular as other contemporaries such as Jackie Chan, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and Jet Li even though he is the most critically acclaimed out of all of them and the most talented as well. And now he is receiving a cult following due to word of mouth. Born of his parents Ha Kwong-Tai (father) and Ha Sau-Ying. Yuen Biao was first enrolled in the China Drama Academy at the age of 5 (he was the youngest there). He met Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and Jackie Chan while attending the Academy. Jackie Chan took him under his wing, and they became lifelong friends. Yuen Biao stayed at the Academy until the age of 16 where he moved with Master Jim-Yuen to America. However, two years later he came back, citing there were no opportunities for Chinese martial artists to star in American films. After being in some bit part roles in films such as The Shrine of Ultimate Bliss (1974) (aka Stoner), The Hand of Death (1976) (aka Hand of Death), he didn't receive his first major breakthrough role until Sammo Kam-Bo Hung cast him in Knockabout (1979) (aka Knockabout). However, his first role which gave him full exposure and established his status as a A-list star was The Prodigal Son (1981) (aka The Prodigal Son), which also starred and was directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung. After that, 'Jackie Chan' cast him in the classic Project A (1983) (aka Project A). After starring in some other films with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and/or Jackie Chan, he decided to go his own way and to forge his own career to get out of the shadows of Jackie Chan and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung. He met his future wife DiDi Phang Sau-Ha in 1984 while working as a stunt coordinator on the film DiDi Phang was working on: Carry on Pickpocket (1982) (aka Carry On Pickpocket). They have two children. His daughter Yi-Bui was born in 1986 and his son Ming-Tsak in 1988. The film On the Run (1988) (aka On The Run) confirmed his abilities as a brilliant actor as his portrayal as a married man seeking vengeance for his wife's brutal murder was critically acclaimed. The following year he starred in probably his best film, The Iceman Cometh (1989) (aka The Iceman Cometh), in which he starred with acclaimed actress Maggie Cheung. The film is regarded as a cult classic and is remembered not only for the fantastic fighting scenes and hilarious comedy, but also the wonderful acting of Biao Yuen and Maggie Cheung and the wonderful simmering sexual chemistry between them. After starring in the acclaimed Once Upon a Time in China (1991) (aka Once Upon a Time in China, in which most of his scenes were cut), he directed his first movie (A Kid from Tibet (1991). aka A Kid From Tibet), in which he also starred. In 1994, he worked for the first time in years, with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the gloriously titled Don't Give a Damn (1995) (aka Don't Give a Damn). In recent years, Yuen Biao has complained of poor scripts, so he appears in films sparsely nowadays. He also has a second home in Canada where he spends most of time pursuing his hobby of golf.Movies to watch: Righting Wrongs, Dragons Forever, Wheels on Meals, Prodigal Son, The Champions, Shanghai Shanghai, Knockabout, Project A, Shanghai Express, Eastern Condors- Actor
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Born in Hong Kong, Sammo Hung's acting career began while he was training in acrobatics, martial arts and dance as a child at the China Drama Academy, and he received acclaim for his performance with a troupe called "The Seven Little Fortunes." He made his feature film debut as an actor at the age of 12, and has worked in numerous martial arts films as an actor, director, producer and/or choreographer, collaborating with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, two superstars of the genre.
He is now internationally renowned as a pioneer and trend-setter in Hong Kong action films. Hung's big break as a film actor came with a role as a sparring partner in the Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon (1973). He established his reputation as a skilled physical comedian in several kung-fu comedies, beginning with "Enter the Fat Dragon" (Enter the Fat Dragon (1978)). He also produced and starred in numerous successful films throughout the 1970s and 1980s for Hong Kong's leading film studio, Golden Harvest.
Hung collaborated in the 1980s with long-time friend Jackie Chan in a highly successful series of action comedies that cemented Hung's reputation as a consummate actor/director and launched Chan's career as an international star. For a while, Hung also starred in an American TV series, Martial Law (1998).
He directed Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997), his first film shot in the US. He and his wife, Mina, now divide their time between homes in Hong Kong and Los Angeles.Movies to watch: Pedicab Driver, Dragons Forever, Magnificent Butcher, Wheels on Meals, Encounters of the Spooky Kind, Winners and Sinners, Shanghai Shanghai, Knockabout, Shanghai Express, Eastern Condors, Ip Man 2- Actor
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Japanom Yeerum was born on February 5, 1976, in the northeastern province of Surin, Thailand. His parents were elephant herders. Jaa watched martial arts films as a young kid and began to emulate some of his idols, from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Jaa studied martial arts at the local temple school and later under a scholarship at the Physical Education College in Khon Kaen, Thailand where he continued to study Muay Boran, Muay Thai, Wushu, Judo and Tae-Kwan-Do. Jaa later did some stunt for in a film for 'Panna Rittikrai', This resulted in Jaa being seen and getting work, doubling for Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), and when his demo reel was seen by director Prachya Pinkaew, the film Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) was created for Jaa. He adopted the English name Tony Jaa. In 2013, after ending his association with Sahamongkol Film, Jaa was contracted by Universal Studio's for a role in Fast and Furious 7. Jaa now has starring roles in several international films being filmed in 2014 and is concentrating his efforts more towards international audiences.Movies to watch: Ong Bak (series but 1 is the best), Tom Yum Goong- Actor
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Donnie Yen was born in Guangzhou, China. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, was a kung fu master and his father, Kylster Yen, a newspaper editor and amateur musician. When Donnie was just two years old, the family moved to Hong Kong and then, when he was 11, to Boston, Massachusetts.
There, Master Bow-sim Mark became a pioneer for Chinese martial arts in America, and it was only natural that her only son was trained from early childhood in the same skills. At the same time, Donnie was influenced by his parents' love of music and reached a high level of proficiency as a pianist. All these interests would have a manifest influence on Yen's later life.
In his teens, Donnie defined his own persona by rebelling against his parents edicts. Beyond the limitations of his mother's school, Yen began training in various different fighting arts, including Japanese karate, Korean taekwondo and western boxing. Donnie also took up hip-hop and break-dancing. At the same time, he began spending his nights in Boston's notorious Combat Zone. Given that he was by now a serious practitioner of modern Wu Shu, his parents decided to send him to Beijing to train at the Chinese capital's famed Wu Shu academy.
It was when Yen returned to Hong Kong en route back to Boston that he met the famed martial arts movie director Yuen Woo-ping.
Donnie exploded onto the Hong Kong movie scene when he was cast in the lead role of director Yuen Woo-ping's 'Drunken Tai Chi'. His debut film immediately established him as a viable leading man, and Yen has remained a major figure in Chinese action cinema to this day.
Yen skills as a street dancer were to the fore in his second starring role, 'Mismatched Couples', in which he showed off his breakdance moves, as well as his general athleticism. This slapstick romantic comedy was produced by Hong Kong's prestigious Cinema City studio.
Donnie was subsequently signed by the newly formed D&B Films, and cast in the hit cop actioner 'Tiger Cage'. In this movie, and his follow-up features for the company ('In the Line of Duty 4', 'Tiger Cage 2'), Yen showed off his own unique form of contemporary screen combat, a form that included elements of rapid fire kicking, Western boxing and grappling moves.
Having established a worldwide fan base, Yen moved on to star in a string of independent Asian action features before director Tsui Hark tapped him to co-star in 'Once Upon A Time In China 2'. The film's two action highlights saw Donnie's character duel the legendary martial arts master Wong Fei-hung, played by his old friend Jet Li. The film brought Yen his first real attention as a thespian and he was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category at that year's Hong Kong Film Awards.
Tsui Hark went on to produce a remake of King Hu's classic 'New Dragon Inn', which provided another showcase role for Donnie as the film's apparently invincible villain.
Donnie was reunited with director Yuen Woo-ping for 'Iron Monkey', a film which brought Yen's acting and action skills both into focus. In 'Iron Monkey', Yen played the father of Wong Fei-hung, and its success prefigured that which he would later enjoy as another pugilistic patriarch in 'Ip Man'. Donnie collaborated with Yuen on the action for the film, designing a new on-screen interpretation of Wong Fei-hung's classic 'Shadowless Kick'.
'Iron Monkey' was all the more remarkable in that, years after its Asian release, it was acquired by the American studio Miramax, re-cut, re-scored and given a wide release in US theatres. After premieres in New York and Los Angeles, the film enjoyed great acclaim from the American critics, and won a prize at that year's Taurus Awards, an event held to celebrate action in cinema.
After working on a number of independent features, Yen went on to enjoy huge success on the small screen when he accepted a lucrative offer from Hong Kong's ATV to film a series based on the Bruce Lee classic 'Fist of Fury'. The show was the top-rated action drama show around the region, and was subsequently re-edited for international distribution on video.
Donnie went on to make his directorial debut with 'Legend of the Wolf', a stylish period actioner that even attracted the attention of legendary American film-maker Francis Coppola. The film, about an amnesiac warrior returning to his home village, has become a bona fide cult classic.
As director, Donnie followed 'Legend of the Wolf' with a very different venture, 'Ballistic Kiss', an urban thriller about a conflicted assassin. The film played at the prestigious Udine Festival in Italy, and took home awards at several other events, including the Japanese Yubari International Action Film Festival.
Donnie's body of work had by then attracted the attention of Hollywood, and Yen was approached to choreograph the action for the mainstream franchise films 'Highlander: Endgame' and 'Blade 2'. After a period where he was based in Los Angeles, Donnie returned East by way of the West when Jackie Chan requested that Yen play his nemesis in the hit 'Shanghai Knights', a shoot that took the star from Prague to London.
Yen returned to China to co-star in director Zhang Yimou's epic wu xia master work 'Hero'. Yen's duel with Jet Li brought his skills to the emerging Mainland Chinese theatrical audience, and paved the way for Donnie to become the country's biggest action star. The film received a wide US theatrical release from Miramax, and remains one of the most successful foreign language titles ever distributed in the America market.
Donnie returned to Hong Kong to choreograph the smash hit fantasy-horror-comedy 'The Twins Effect', and went on to enjoy his most productive partnership with a director. Beginning with the cop actioner 'SPL', Donnie teamed with helmer Wilson Yip for a series of very different films that Yen would star in and action choreograph and Yip would direct. Star and director subsequently teamed to create the comic book inspired fantasy actioner 'Dragon Tiger Gate' and the gritty police thriller 'Flashpoint', in which Donnie created what fans feel is the definitive on-screen MMA action scene. Yen was to return to this hard-hitting, urban action style for the later 'Special ID'.
Donnie now found himself in demand as a leading man in a series of prestigious period actioners produced for the Chinese market. 'Seven Swords' premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and proved a hit with worldwide audiences. The film was released in North America by The Weinstein Company's Dragon Dynasty label, and remains its biggest hit.
Yen also attracted rave reviews when he played an honorable general in 'An Empress and her Warriors' and an offbeat ghost-buster in Gordon Chan's 'Painted Skin'.
Yen took his career to a new level when he accepted producer Raymond Wong's suggestion that he play Bruce Lee's teacher, 'Ip Man', in an eponymous film relating the life of the great master. The film was a huge success in Hong Kong and China, and 'Ip Man' went on to find favor with audiences worldwide. Donnie also received a Best Actor nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
'Ip Man' confirmed Donnie's position as China's greatest action hero, and he was immediately signed to lead a strong ensemble cast for Teddy Chen's 'Bodyguards and Assassins', produced by Peter Chan. Besides his on-screen performance, Donnie was also called on to choreograph the dynamic duel between himself and MMA champion Cung Le. The movie went on to sweep the board at the Hong Kong Film Awards winning Best Film, among many other prizes. Yen himself was nominated for Best Actor at the Chinese Hundred Flower awards.
Yen followed this with 'Ip Man 2', a rare example of a sequel that proved a match for its predecessor. The film followed Ip's life journey to Hong Kong, where he faces both rival kung fu masters, led by the film's choreographer, Sammo Hung, and a brutal foreign boxer, portrayed by the late Darren Shahlavi. 'Ip Man 2' was the biggest local hit of the year in China, and enjoyed a limited theatrical release in the US.
The film's success led to Donnie being cast as a number of legendary Chinese heroes: He played General Qin-long in Daniel Lee's '14 Blades', Guan Yu in 'The Lost Bladesman' and reprised Bruce Lee's Chen Zhen role in Andrew Lau's 'Legend of the Fist'. Yen also used the lighter side of his screen persona to good effect in two installments of the hit Hong Kong comedy movie series 'Alls Well Ends Well'.
Yen was cast opposite Tang Wei and Takeshi Kaneshiro in director Peter Chan's 'Wu Xia' (aka 'Dragon'), a dark, elegant period martial arts murder mystery. The film premiered to great acclaim at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently received a North American theatrical release from The Weinstein Company.
Donnie Yen played 'The Monkey King' in a hit reimagining of the Chinese classic. Donnie starred opposite screen legend Chow Yun-fat in the film, which smashed box office records in Mainland China.
Showing his versatility, Yen went on to play a kung fu master facing challenges in the modern era in director Teddy Chen's 'Kung Fu Jungle'. The movie, which premiered at the London Film Festival, paid tribute to the great history of Hong Kong martial arts cinema.
During the shooting of his ambitious, time travel themed action fantasy 'Iceman 3D', Yen was approached to revitalize the greatest brand in the history of Chinese martial arts cinema. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny' was shot primarily on location in New Zealand, with Yen in the lead role. The world class creative team gathered by producer Harvey Weinstein included legendary kung fu film director Yuen Woo-ping, acclaimed directors Peter Berg and Morten Tyldum (as producers), 'X-Men' series DP Tom Sigel as well as the Oscar-winning production, costume and FX designers from the 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Hobbit' film series.
The film debuted in most international territories as a Netflix Original movie, making it the most widely seen wu xia of all time. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Sword of Destiny' also played at selected Imax theatres in North America, and enjoyed a wide theatrical release in China, where it was screened in its 3D version.
Yen reteamed with his former mentor Yuen Woo-ping for the hugely popular 'Ip Man 3'. The film, with Wilson Ip as director and Yuen as choreographer, pitted the title character against legendary boxing champion Mike Tyson. The film out-performed all the previous movies featuring the character of Ip Man, smashing box office records throughout Asia. Following a high profile Los Angeles premiere, 'Ip Man 3' enjoyed a Los Angeles premiere and a US theatrical release, earning rave reviews in the mainstream American media.
Having conquered every territory beneath the Asian skies, Donnie accepted an invitation to join the cast of an entry in the world's biggest film franchise. In 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story', Yen plays one of the Rebel warriors responsible for the theft of the Death Star plans, the adventure that, within the 'Star Wars' universe, leads to the events of the very first film in the series. The film was shot primarily at the famed Elstree Studios in England.
Donnie had a role opposite Vin Diesel and his fellow Asian action star, Tony Jaa, in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), which filmed in Toronto, Canada.
Now firmly established as a leading player across the globe, Donnie Yen continues to present a unique blend of Eastern experience and Western innovation, of musical grace with martial impact, from Hong Kong to a galaxy far, far away....
Donnie is one of the leading martial arts choreographers in the world of action cinema. His skills behind the camera began developing from his early days in the industry, and he was very much involved with the action choreography of his films for D&B Films. He received his first full action directing credit on the Michelle Yeoh, kung fu drama 'Wing Chun', in which he also starred.
Yen further developed his style of choreography in the high pressure world of Hong Kong television, where he created the action for his hit series 'Kung Fu Master' and 'Fist of Fury', and as a low-budget film-maker, when he directed, starred in and choreographed the movies 'Legend of the Wolf' and 'Ballistic Kiss'.
It was after Yen had helmed his first two Chinese features that Hollywood made its first serious bid for his services. He was signed to co-star in and action direct 'Highlander: Endgame', the latest in a series of fantasy actioners. The film, which starred Adrian Paul and Christopher Lambert, was produced by the US studio Dimension, and enjoyed a successful worldwide theatrical release.
Having relocated to Los Angeles, Yen paid his dues by directing action scenes for the Dimension action thriller 'Stormbreaker' and providing the fight sequences for the German TV series 'The Puma'.
Donnie agreed to both action direct and cameo in the major New Line action franchise entry 'Blade 2', starring Wesley Snipes. The film, directed by Guillermo del Toro, was a huge hit, earning almost twice the box office of the original 'Blade'.
Returning to Hong Kong, Yen found he now had a major contribution to make behind the camera, co-directing the SFX action adventure 'The Twins Effect'. The film, which starred two of China's top pop idols, told the tale of young vampire hunters with well-honed martial arts skills. A huge hit for Emperor, the film earned Yen his first Best Action Director prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
'The Twins Effect' saw Donnie start to introduce elements of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) in his film fight scenes. He took the on-screen depiction of the style to new heights with the film 'SPL', released in the US as 'Kill Zone'. Yen's final reel duel with Sammo Hung is now regarded as a classic of the genre. The film won Donnie his second Best Action Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
He took his on-screen depiction of MMA to new heights in 'Flashpoint', which featured an even longer and more intense final showdown, this time between Yen and 'Matrix Reloaded' actor Collin Chou. The film won Donnie his third Best Action Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards, as well as a prize for Best Action in a Foreign Language Film at the Taurus Awards.
Yen explored different styles of screen combat when he choreographed the stunning kung fu fights for the period actioners 'Legend of the Fist' and 'The Lost Bladesman', the fantasy combat for 'The Monkey King' and the time travel adventure 'Iceman Cometh 3D'.
Many fans feel that Yen delivered his best choreographic work to date in Peter Chan's masterful 'Wu Xia', released in the US as 'Dragon'. The film saw Donnie bring his own unique flair to classical Shaw Bros style kung fu action.
Donnie brought traditional Chinese martial arts into the modern era with 'Kung Fu Jungle', for which his work won yet another Best Choreography prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
Away from the cameras, Yen entered into the most rewarding partnership of his life when he married former beauty queen, Cissy Wang. The couple now has two children, a girl and boy, Jasmine and James.Movies to watch: Ip Man 1 & 2, Iron Monkey 1 & 2, Flashpoint, Killzone, Dragon Tiger Gate- Actor
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Chia-Hui Liu was born on 22 August 1951 in Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003). He was previously married to Ma Fei-feng.Movies to watch: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Clan of the White Lotus, Heroes of the East- Actor
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Chia-Liang Liu was born on 1 August 1936 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. He was an actor and director, known for Drunken Master II (1994), Legendary Weapons of China (1982) and My Young Auntie (1981). He was married to Jing-Jing Yung and Hsiu-Hsia Ho. He died on 25 June 2013 in Hong Kong, China.Movies to watch: Drunken Master 2, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Legendary Weapons of China- Actor
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Born in Beijing China in 1974, he was sent to train at Beijing Wushu Academy when he was 6 years old as both his Father and Grandfather were also Martial artists. In 1995 he was spotted by Yuen Woo-Ping who had come to the academy to look for a martial artist for the film Tai Chi 2 (aka Tai Chi Boxer). His dedication and skill won his a lot of respect across East Asia. Often contributing to the scripts and choreography of his work, his natural talent and his sense of humour are vividly expressed.- Actor
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Hiroyuki Sanada was born on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo. He made his film debut when he was 5 in Rokyoku komori-uta (1965) (Shin'ichi Chiba played the lead role.) His father died when he was 11. He joined Japan Action Club, organized & run by Sonny Chiba, when he was 12. He 1st became famous as an action star for his role in Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (1978) but is now known as one of the most talented actors in Japan. From 1999-2000, he played the fool in an English-language production of "King Lear" w/ members of the Royal Shakespeare Co as the 1st Japanese actor to act w/ the RSC. He received an honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) for this work. He & Satomi Tezuka split after 7 years in 1997.- Actor
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Scott Edward Adkins was born on June 17, 1976 in Sutton Coldfield, England, into a family that for generations were butchers. Along with his elder brother Craig, he was raised by their parents, John and Janet (Sanders) Adkins, in a loving middle-class family. Scott attended Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield. Probably not the best of students, he used to sneak downstairs after his parents had gone to bed and watch films all night then fall asleep during lessons. A natural athlete, Scott enjoyed a variety of sports as he grew up, but when he was 10 years old, he accompanied his father and brother to the local Judo club. The attraction was instantaneous. Idolising stars such as Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme, Scott began to train everyday. He took over his Dad's garage and turned it into his own Dojo. He even had a shrine to Bruce Lee in there that he would bow to. He remembers being mugged on a bus when he was around 13 and that really kicked his training into overdrive. He wasn't ever going to let that happen again. At the age of 14, Scott went on to train in Tae Kwon Do under the instruction of Ron Sergiew with the T.A.G.B. After a few years, he moved on to Kickboxing under Anthony Jones. He is now a fully trained Kickboxing Instructor for the P. K. A. A self confessed "film junkie" Scott's attention was drawn to acting through the Hollywood Greats. He enrolled in a drama class at Sutton Coldfield College. Being a shy lad he initially found it difficult to be put on stage in front of an audience. Finally, at the age of 21, Scott was offered a place at the prestigious Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. However, as an impoverished student, he found it hard to make ends meet without a grant and was forced to leave without completing the course. Very dejected he thought that was the end.
His first break came when he was offered a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Extreme Challenge (2001) (aka Extreme Challenge). Spotted by Head of The Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Wei Tung and English-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan, Adkins found himself in the East for the first time. Scott got the chance to work with some of Hong Kong cinema's leading action directors including Woo-Ping Yuen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and the legendary Jackie Chan. Acting roles started to come in and he was offered a guest role in BBC's Doctors (2000) filmed at Birmingham's Pebble Mill. A few episodes in BBC's EastEnders (1985) and City Central (1998), and a lead role in Sky One comedy drama Mile High (2003) followed by a regular role in BBC's Holby City (1999) as Bradley Hume, the assistant General Manager of Holby General.
Starring roles in feature films soon followed with his portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces (2003) and Yuri Boyka" in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing (2006). It was this film that broke him into the mainstream with his villainous portrayal of a Russian MMA underground fighter Boyka in what has been hailed as one of the best American made Martial Arts films of recent times. Along with lead actor Michael Jai White, fight coordinator J.J. Perry and the slick direction of Isaac Florentine this movie has some unbelievably heart stopping fight scenes. After this Scott has had guest starring roles in bigger budget films like The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Tournament (2009), and played Jean-Claude Van Damme's main adversary in Sony Pictures The Shepherd (2008).Movies to watch: Undisputed 2 & 3, Ninja, Ninja: Shadow of Tear (one of the most underused and underrated martial arts stars)- Actor
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Hwang Jang-Lee is the ultimate bootmaster. Known for his powerful and deadly kicks on screen as well as off, Hwang has a reputation as the Lord of the Superkickers. Born in Japan, Hwang's family moved back to their native Korea, where at the age of 14, Hwang began taking the national martial art of Tae Kwon Do. Hwang went on to teach the Korean Army TKD, and during his service, he killed a Vietnamese knife fighter in self defense. Hwang began his film career in his native Korea. In 1976, Ng See-Yuen, the founder of Seasonal Films, hired Hwang to play the villain Silver Fox in The Secret Rivals, where he goes toe to toe with Chinese superkicker John Liu. Hwang went on to establish himself as the best on screen kicker anyone has seen. He even played the villain in the two films that boosted Jackie Chan's career, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master. In 1980, after playing the villain for so long, Hwang directed, produced and starred as the hero in Hitman in the Hand of Buddha.
After making many films, Hwang retired in 1990, where at first he ran a golf-tee manufacturing company and hotel in Seoul. He also suppsedly ran a bodyguard agency. Nevertheless, Hwang has established and stamped his Hong Kong career as the king of the Bootmasters. In 1994, Hwang starred in two low budget Korean films while running a hotel as well as a bodyguard service.Movies to watch: Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Secret Rivals 1 & 2, Dance of the Drunken Mantis, Hitman in the Land of Buddha- Actor
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- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hsiao Hou was born in Henan China in 1958 and was schooled in the Chinese Opera by the famous Fan Kuk-Fa in Bejing as a very young child. He was discovered by Lar Kar-Leung (Liu Chia-Liang) in 1978 and later became a disciple of the martial artist/director for a number of years. His astonishing acrobatics and martial artistry also earned Hsiao a contract with Shaw Brothers, the leading HK movie studio at the time. He has appeared in 23 movies.
Hsiao Hou is most famous for Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979), the revenge tale of compassionate street urchin Monkey, who becomes the apprentice of a crippled Kung Fu master (Liu Chia Liang also known as Lau Kar Leung). A few years later, Hsiao would later take the lead role in the cult hit My Young Auntie playing the spoiled westernized teen of a traditional father (Liu Chia-Liang) and young aunt (Kara Hui). Hsiao Hou would take roles in the Kung Fu comedies Cat Vs. Rat (directed by Lau Kar Leung) and the lead in Fake Ghost Catchers, directed by Lau Kar Wing. His final role as a leading actor for Shaw Brothers was his fearless portrayal of Chinese legend Fong Sai Yok in the movie Disciples of the 36th Chamber, the third entry in the 36 Chamber movies. In later years, Hou would become action director for the movie Shaolin Avengers (1994).
In 1980 Hou became a disciple of Lau Kar Leung (who had only taken less than 10 disciples in his lifetime). Often, Hsiao Hou would complete many scenes in Lau Kar Leung movies as a stunt man due to the high degree of difficulty. He was described by Lau Kar Leung as "the most enjoyable action star in his class". Hou became his assistant martial arts director for several of Lau Kar Leung's movies in the early 80s. Along with action stars Kara Hui, Gordon Liu, and Alexander Fu Sheng, Lau Kar Leung's students were thought to be the brightest of the time, with projected future success.
However, in the mid-eighties, Shaw Brothers moved into TV producing and many of its actors took small roles in other movies, eventually fading into obscurity. Lau Kar Leung stopped making movies and eventually, Hsaio Hou defected to Sammo Hung's Ban which was described as somewhat "overbearing".
Hsiao Hou would later take the role of "disfigured swordsman" in Iron Monkey (1993) and a role as a crime lord in What'a Hero! He has actively worked as a stunt coordinator and stunt actor into the late 1990s. His last movie as an action coordinator was 1994's Kung Fu Kid (also known as Shaolin Avengers).
Bey Logan, noted HK movie expert had a brief encounter with Hsiao on the set of Iron Monkey and said Hsiao has a habit of making "Monkey faces" but learned to control them while filming movies. Little is known about Hsiao to date, but he is long admired as being one of the best most underrated HK action stars in the history of HK cinema and maintains a cult following because of his skills. He was last seen in the movie One Night in Mongkok (2004), appearing briefly in the first ten minutes of the film.- Billy Chow was born on 24 August 1958 in Canada. He is an actor, known for Future Cops (1993), High Risk (1995) and Robotrix (1991).
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Already a veteran of the Peking Opera, he starred in countless black and white costume dramas before son Woo-Ping Yuen cast him in _Snake in Eagle's Shadow_ , the film which launched Jackie Chan's career. He then went on to feature alongside Chan and Jeong-lee Hwang(_Snake in Eagle's Shadow_'s main villain and the villain again in this film) in the sequel _Drunken Master_. These two films saw his stock rising and on the production of one film, he had to change hotels every night to avoid producers with dubious connections. He died during the filming of the Sammo Hung picture _The Magnificent Butcher_, meaning his scenes had to be re-filmed. This film was also directed by his son, who directed his last completed film _The Buddhist Fist_.Movies to watch: Drunken Master, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, Dance of the Drunken Mantis- Stunts
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Noted Filipino-American martial arts practitioner, who studied "jeet kune do" from fellow martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. Always seeking to improve his knowledge, Inosanto holds numerous belts in various martial arts including Asian, American & Brazilian disciplines such as Muay Thai, Pentjak Silat & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. An accomplished weapons practitioner, he has showcased his skills in Game of Death (1978) fighting Bruce Lee, he gave detective Burt Reynolds a grisly "manicure" before being speared to death in Sharky's Machine (1981), appeared in the John Carpenter fantasy - martial arts adventure Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and clashed pool cues with Steven Seagal in the violent Out for Justice (1991).
He currently operates a martial arts school (The Inosanto Academy) in Marina Del Rey, California.Movies to watch: The Game of Death- Actor
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Ing-Sik Whang is a Grandmaster of hapkido and a student of legendary hapkido Grandmaster Ji Han-jae (generally regarded as one of the two "fathers" of hapkido). For those who may be unaware, hapkido is a Korean martial art employing both grappling and striking techniques to disable an opponent.
To film audiences, Ing-Sik Whang is perhaps best remembered as the final villain whom Jackie Chan ends up defeating in The Young Master (1980) and its sequel, Dragon Lord (1982). Ing-Sik Whang has made over 25 appearances in feature films and currently runs a hapkido academy in Canada.- Actor
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Yasuaki Kurata was born on 20 March 1946 in Ibaraki, Japan. He is an actor and producer, known for Blood: The Last Vampire (2009), God of War (2017) and Fist of Legend (1994).- Actor
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Lo Wai-kwong (aka Ken Lo) was born in Srung Treng, Cambodia. His father was from Hong Kong and his mother was from Laos. When he was 15 years old, he fled Cambodia and later moved to Udon Thani, Thailand in 1975. He was a huge fan of Bruce Lee and was inspired to take up martial arts such as Muay Thai and Taekwondo. He won the freestyle fighting championship seven times. Five years after the move to Udon Thani, he departed for Hong Kong in 1980 and worked as a tour guide.
After being in Hong Kong for a few years he made his first onscreen appearance in 1985's Working Class (1985), where he played a kick-boxer. But 1986 was the most pivotal year in is career, as it was then, while working as head of security at a disco that he would meet Jackie Chan. Jackie brought him on as a member of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and as one of his own personal bodyguards, a role he would continue for another 25 years. Ken proved to be an invaluable member of the team and appeared in many of Jackie's own movies in fighting roles.
But he also branched out, working for many different directors and stunt coordinators, staring in many films as a leading cast member and working on over 140 films altogether. One of his most famous roles was as "John", the main fighting villain in 1994's Drunken Master II (1994). After one of the other actor's sustained an injury, Ken was put forward to take over, showing of his superb kicking skills, including his famous 180 standing split. The final fight scene of Drunken Master II is widely considered one of the greatest of all time.- Actor
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Wah Yuen was born on 2 September 1950 in Hong Kong, China. He is an actor, known for Kung Fu Hustle (2004), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and The Way of the Dragon (1972).- Actress
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Daughter of a Chinese woman, who spent her childhood in Nishi Ku (Fukuoka City). When she was in elementary school, her parents divorced and she went to live with her mother, who ran a little restaurant. Being a child she practiced karate in junior high school, represented Kyushu in several competitions and finally won the woman national karate championship. During her attendance in the Nippon College of Health and Physical Education for women, where she studied physical education, she saw the film "Young Master" (1980), directed and starring Sing Lung, and decided enrolling JAC (Japan Action Club) to become a stuntwoman. She finally changed her name to "Oshima" and debuted in the TV series "Super Electron Bio-Man" in 1984. At that time one part of JAC, "Asia Action", became independent and based in Hong Kong and Yukari decided to leave Japan. Chinese director Hung Kam-Bo gave her a bit part in the martial arts film "Shanghai Express" in 1986 and thus she began a career in Hong Kong until 1994, when after more than 20 Chinese films and a divorce from star Cheng Ho-Nam she established herself in the Philippines and changed her name for the second time to "Cynthia Luster" (Sincere Raster). Here she would participate in more than 20 films.Movies to watch: A Book of Heroes, Outlaw Brothers, Iron Angels, Shanghai Express (my favorite action actress, and way underused in terms of fighting screen time :( )- Actor
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Yayan Ruhian was born in Tasikmalaya (West Java) on October 19, 1968. He found his passion in Pencak Silat and other martial arts, becoming a professional martial arts instructor. Ruhian is also known as an instructor of an inner breathing technique designed to condition of the body to withstand any impact. In 1988, he began teaching at Perguruan Silat Tenaga Dasar Indonesia (Inner Breathing Technique Silat School in Indonesia). During his term as an instructor he traveled regularly to teach in different cities and abroad.
Ruhian was a member of a demonstration team who performed at Festival des Arts Martiaux de Paris Bercy in Paris, France, while also participating at Institude Judo Paris in France to showcase Silek Minang (West Sumatra - Minang-style Silat.)
In 2008, Ruhian was hired as one of the choreographers for Merantau as a specialist in both Silat Harimau and Silat Minang. While casting the role of Eric, Gareth was unable to find an actor who would handle both the acting and fighting required for the role. Ruhian auditioned and won the co-starring role.- Actor
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Iko Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Maisyaroh and Mustapha Kamaluddin. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat, an Indonesian traditional martial art, and founded a silat school. Iko himself has been learning silat since he was 10 years old. He became National Champion in 2005 in Silat Demonstration category. Iko's talent as a martial arts actor was discovered by Welsh film Director, Gareth Evans, who visited Iko's Silat school for a documentary in 2007. Evans then asked Iko to quit his daytime job as a driver in a telecommunications company and join Evans' movie production company as the leading actor in his movies.- Actor
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David Belle is an international actor, but also the founder of Parkour. Belle was introduced to his acting career in a meeting with Hubert Koundé (La Haine) and then in the play Pygmalion. He began his acting career guest-starring in the television show Louis Page (1997). Belle gained prominence starring in Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale (2002), and with astonishing Parkour performances in action movies such as Les Rivières Pourpres 2 (2004) with Jean Reno. David was then contacted by Luc Besson to co-star as lead actor in the action movie District 13 (2004). He gained international fame for his portrayal of Leïto, and would reprise the role in the sequel District 13: Ultimatum (2009). He also starred in films such as Babylon A.D. and The Family, and worked as a stunt/Parkour coordinator/choreographer in blockbusters such as Transporter 2, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Colombiana.
Seen as a "Living Legend" in China, David entered the Asian Movie market in 2016 and since then stared in several blockbusters.
Belle also stared in two web series, the noticeable Brutal: Taste of Violence, and À Jamais, awarded for is performances as "Best Actor" at the SeriesLand WebFest 2018 and Rio Webfest 2018.
Besides acting, Belle is the founder of Parkour, and was former President of the Parkour Commission with FIG, the International Federation of Gymnastics.- Stunts
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Cyril Raffaelli was born on 1 April 1974. He is an actor, known for District B13 (2004), District 13: Ultimatum (2009) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007).- Actor
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Ray Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He moved with his parents, younger brother and sister to London, UK, at the age of seven. Ray always wanted to be in the movies, and be like their heroes. He also began to nurture a love for martial arts from the age of seven, when his father's fondness for Bruce Lee films sparked a fire in the youngster's mind that would never extinguish. Specializing in the traditional Chinese Northern Shaolin Kung-fu (in the Chin Woo style), Park moved on to master other styles, most notably Wushu. In 1991, at age 16, Ray became a member of the Great Britain Wushu team, competing in his first international in Beijing, China at the 1st World Wushu Championships. Ray was the first Wushu athlete from Great Britain and Europe to place in the top seven in the world, and went on to compete for Great Britain for another six years. He became a fixture at martial arts exhibitions and tournaments, Nationally, European and Internationally, attaining Gold Medal for the Great Britain Wushu and the Chin Woo Martial Arts team.
Ray began teaching himself gymnastics at a young age but felt he was missing the correct training to achieve a higher level. At fifteen, he found a school that was willing to allow him to practice and use the floor space. The gymnastic training helped to improve his martial arts training and began to sit in and take seminars in coaching gymnastics. It was when he was nineteen that he relocated to another gymnastic gym and became one of the boys' squad coaches. He further went on to be in charge of coaching recreational gymnastics throughout schools in London. Ray's boys squad won 1st in The London Youth Games for Hendon Gymnastics Club. During one of his frequent visits to Malaysia, he was approached to audition for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). Ray became martial arts advisor to one of the stunt coordinators and later landed playing one of the Reptiles, Baraka, and doubling for Rayden.
Conjuring memories of his youthful cinematic martial arts passion, Park attempted to learn as much as possible about the process of filmmaking. Soon being given more scenes and becoming more natural on set, he was contacted by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard to audition for George Lucas' prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Offered the job by producer Rick McCallum, Park was given the creative freedom to develop his choreography by an impressed Lucas, and soon gained the confidence to develop his role to the best of his abilities.- Actor
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Dan Chupong was born on 23 March 1981 in Kalasin Province, Thailand. He is an actor, known for Monster Hunter (2020), Ong Bak 2 (2008) and Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003).- Actor
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Ching-Ying Lam was born on December 27, 1952 in Shanghai, China, the third of six children. He attended Shun Yi Association Elementary School in Hong Kong for 2 years. He later attended the Chun Chau Drama Society to learn Peking Opera, where he portrayed female roles and did stunt-doubling for actresses. At age 17, he joined the film industry, working as a martial arts stunts man and coach for the Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest studios. At age 19, he was a personal assistant for Bruce Lee, and later joined the stunt team of Sammo Kam-Bo Hung.
Lam did stunt coordination and action choreography for numerous Chinese movies and appeared in scores of films playing fighters, henchmen and police officers. However, his shot to fame came when he appeared as "Master Gau" in Mr. Vampire (1985). From this film on, Lam was most famous for his various "Vampire Buster" roles in the dozens of ghost, fantasy, and horror movies from Hong Kong that followed, trying to rid the land of restless ghosts, evil demons, hopping vampires and bewitching elves. In these films, Lam often portrayed the "Master" of several apprentices, some of which have been played by actors Ricky Hui, Siu-Ho Chin, Biao Yuen and Hoi Mang. In addition to these movies, Lam originated the role of "Master Mo Siu Fong" in a TV-series produced by ATV Studios called "Vampire Expert" in the 1990s.
Lam passed away in Hong Kong on November 8, 1997 at the age of 44.- Actor
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Darren Shahlavi was seven years old when he started training in martial arts in an old drama theatre in Manchester, England. Inspired by Bruce Lees films and other action movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of being a movie actor and would show up to his Judo class at the drama hall early to watch the actors rehearsing and performing plays.
When Darren was seventeen years old he attended a seminar for "Hong Kong style fight choreography", by Kung Fu star Donnie Yen, which gave him the confidence to pursue his dream of working in Hong Kong movies as a stepping stone to Hollywood. Then, in the early nineties, a young Shahlavi moved to Hong Kong where he began his career as a stuntman until Director Woo-Ping Yuen hired him as the lead villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan. As a string of martial arts films followed, Darren also used his fighting skills as a stunt performer in studio blockbusters such as "Riddick", "Blade 3", "300", "Watchmen" and the "Night at the Museum" films, as well as supporting roles in Hollywood movies such as "I Spy" playing a boxer fighting Eddie Murphy, "The Final Cut" with Robin Williams, and guest star roles in TV shows such as "Sanctuary", "Human Target" and "Reaper."
In 2010, Darren made a triumphant return to Hong Kong action films, co-starring opposite his childhood heroes Donnie Yen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the Wilson Yip directed Ip Man 2 (2010). Shahlavi plays the evil British boxing champion "The Twister" in the semi-biographical story of Bruce Lee's real life kung fu master, Ip Man. The film opened to huge critical and commercial acclaim, becoming the most successful Asian film at the box office in 2010 and widely recognized as the biggest and best martial arts film of the past decade. Following Ip Man 2's successful theatrical run in the United States, Darren has a renewed following amongst action film fans with new films set for release in 2011 including "Born to Raise Hell" opposite Steven Seagal, "Hangar 14" with Steve Austin as well as starring roles in "Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn" and Mortal Kombat for Warner Brothers.- Actor
- Director
Wenzhuo Zhao was born on 10 April 1972 in Ning'an, Heilongjiang, China. He is an actor and director, known for True Legend (2010), Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993) and Yingxiong Zheng Chengong (2001). He has been married to Danlu Zhang since 1 June 2006. They have three children.- Actor
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Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White portrayed Jax Briggs in Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011). White also portrayed boxer Mike Tyson in the 1995 HBO television movie Tyson.- Actor
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Johnny Tri Nguyen was born in Vietnam into a family with a rich martial arts tradition. At the age of 9, he immigrated to America. Throughout the 90s, Nguyen's talent in martial arts led him to compete and won many award in various championships as well as representing the US in the national Wushu team. His career in Hollywood started when he was recruited to be a stuntman for Mortal Kombat series (1998). He went on to double spiderman in Spiderman 2 (2004). Nguyen shifted his career toward acting when he played opposite Tony Jaa in The Protector (2005). Johnny Tri Nguyen quickly rose to stardom in Vietnam after The Rebel (2007), a film in which he also wrote and produced. Clash (2009) cemented Johnny Tri Nguyen as the premiere action star of South East Asia. In Thailand, Nguyen joined Force of Five (2009), then in 2011 he starred in one of South India's biggest blockbusters, 7aum Arivu. Johnny Tri Nguyen is the marquee in numerous Vietnamese hit movies of different genres, showcasing his range as an actor. His latest work was with Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods (2020).- Actor
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Wilson Tong is known for Wei xian ren wu (1996), The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) and The Musical Vampire (1992).- Actor
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Ho Wang was born in 1945 in Seoul, South Korea. He is an actor, known for Odaegwanmun (1979), Heukpyo bigaek (1981) and Pacheon shingwon (1978).- Actor
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Tao-Liang Tan was born in 1947 in Pusan, Korea. He is an actor and producer, known for The Hand of Death (1976), Breathing Fire (1991) and Zhu Jiang da feng bao (1974).- Actor
- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chien Sun was born on 26 January 1955 in Taiwan. He is an actor and assistant director, known for Five Deadly Venoms (1978), The Kid with the Golden Arm (1979) and Widow Warriors (1990).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
John Liu was born on 20 May 1944 in Taiwan. He is an actor and director, known for The Invincible Armour (1977), New York Ninja (2021) and Sha shou ying (1981).- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Don "The Dragon" Wilson is considered the greatest kick-boxing champion in the sport's history. A native of South Florida, Wilson began fighting in the late 1970s. In a career which spanned 4 decades, he won 11 world kick-boxing championships, among them the WKA, STAR, WKC, PKO Lightheavyweight World Championships, WKA, STAR, ISKA World Cruiserweight Titles, and the WKA and STAR Super-Lightheavyweight World Championships. He posted a record of 72-5-2 with 47 wins by knockout. Wilson defeated such world champions as Dennis Alexio, Oaktree Edwards, and Dick Kimber. He retired from the sport in 1990, but launched a comeback on May 14, 1999. Since his return he has knocked-out Dick Kimber and defeated Dewey Cooper.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Benny Urquidez was raised in a very athletic family. His mother was a professional wrestler and his father a professional boxer, with all of his siblings black belts. He has earned black belts in nine different martial arts and trained in other styles.
The Jet decided to pursue full-contact karate as a career in 1974. He achieved a record of over 200 wins and no losses, with 63 title defenses and 57 KOs. He is the only fighter to have retained six world titles in five weight divisions for 24 consecutive years. Returning to the ring in 1993 at age 42, he beat defending champ Yoshihisa Tagami, 25, of Japan for the world light middle weight championship. Now retired, the Jet devotes his time to his acting and movie career. His specialty is training actors for fight scenes. He is also a martial arts instructor who has written four instructional books and has released eight instructional videos. His own unique martial art is called Ukidokan, which means "way of life" and the Jet Center is located in north Hollywood, CA.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Blond, muscular, tall, handsome, and the greatest heavyweight point-fighter and kick-boxer of the 1960s and 70s, Joe Lewis coined the phrase,"American Kickboxing". He fought in the first kick-boxing heavyweight title fight in 1970. Had one of the greatest point-fighting careers in history. Lewis is one of only 5 men to defeat the legendary Chuck Norris. Turned professional in 1970. Was undefeated in his first 12 fights, all by knockout. The first kick-boxing champion to appear on the cover of the RING Boxing Magazine. Retired after losing back-to-back decisions. Years later, launched a highly publicized ring comeback. Achieved a world ranking, but failed to recapture his lost crown. Considered one of the top 3 greatest kick-boxing champions in history; some say he was the best.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Born on February 1, 1965 to Bruce Lee (Martial Arts idol) and Linda Lee Cadwell. Brother to Shannon Lee. In 1970-71, they moved to Hong Kong, where Brandon lived until age eight, becoming fluent in Cantonese. By the time he was able to walk, he was already involved in learning about martial arts from his father.
Brandon attended high school in Los Angeles, where he realized that he had also inherited acting ability along with his martial arts skills. In 1983, he was expelled from school because of misbehavior, but received his diploma at Miraleste High School. He continued his education and interest in acting at Emerson College in Massachusetts, where he majored in theatre. Having chosen an acting career, he studied at the Strasberg Academy, with Eric Morris in New York and in Los Angeles, and in Lynette Katselas' class in Los Angeles.
His first professional job as an actor came at age twenty, when casting director Lynn Stalmaster asked him to read for a CBS television film, Kung Fu: The Movie (1986). Lee's first role in a feature film was Legacy of Rage (1986) (aka "Legacy of Rage" (1986)) for D.M. Films of Hong Kong, followed by a co-starring role in Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991). He was also in Rapid Fire (1992), and The Crow (1994). He turned down offers to be in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993).
Brandon died (while filming) at the age of 28, of what is to be believed, a brain hemorrhage on the set of The Crow (1994). The film crew shot a scene in which it was decided to use a gun without consent from the weapons coordinator, who had been sent home early that night. They handed Michael Massee the gun loaded with full power blanks and shot the scene, unaware that a bullet had become dislodged from a previous shot and had lodged itself in the barrel. Upon shooting of the scene the blank round forced the bullet out the barrel striking Brandon Lee. The crew only noticed when Lee was slow getting up. The doctors worked desperately for five hours, but it was no use. The bullet had lodged itself in Mr Lee's lower spine. He was pronounced dead at 1:04 P.M. the next day. He was supposed to marry Eliza Hutton on April 17, 1993. His body was flown to Seattle to be buried beside his father in Lake View Cemetery.- Stunts
- Actor
- Visual Effects
Lateef Crowder was born on 23 November 1977 in San Jose, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Tekken (2010), Wonder Woman (2017) and Furious 7 (2015). He was previously married to Andressa Vallotti.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
It seems that right at birth, Tak Sakaguchi was bound to be a force to be reckoned with. From an early age, he exhibited excellent motor skills and cat-like reflexes; putting these skills to use and excelling in martial arts such as Judo and boxing. Surprisingly, even with his stunning looks and charisma, Sakaguchi wasn't seeking a career in acting - it sought him. Working as a street fighter, he was chosen by a then unknown director, Ryuhei Kitamura. Kitamura was still accumulating funds and financial resources for his independent film, Versus, and not knowing any established actors, he chose Sakaguchi due to his natural fighting skills and physical prowess. Kitamura felt that Sakaguchi shouldn't have to go to waste fighting in the streets, so why not bring his skills to film instead? Sakaguchi pushed himself physically to the extreme for the film, breaking ribs, bruising and cutting himself, even losing a tooth! Instead of halting production, he had it glued back in! The film proved to be quite a gamble for both star and director, but it also pay off in ways that neither would have expected. Upon its release, Versus was a hit in its native Japan, even with the novice director, reluctant actor, and extremely low-budget. Once released over-seas, the film became a cult hit. Seemingly overnight, both Sakaguchi and Kitamura launched their careers and continued to work together in films such as the Azumi series, Alive, Aragami and Battlefield Baseball. While all film ventures were successful, Sakaguchi had yet to acquire the same success he did with Versus. 2005 would prove to be a bigger year, taking on more mainstream film roles in Shinobi: Heart Under Blade. Then there was Death Trance, with a role similar to that of Versus; it was also in Death Watch that Sakaguchi directed the action scenes. 2007, however, proved to be even busier, acting in both films and television. Sakaguchi has also taken to working behind the camera, writing and directing his first film, Sakigake!! Otako juku (Be a Man! Samurai School). With such a strong dedication to his craft, be it actor, writer, or director, Sakaguchi is unstoppable.- Actor
- Music Department
- Producer
Chuck Norris is familiar to fans worldwide as the star of action films such as The Hitman (1991), The Delta Force (1986) and Delta Force 2: The Colombian Connection (1990). He also starred in Missing in Action (1984) and its sequels, Firewalker (1986) and Sidekicks (1992). He was an executive producer of Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) as well as the star.
Chuck Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma, to Wilma (Scarberry) and Ray Norris, who was a truck driver, mechanic, and bus driver. The eldest of three children, he helped his mother raise his two younger brothers in Torrance, CA, where his family moved when he was 12. Norris attended North Torrance High School from its inception in September, 1955 until his graduation in June, 1958. He is one of several storied alumni from the school. Other NHS alumni include Bob Hite (1943-1981), who was the lead singer of "Canned Heat," Chris Demaria, who was a professional baseball player in the Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers organizations, Chris Mortensen, an analyst with ESPN, Hip-Hop DJ "Key-Kool" (Kikuo Nishi), and Wee-Man (Jason Acuna) of "JackAss fame."
Norris joined the Air Force after graduating from high school. During a stint in Korea, he began to study the Asian martial art of Tang Soo Do. After returning home, he worked for Northrop Aviation and moonlighted as a karate instructor. Two years later he was teaching full-time and running a number of martial-arts schools. His students included Steve McQueen, Priscilla Presley and the Osmonds.
Norris's fight career lasted from 1964-1974. Norris started off by losing his first three tournaments but, by 1966, he was almost unbeatable. Among the numerous titles he won were The National Karate Championships (1966), All-Star Championships (1966), World Middleweight Karate Championship (1967), All-American Karate Championship (1967), Internationals (1968), World Professional Middleweight Karate Championship (defeating Louis Delgado on 24 November 1968), All-American Championship (1968), National Tournament of Champions (1968), American Tang Soo Championship, and the North American Karate Championship. Norris compiled a fight record of 65-5 with wins over champions Joe Lewis, Skipper Mullins, Arnold Urquidez, Ronald L. Marchini, Victor Moore, Louis Delgado, and Steve Sanders. Of the five men to beat Norris, three were Allen Steen, Joe Lewis, and Norris's last career defeat to Louis Delgado in 1968. Norris retired as undefeated Professional Full-Contact Middleweight Champion in 1974.
Norris, who was urged to get into acting by his friend Steve McQueen, skillfully incorporates his martial-arts knowledge into his series and feature film projects, stressing action and technique over violence. He is the author of the books "The Secret of Inner Strength" and "The Secret Power Within - Zen Solutions to Real Problems". He works for many charities, including the Funds for Kids, Veterans Administration National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans, the United Way, Make-a-Wish Foundation and KickStart, a nonprofit organization he created to help battle drugs and violence in schools. He also starred in the television movie Blood In, Blood Out (1993), broadcast on CBS.
He lives on a ranch when not filming.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Steven Frederic Seagal was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Patricia Anne (Fisher), a medical technician, and Samuel Seagal, a high school math teacher. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants, and his mother had English, German, and distant Irish and Dutch, ancestry. The enigmatic Seagal commenced his martial arts training at the age of seven under the tutelage of well-known karate instructor and author Fumio Demura, and in the 1960s commenced his aikido training in Orange County, CA, under the instruction of Harry Ishisaka. Seagal received his first dan accreditation in 1974, after he had moved to Japan to further his martial arts training. After spending many years there honing his skills, he achieved the ranking of a 7th dan in the Japanese martial art "aikido" and was instructing wealthy clients in Los Angeles when he came to the attention of Hollywood power broker Michael Ovitz.
Ovitz saw star value in the imposing-looking Seagal. The high-octane action movie genre was in full swing in the late 1980s, and Seagal's debut movie, "Above the Law", was wildly received by action fans and actually received some complimentary critical reviews. He followed up "Above the Law" with another slam-bang thriller, Hard to Kill (1990), as a cop shot in an ambush by the mob who revives from a coma to take his revenge. The movie also starred Seagal's wife at the time, leggy Kelly LeBrock, who was married to him from 1987 to 1996 and is the mother of three of his children. His next outing was battling voodoo-using Jamaican drug "posses" in the hyper-violent Marked for Death (1990), before returning to fight psychotic mob gangster William Forsythe in the even more punishing Out for Justice (1991). Seagal was by now enormously popular, and his next movie, the big-budgeted Under Siege (1992), set aboard the battleship USS Missouri and also starring Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey, was arguably his best film to date, impressing both fans and critics alike.
Seagal's fighting style was rather different from that of other on-screen martial arts dynamos such as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who were predominantly fighters from striking arts background such as karate or tang soo do. However, aikido is built around using an opponent's inertia and body weight to employ various locks, chokes and holds that incapacitate him. Seagal carries himself differently, too, and often appears wearing Italian designer clothes and usually favors an all-black outfit, generally with a three-quarter-length coat with an elaborate trim. Additionally, Seagal's on-screen characters were often seemingly benign or timid individuals; however, when the going gets rough they reveal themselves to be deadly ex-CIA operatives, or retired Special Forces soldiers capable of enormous destruction!
As his box-office drawing power grew, Seagal began to infuse his film projects with his personal and spiritual beliefs, especially concerning the abuse of the environment. He appeared as an oil fire expert who turns against his corrupt CEO (played by Michael Caine) in On Deadly Ground (1994) to save the Eskimo population from an oil disaster; in Fire Down Below (1997) he plays an environmental agency troubleshooter investigating the dumping of toxic waste in Kentucky coal mines, and in the slow-moving The Patriot (1998) he plays a medical specialist trying to stop a lethal virus unleashed by an extremist group.
Action fans struggled to come to terms with social messaging being built into bone-crunching fight films; however, Seagal's box-office clout remained fairly strong, and more traditional chopsocky projects followed with the "buddy cop" film The Glimmer Man (1996), then almost a cameo role as a Navy SEAL alongside CIA analyst Kurt Russell before Seagal is sucked out of a jet at 35,000 feet in Executive Decision (1996).
In 1999 Seagal took a different turn in his film projects with the surprising genteel Prince of Central Park (2000), about a child living inside NYC's most famous park. He returned to more familiar territory with further high-voltage, guns-blazing action in Exit Wounds (2001), Half Past Dead (2002), Out for a Kill (2003) and Belly of the Beast (2003).
Unbeknownst to many, in 1997 Seagal publicly announced that one of his Buddhist teachers, His Holiness Penor Rinpoche, had accorded Seagal as a tulku, the reincarnation of a Buddhist Lama. This initial announcement was met with some disbelief until Penor Rinpoche himself gave a confirmation statement on Seagal's new title. Seagal has repeatedly discussed his involvement in Buddhism and how he devotes many hours studying and meditating this ancient Eastern religion.
While his box-office appeal has somewhat declined from his halcyon blockbusters of the mid-'90s, Seagal still has a very loyal fan base in the action movie genre and continues to remain a highly bankable star.- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dawid Szatarski also known as "Dawe" born in Poland, Zielona Gora and moved to Berlin at his early age. Dawid quickly discovered his passion for Martial Arts and traveled throughout south east Asia to study Martial Arts. He is known for his Indonesian Martial Art background (Pencak Silat), Muay Thai Boran, Filipino Martial Arts( Kali & Escrima), Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and many more... After becoming a Stuntman, he quickly progressed on his Journey to become a Choreographer, Action Designer / Director, known for his stylish approach for camera work and cinematography.
Dawid worked with Action Guru Brad Allan (Jackie Chan Stunt Team) where he discovered his passion not only for action design but for film making in general.
Dawid's goal is to set the bar on a new level when it comes to story telling and cinematography.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Producer
Conan Lee was born in 1959 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and producer, known for Pacific Rim (2013), Repo Men (2010) and Big Trouble in Little China (1986).- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Siu-Wong Fan was born in Hong Kong in 1973, the son of 1970s kung fu film actor Mei-Sheng Fan. At the age of 14, Siu-Wong traveled to Xushou on the request of his father to take up martial arts because he was virtually a toothpick. There, Siu-Wong studied gymnastics, kung fu, and taekwondo. Fan made his film debut as a teen in Zhi fa xian feng (1986), aka Righting Wrongs, alongside Biao Yuen, Cynthia Rothrock, and Corey Yuen. However, his breakout role came in 1991 when he starred as the titled character in Lik wong (1991), aka The Story of Ricky. By then, Siu-Wong has emerged into a true action star with the muscles to match. He continues to work in films today, although they are not exactly the big Hong Kong blockbusters everyone goes out to see.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Sonny Chiba was born as Sadao Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan on January 22, 1939. His father was a military test pilot. During his youth, he had an interest in both theater & gymnastics. He was talented enough to make the Japanese Olympic Team until a chronic back injury ended his career. However, he took a strong interest in karate under the guidance of the Mas Oyama during college & soon earned his first black belt. However, his life changed again when he was discovered during a talent search by Toei Studios in 1960. He soon began his screen career under the name Shinichi Chiba, appearing as the space chief in Uchu Kaisoku-ken. Over the next decade, he busied himself w/ appearances in Japanese crime thrillers, steadily building a reputation for playing hard men of few words & direct actions.
With his proficiency in karate, judo & kenpo, he took advantage of the early 1970s martial arts boom sparked by Bruce Lee. He starred in The Street Fighter (1974), playing a mercenary style street thug who would do anything for a price & take on anyone, even the yakuza. The approach of the film was quite different from the Bruce Lee films in that Lee only eliminated his enemies when he was defending his friends or his honor. Instead, he was only aiming for a fistful of dollars for his deadly services & would engage in mortal combat for the highest bidder, although this often clouded his judgement to his own detriment. The only person the Street Fighter respects is his martial arts teacher, karate master Masaoko who manages to easily out smart & out fight him. Upon its release, the film was criticized for its excessive violence.
A sequel quickly followed w/ him back in Return of the Street Fighter (1974), which was then followed by a third Street Fighter movie starring Etsuko Shihomi in the gritty Sister Street Fighter (1974). There was a fourth & final film in the series Gyakushu Satsujin ken.
He had firmly established himself as a key anti-hero of Asian martial arts cinema who said little & used his fists to sort out his troubles. With the demand high from fans, he remained busy on screen for the next 20 years, starring in numerous Japanese film & TV productions w/ an emphasis on bruising fights, samurai swords, yakuza gangsters & beautiful girls in trouble.
Outside of Japan, the Street Fighter film series has achieved enduring popularity through many midnight cult screenings. Their style heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino. He has used strong references & imagery from the Street Fighter movies in several of his films including True Romance (1993) and Pulp Fiction (1994). When he came around to casting for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), he was eager to have Chiba accept the key role of the hot headed & sometimes humorous Okinawan sword maker Hanzo Hattori. He continued to be a major figure & influence in the world-wide passion in martial arts movies for over 3 decades, contributing to the genre by encouraging & training young hopefuls seeking to make their mark on screen.
He passed away on August 19, 2021.- Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Jeffrey Falcon was born on 1 January 1962 in the USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Six-String Samurai (1998), Licence to Steal (1990) and Burning Ambition (1989).- Actor
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marko Zaror is a Chilean martial arts action star and fight choreographer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. His career began as a young boy with a passion for martial arts and fighting, his mother, a Black belt in Karate took him to the gym when he was just a baby. Inspired by Bruce Lee, at the age of six he started training himself, and by the age of 18 Marko had become an exceptional martial artist. Marko moved to Mexico and quickly found success in modeling by doing fashion shows until he receive a study grant in Televisa. After acting on local movies, Despite this success, he never lost his passion for martial arts and decided to move to Los Angeles. Zaror's first break into the Hollywood industry was by doing Dawne " The Rock " Johnson stunt double on the movie "The Rundown" where he won a World Stunt award.
Zaror then gained international notoriety as lead and producer of indie action cult Kitro, Mirageman, Mandrill and Redeemer, all premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas where they achieved international and domestic distribution. In his first American film, he was nominated for best villain with his performance of "Dolor" in Isaac Florentine's "Undisputed 3", where he earned worldwide fans for his physical skills and acting.
His big break was when Robert Rodriguez discovered and wrote him a role in Machete Kills. Since then, Marko has developed a promising career with several performances in series and movies that include the series From Dusk Till Dawn with the epic character of "Zolo" and now Hollywood most anticipated Action saga of 2023 John Wick 4 as "Chidi" one of Wick's main pursuers in the film.
Zaror latest film Fist of The Condor, which recently had its world premiere at the 2023 Rotterdam Film Festival in Germany, has been selected for the Alamo Drafthouse Fantastic Fest Presents series.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
John Cheung is known for Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993), Kickboxer (1989) and Double Impact (1991).- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Panna Rittikrai is the man behind Thai action star Tony Jaa, whose work in Ong-Bak, astounded viewers across the globe. Panna Rittikrai was born in the small village of Khon Kaen in Thailand. At a young age, he was a fan of martial arts films and he knew it would be his dream to become involved in the martial arts industry. During his college years, he formed his own stunt team, the Seng Stunt Team, which would consist of 20 members. In 1978, he made his first film, Gerd Ma Lui (aka Born to Fight). The film showcased the stunt work of Rittikrai and his stunt team. The film would go on to influence a young Thai kid named Panom Yeerum, whom we now know as Tony Jaa.
Rittikrai has made over 50 low budgeted but stunt-filled films. He gained recognition throughout the world after the success of Ong-Bak in 2003. He also directed a remake/new version of his first film, Kerd ma lui (Born to Fight), starring Thai national athletes and another one of his protégés, Chupong Changprung (aka Dan Chupong). Rittikrai recently worked with Tony Jaa on Tom Yum Goong and has other projects lined up as he is now an internationally-known action director.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
From his humble beginnings of watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Matt Mullins has risen to become world renown in martial arts, and as a star in the CW4Kids show "Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight".
With 5 martial art world titles in hand, Matt moved from Naperville, IL to Hollywood and quickly began booking national spots for top brands such as Nike, Burger King, and Pepsi, with his most recent being the Ultra Sexy Motorola RAZR 2 commercial. After Matt starred in huge international success of the Discovery Channels "Xtreme Martial Arts", Hollywood began to take notice and Matt was given the opportunity to begin to flex his acting chops in lead roles, such as the award winning cult film "Adventures of Johnny Tao".
Simultaneously, Matt created the martial art phenomenon Sideswipe, which took Hollywood by storm, winning FOX TV's "30 Seconds To Fame" and securing millions of fans to finish top 8 in "America's Got Talent" on NBC.
Whether it is choreographing for the Britney Spears Circus Tour, starring on the CW, or performing live with Sideswipe, Matt has come a long way since watching the Turtles as he continues to expand his multi-platform empire.- Actor
- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Feng Lu was born on 5 May 1953 in Taiwan. He is an actor and assistant director, known for Masked Avengers (1981), Five Deadly Venoms (1978) and Lei tai (1983).- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Meng Lo was born on 4 August 1952 in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. He is an actor and producer, known for Ip Man 3 (2015), Ip Man 2 (2010) and Hard Boiled (1992).- Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Philip Kwok began his career as a circus acrobat and worked in the Peking Opera, unlike many others, he had not aspired to work in the film industry. He began working as a stuntman and eventually worked his way into leading roles. His performance in Boxer Rebellion caught Director Chang Cheh's attention and he cast him in Marco Polo as Chung Fung. In 1976 Philip Kwok went to work for Shaw Brothers as an actor. In 1978 he made The Five Venoms as the leading man, and even though he didn't have leading man looks, he did have Charles Bronson tough guy charisma, and this launched him into other Shaw ventures as the male lead and the action choreographer. These films included The Rebel Intruders, The Flag Of Iron, The Sword Stained With Royal Blood and Ode To Gallantry. In 1981, Philip Kwok went back to Taiwan with the support of Chang. There he founded a film company with his Taiwanese colleagues Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng. One of their productions was Ruthless Tactics, in which he starred and directed. Peacock King, Hard Boiled, A Chinese Ghost Story and The Touch were a few of the films where he was Action Director.
In the 1980's the Kung Fu genre became less popular and, like so many Kung Fu actors, Philip Kwok's career eventually slowed down as well. During this period of time he work in the television industry as both an actor and as an action choreographer.
Philip Kwok is a very versatile action actor. He plays comedic as well as straight roles as well as leading man and villain. Some of his best work can be seen in Magnificent Ruffians, Masked Avengers and Hard Boiled, where he played the eye patch wearing Mad Dog.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
A powerful screen presence, Richard Norton wins the applause of international audiences with his engaging ability to play either the hero or the heavy. Rare versatility and focused work ethic have enabled him to build an expanding library of almost 100 film and television titles. The disciplines that brought Norton success originated in his hometown of Croydon, Australia, and his early fascination with martial arts. By age 17 he was a karate black belt working security for nightclubs and serving as chief instructor to 500 karate schools nationwide. He landed a job as bodyguard to The Rolling Stones during the band's Australian tour and experienced his first brush with the demands of global celebrity. Norton trained with Mick Jagger in 4:00 a.m. workouts after concerts. His competency attracted a dazzling roster of other rock star clientèle including James Taylor, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie and Linda Ronstadt, who invited him to California as her bodyguard. Before Aussies invaded Hollywood in posses, Norton ventured there alone. A friendship with Chuck Norris brought him work in motion pictures. Norris cast Norton as the lethal Kyo, a masked ninja, in The Octagon (1980), and their grueling final combat endures as a classic cinematic fight scene. Director Robert Clouse chose Norton to be one of the ensemble heroes in Force: Five (1981), an international hit, and the young martial artist's career in movies took off. His reputation for stellar performances emerged largely from high-energy Hong Kong films directed by Sammo Kam-Bo Hung and starring Jackie Chan in the mid-'80s. Muscular charisma made Norton the perfect Anglo bad boy for Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) and Millionaires' Express (1986). Taking the hits of his screen adversaries in those films earned Norton more Hong Kong work and, notably, Chan's abiding respect. Richard calls Jackie "the maestro of martial arts movies." Jackie has returned the compliment by recruiting Norton as one of just two Western actors to perform in several of his Hong Kong-based productions, including the comedic cult favorite Madam City Hunter (1993) and the darker Mr. Nice Guy (1997), directed by Hung. Hung encouraged Norton to play the "Guy" nemesis, a well-heeled gangster, with eccentric edginess. Norton embraced the direction and delivered one of the best co-starring performances in all of Chan's films. The success of Norton's Hong Kong work made him an established star in action films and a frequent cover subject for global martial arts and movie magazines. His collaborations with Cynthia Rothrock catapulted them to a level of fame that inspired a British magazine to deem them the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of martial arts movies. The recurring partners produced two Rage and Honor (1992) movies, besides co-starring in China O'Brien (1990) and Lady Dragon (1992), among other titles. They reunited for Redemption (2002) with 'Don 'The Dragon' Wilson'. Norton nurtured his leading man status in crime dramas, MIA pictures and futuristic adventures that often featured his real-life training partners in supporting roles, such as Chuck Jeffreys in Rage (1993) and Benny Urquidez in The Fighter (1989). With standout performances in The Sword of Bushido (1990) and Under the Gun (1995), Norton displayed his attraction to heroes with dimensions, even flaws, that force them into action. His style of action incorporates the humor essential to humanizing a hero. It is the dark comedy in Mind Games (2003), directed by Adrian Carr, that enables Norton to triumph in another well-textured role as a suspicious Texan, demonstrating that he takes risks as an actor who ventures beyond action genres. Norton's credits behind the camera have become as diverse as his screen roles. Apart from acting and producing, he is a sought-after stunt/fight coordinator, choreographing action in films such as Nomad: The Warrior (2005), produced by Milos Forman, and Devil's Pond (2003), with Tara Reid and Kip Pardue. Despite a busy career, he continues to achieve black belts in the martial arts, always a motivating force for Norton's accomplishments- Actor
- Stunts
Collin Chou was born on 11 August 1967 in Taiwan. He is an actor, known for The Matrix Revolutions (2003), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Forbidden Kingdom (2008). He has been married to Wanda Yung since 10 December 1997. They have two children.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Dick Wei was born in 1953 in Pingdong, Taiwan. He is an actor and director, known for Project A (1983), Sheng si yi xian (1994) and Sha ru di yu (1991).- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Cynthia Rothrock is a martial arts expert and athlete, who went on to become a film actress, starring in a number of highly successful martial arts action movies. She first made a name as an action actress in Hong Kong before going on to wow audiences in her home turf. At the time of her popularity, she was well-known as the "Queen of Martial Arts films".
Cynthia Rothrock is the World Champion in martial arts Forms and Weapons (1981-1985). Her goal was to be undefeated and retire after five years. With over 100 competitions, she holds the undefeated worldwide record in martial arts Forms competition. In weapons competition, Cynthia is the first and only woman to win number one in North America against the men-at that time, women had to compete with the men. She holds five Black Belts with a rank of 8th Dan Grandmaster.
Upon completing her goal of being undefeated in competition, she began her martial arts acting career starring in movies produced and filmed in Hong Kong. Her first movie, Yes, Madam alongside Michelle Yeoh, broke box office records making her a massive star in Hong Kong. After three years of living in Hong Kong, finishing seven films, she returned to the United States to continue her acting career. Today she has starred in over 60 movies.
Rothrock has been a role model for women in martial arts and film. She made history by becoming the inaugural woman to grace the cover of Karate Illustrated (August 1981) and holds the distinction of being the first woman featured on the cover three times in the magazine's history.
In March 2024, Black Belt Magazine named Rothrock number one in its list of "The Most Influential Women Martial Artists on the Planet.". Rothrock is a proud inductee into the prestigious Black Belt Hall of Fame, along with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. In 2016 she was the first martial artist (male or female) to be inducted into the prestigious International Sports Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor, a martial arts artist, a martial arts action film star, a producer, and a fight coordinator. . Daniels who was also interested in films, starred in two motion pictures in 1988 made in the Philippines. These were Teddy Page's action martial arts film Final Reprisal (1988), and the jungle adventure, The Secret of King Mahi's Island (1988). Daniels returned to the US, and continued competing. From 1991 to 1994, Daniels was seen acting in several action and martial arts films, within those he had a supporting role in Albert Pyun's Knights (1993), and played an adversary who had showdowns with Jackie Chan in City Hunter (1993) and Don Wilson in Ring of Fire (1991), and Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992). On his own, Daniels was the star of the action films Capital Punishment (1991), American Streetfighter (1992), Firepower (1993), Full Impact (1993), and Deadly Target (1994).
In 1995, Daniels played the lead role of Kenshiro in Tony Randel's American live-action version of Japanese manga Fist of the North Star. The film had a notable cast that included Costas Mandylor, Isako Washio Malcolm McDowell, etc. From its release on, the film was widely seen on television and on home video. From that point up until 2001, Daniels, now an established action film actor, acted in many films mixed between action, martial arts, and science fiction. Some of these efforts included Albert Pyun's Heatseeker, Joseph Merhi's Rage, Art Camacho's Recoil, Jeff Burr's Spoiler, Master P's No Tomorrow, Isaac Florentine's Cold Harvest, Joseph Zito's Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol, Bloodmoon, White Tiger, Hawk's Vengeance, Riot, Epicenter, Fatal Blade, City of Fear, Black Friday, Queen's Messenger, and Witness to a Kill.
From 2004 on, Daniels took on more supporting roles, this includes the role of Ed Parker in the Bruce Lee biographical mini-series The Legend of Bruce Lee, with contemporary martial artists Mark Dacascos, Ray Park, Ernest Miller, and Michael Jai White. He is also known for his supporting role as Bryan Fury in the 2009 live-action film Tekken, and its 2014 prequel, based upon the popular fighting game series. Daniels acted alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, and Randy Couture in the Sylvester Stallone film The Expendables as Lawrence "The Brit" Sparks, an ally of the villain. Daniels appeared in La Linea, an action-crime film with an ensemble cast that includes Ray Liotta, Andy García, Armand Assante, etc. Next was Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright alongside Aidan Quinn, Andy García for the second time, Mario Van Peebles, etc. Other efforts among many include David DeCocteau's The Wrong Child with Vivica A. Fox, the Wesley Snipes action vehicle Game of Death, Steve Austin's action vehicle Hunt to Kill, Stu Bennett's thriller I am Vengeance, etc. Some of the lead roles Daniels took are the martial arts fighting films Forced to Fight with Peter Weller, and Rumble. He was also the lead actor in the thriller Misfire, where he plays seasoned DEA agent, who descends into the underworld of Tijuana, and the jaded former hitman in Skin Traffik going against a gangster played by Mickey Rourke, with an ensemble cast including Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Dominique Swain, and Alan Ford.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Andy On was born on May 11, 1977, in Los Angeles, California. A non-martial artist, Andy had always loved Jackie Chan movies and emulated his moves from flips and kicks at his home. In early 2000, while working as a bartender in Rhode Island, someone suggested he should become an actor. Andy, who didn't like the bartending job anyway, decided to go with his gut and head for Hong Kong to begin his career. He was approached by Chinastar founder Charles Heung and world renowned filmmaker Hark Tsui to take over the role of one of Jet Li's famous movie character, Black Mask, in Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002). Andy went to the Shaolin Temple to train for a month in stretching and martial arts for the role. Despite the poor reviews and bad box office, Andy has continued to act and, in fact, improve in not only martial arts but acting as well. He was nominated for Best New Actor for his role in Siu nin a Fu (2003) (aka Star Runner) and shared the screen with the man who influenced him, Jackie Chan, in New Police Story (2004) (aka New Police Story).- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
After graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1980, while attending college Loren Avedon signed up at the Jun Chong Tae Kwon Do Karate school in Los Angeles. He received his first "break" while training late one night at the Karate school. Producer Roy Horan was looking for an actor/martial artist to be the star of No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987). He gave Loren an audition and a week later he was signed as the star in the film with a three-picture deal. He then starred in No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers (1990), helping him develop his acting talents and making him a cult hero in Europe and around the world. Loren spent four months shooting The King of the Kickboxers (1990), playing an undercover cop, with Billy Blanks. Experts agreed that "King of the Kickboxers" contained some of the most brilliant martial arts fight scenes ever captured on film.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Director
Chi Kuan-Chun was one of the top Shaw Brothers stars to have a successful post-Shaws career in the 1970s. Chi began studying martial arts at the age of 12 and after learning for nearly a decade, was chosen to play a stuntman in a Hollywood film. Soon after, he became one of the top talents for Shaw Brothers. Perhaps he was best known for always allying himself with the late Alexander Fu Sheng in a series of period pieces. After leaving Shaw Brothers, Chi went to Taiwan, where he proved to be a top kung fu lead actor, with films like Showdown at Cotton Mill. In the 1990s he retired from films but made a comeback as the villain in the 2003 film Drunken Monkey, reuniting with Gordon Liu and Kar-Leung Lau.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Stephen Chow was the only boy of his family, and has grown up as a Bruce Lee fan and a martial arts addict. His career started on TV, where he presented a children show ( "430 Space Shuttle" (1983)) and started becoming popular. He got some supporting roles, after that, and won the Taiwanese Golden Horse award for best supporting actor.
He had his first starring role in 1990 in a 'Chow Yun-Fat' spoof: All for the Winner (1990) - "All for the Winner" and started excelling in the comedy genre. In Hong-Kong, his particular nonsense style is called "Mo Lei Tau". It's also on the set of this movie that he encountered his fellow sidekick Man-Tat Ng.
One of the last HK biggest star which have not been bought by Hollywood, even if Miramax (who'll surely release Shaolin Soccer (2001) - "Shaolin Soccer" this year in the USA - after remastering it, ouch.) has probably planned something for him...- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Corey Yuen was born on 15 February 1951 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and director, known for Righting Wrongs (1986), Red Cliff (2008) and The Transporter (2002).- Joyce Godenzi was born in 1965 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Eastern Condors (1987) and The Ghost Snatchers (1986). She has been married to Sammo Kam-Bo Hung since 1995.
- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Keith Cooke is a man of many qualities, accomplished in the arts of Wushu, Tae Kwon Do and Karate.
He started his WuShu training in 1973, under Roger Tung. In 1980 he went to China and he trained for 5 hours a day and entered the competition circuit in 1983. He immediately gained a second place in both Weapons and Forms Divisions (lost to George Chung). But next year he was number 1, and in 1985 people knew him as the Martial Artist of the year.- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Stunt coordinator/director/actor Jeff Pruitt was born in the mountains of north Georgia and graduated high school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He grew up racing motorcycles from the age of ten and competed in Karate tournaments - eventually receiving his black belt in Tang Soo Do.
While in college he began working as a production assistant, camera operator and occasional extra in film and television programs shot in the Atlanta area until finally parlaying his athletic background into stunt performing.
After moving to Los Angeles in the eighties he reunited with a director he'd worked with in Georgia and began choreographing martial arts fights for Hollywood productions. At the time Jeff's method of combining multiple fast fight combinations with creative stunt falls and wire work with the more acceptable Hollywood style was considered very unorthodox and it took some gradual and persistent persuasion to make it happen.
After a series of successful action films Jeff began directing and stunt coordinating a television series called, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, in which he mixed the traditional Japanese style of the original Japanese series with some fanciful stunts of his own design. The show became one of the most successful ventures in TV history.
Jeff has continued to direct, choreograph, rig and coordinate the action sequences for features, music videos, commercials and many television shows - including the wildly popular Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and many more.
Jeff has been listed as one of Hollywood's 100 Most Creative People by Entertainment Weekly magazine and has designed stunt equipment and harnesses that are in use around the world today.- Michiko Nishiwaki is a multi-talented lady. An actress, martial artist, stunt woman, fight choreographer, and Japan's first Woman's Bodybuilding and Power lifting Champion. She held these titles for 1980, 1981 and 1982. While still keeping her femininity and not bulking up with the aid of anabolic steroids or other drugs, Michiko created a bodybuilding boom all over Japan and was in constant demand for personal and television appearances, and executive personal training. All this while operating two successful gyms. Michiko forever changed the stereotype of the submissive and docile Japanese woman by being a strong role model. She now lives in the U.S. with her Husband and Son.
- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. She's the daughter of Janet Yeoh & Kian Teik Yeoh. She's of Hokkien descent, speaking English and Malay before Chinese. A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen. After a brief dance career, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title in and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. Her first on camera work was a 1984 commercial with martial arts star Jackie Chan. In 1985, she began making action movies with D&B Films of Hong Kong. She was first billed as Michelle Khan, then Michelle Yeoh. Never a trained martial artist, she relied on her dance discipline and on-set trainers to prepare for martial arts action scenes.
She uses many dance moves in her films and does most of her own stunts. In 1988, she married wealthy D&B Films executive Dickson Poon & retired from acting. Even though they divorced in 1992, she's close to Poon's second wife and a godmother to his daughter. When she returned to acting, she became very popular w/ Chinese audiences. She later became known to Western audiences through role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). She turned down a role in a sequel to The Matrix (1999).
She has her own production company, Mythical Films. She trained with the Shen Yang Acrobatic team for her role in The Touch (2002), an English-language film she both starred in and produced. She hopes to use her company to discover and nurture new film-making talent. She also aspires to act in roles that combine both action and deeper spiritual themes.Movies to watch: Police Story 3: Supercop, Yes Madam, In the Line of Duty, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Bolo Yeung was born in China. He began his martial arts training at the age of 10. Growing up he took an interest in bodybuilding. Later he became know as Chinese Hercules after becoming Mr. Hong Kong bodybuilding champion. He held the title for ten years. Because of his impressively muscular physique he was chosen for several bad guy movie roles, with which his first big break came alongside the legendary Bruce Lee in the 1973 movie Enter the Dragon, where he played the role of 'Bolo'. They were really close friends.
Since then Bolo Yeung has appeared in countless martial arts movies, to date, also working on two movies with "The Muscles from Brussels"-Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bloodsport and Double Impact.
Now Bolo still looks great and still regularly trains at his local gym. Martial Arts and Bodybuilding is an integral part of his life and career.- Stunts
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Sophia Crawford was born in Hammersmith, London, and is one of Triplets. She left England in 1986 and took an incredible journey on a bus overland from London to India. After spending some time in India and Nepal, Sophia headed to Thailand, where she began her movie career. At first she was an editorial model and an extra in American productions such as: Kickboxer (1989) and Around the World in 80 Days (2004). After working with several crews from Hong Kong, Sophia decided it was time to make a move and try her luck in Hong Kong cinema. She went around to the various studios looking for work. Her first role was New Kid in town (1990) (New Kids in Town). The director had asked her if she could fight. Thinking this would be easy, she said yes and was consequently killed off because she was so terrible. Humiliated, yet determined, Sophia had found her niche. For the next five years, she studied Martial Arts and stunts with some of the top names in the business. She co-starred in more than thirty movies and became the first Western woman to join an Asian Stunt team. Sophia moved to the United States in 1993 and has appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows. Including; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993) and WMAC Masters (1995). She was Sarah Michelle Gellar's stunt double on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) for four years and has helped numerous actors with her Martial arts prowess. She is currently President of the United Stuntwomen's Association.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Bill "Superfoot" Wallace is a living legend in the world of martial arts and professional kickboxing. A pioneer in the sport, he began his martial arts career as a Karate point-fighter. He competed along with such immortals as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, and Skipper Mullins. After an incredible career in point-fighting, Wallace made his professional debut as a kickboxer in 1972. He quickly captured the World Middleweight Championship and retired as the undefeated champion after compiling a record of 23-0. With the urging of his friend Chuck Norris, Wallace has appeared in a number of motion pictures, mostly as the "heavy" in martial arts films. Wallace, a college graduate, continues to give exhibitions and trainings around the world.- Actress
- Stunts
Yanin "Jeeja" pronounced "ChiCha" Vismitananda was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Her mother is Prasita Vismitananda and her father, Pawadol Borirak, was a businessman who died when his daughter was 17, she has an older brother, Nantapong "Jeed" Vismitananda. She is mainly of Thai descent with some English and Burmese ancestry. Vismitananda now holds a 3rd Dan black belt in Taekwondo which she is practicing since she was 11 years old. In her role in the movie Chocolate (2008) she had to incorporate some additional Martial Art moves she recently studies such as Muay Thai and Thai Boxing, she likes watching Martial Arts Action Films and is a fan of Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Her latest action film is Chocolate 2 in 3D and also she co-stars with Tony Jaa in his Action Film The Protector 2, going back to her private life on the 29th of August 2012, Yanin revealed that she was five months pregnant and was engaged to Adrian Robert Bowden a co-director in one of her films and is the younger brother of the Thai singer Pamela Bowden. Yanin also stated that she plans to suspend herself from work for the next two years, her son, Jayden Bowden Vismitananda was born January 22nd 2013.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Billy Chong was born on 10 February 1957 in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. He is an actor and director, known for Duel: The Last Choice (2014), Dust in the Machine (1995) and Kung Fu Zombie (1981). He was previously married to Betharia Sonata.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Stunts
Born Chiu Kang-sang on April 4, 1951 in Taiwan. Chiang had family problems from a young age. His family was too large and his parents could not look after him properly, so he was sent to the Fu Sheng Opera School in Taipei, Taiwan. During his time here, he had met friends which would become part of the Shaw Brothers studio with him, such as Robert Tai, Lu Feng and Kuo Chui. When studying at the school, Chiang trained in martial arts and acrobatics.
In the mid 70's, Director Chang Cheh started his own company and headed out to Taiwan to find the latest talent for future projects. It was on this trip where he met Chiang Sheng, impressed by his martial art and acrobatic abilities, Chang Chen invited him to go to Hong Kong and do some work for him.
In 1976, Chiang started work over in Hong Kong, having already appeared in a few movies (but nothing major), he got a small part in the Sammo Hung movie, Da tai jian (1976), before heading to Shaw Brothers to make an appearance in the movie Shaolin Temple (1976). From 1976 to 1978, he appeared in movies such as Cai li fa xiao zi (1976), Magnificent Wanderers (1977), The Brave Archer (1977) and The Shaolin Avengers (1976).
1978 was to be a great year, as he starred in the all time classic Five Deadly Venoms (1978), where he would forge a great working relationship with actors Sun Chien, Kuo Chui, Lo Meng and Lu Feng.
Chiang would continue to film more classics with Sun Chien, Kuo Chui, Lo Meng and Lu Feng. They starred in_Invincible Shaolin_, The Kid with the Golden Arm (1979), The Magnificent Ruffians (1979), Crippled Avengers (1978), Two Champions of Death (1980), Ten Tigers of Kwangtung (1980) and many others. Chiang could not only enrich the movie with his breathtaking acrobats and agility, but also bring the comic relief to the film.
In 1981, Chiang and the rest of the venoms disbanded with. Chiang, Lu Feng and Kuo Choi starting a new production company in Taiwan. The first movie he and his fellow team made was Shu shi shen chuan (1981), which Chiang acted and choreographed the action scenes, Chiang shortly after wanted to go back to Hong Kong, but his wife convinced him to stay put in Taiwan.
Not long after staying in Taiwan with his wife, Chiang found it very difficult, not being able to find work anywhere which led to him divorcing his wife and became a heavy drinker.
On August 18, 1991 Ricky Cheng Tien Chi, an old friend of Chiang, came to see him, but found him dead. It is said that he was lying dead for three days before being found. He died from a heart attack. But Kuo Chui once said "it was more of a broken heart". He was only 40 years old.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Korean-American born Ho-Sung Pak is best known for two accomplishments in martial arts. A wushu champion, Ho was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame in 1991. His first accomplishment was that he played both Liu Kang and Shang Tsung in the video game that started a fad and 2 movies, Mortal Kombat. In 1994, he was invited by Jackie Chan to star as the evil foreman Henry in Drunken Master II. Originally cast as the main fighting villain, he was replaced by Ken Lo in terms of the finale. But that didn't stop Ho. After starring in the WMAC Masters show in 1995, Ho starred and choreographed the action for Epoch of Lotus in 2000. Ho appears in two movies in 2002, Honor Among Thieves and The Book of Swords.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Robin Shou is the fourth child of a Shanghai tailor and homemaker. His family moved to the US in 1971. Their first home in Los Angeles was a 2 bedroom apartment near Olympic and Vermont, today known as Koreatown.
Shou didn't start attending martial arts classes until he was 19. He took Kenpo (Karate) classes while attending California State University. He soon realized that Karate didn't do anything for him so he decided to quit. A year and a half later he watched a demonstration by a group of Wu Shu practitioners from Beijing. He said "This is Chinese!" He was so inspired to train in this discipline that in year 1981, just before starting his senior year at California State University, he sold his car and used the money to spend a quarter studying Wu Shu in China. Robin's parents didn't know his real whereabouts until his aunt wrote his mother telling her that her son was in Nanjing.
He returned to California State University and obtained his B.S. in civil engineering. He spent a year and a half in this field and was convinced that he needed a different career, he found computer and electronics boring. He was always trying to follow the ideal; finishing school, getting a job, getting married etc. He wasn't happy and the only thing that kept him going was martial arts. Soon he took off to Hong Kong, planning to vacation and think. Shortly after his arrival, however, he was offered a chance to appear in a movie as a stuntman. He was offered job after job, and for his first two years in Hong Kong he played small parts in action films. When Robin isn't making films he takes ceramic classes, paints, welds, and does woodworking. He enjoys to do anything that involves working with his hands.
Shou's first real dramatic role was in the film Forbidden Nights (1990), where he played opposite Melissa Gilbert. Though only a TV film, this was his first American debut and surely a huge step for Hollywood. Robin went back to Hong Kong and continued making movies there. By this time, he was more thorough about the roles he was offered. He wanted other roles and after nine years he was bored and didn't want to continue acting.
He returned to Los Angeles in 1994 to start an import/export business. He got a call from his agent, ranting about a perfect role for him in a movie called Mortal Kombat (1995). Robin wasn't interested, assuming he would be playing a villain who gets killed in the end. His agent begged him to audition and he did, along with other top contenders like: Jason Scott Lee, Russell Wong and Dustin Nguyen. Seven auditions later, he was Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (1995). Shou also appears as a supporting role in another fighting video game adaption, DOA: Dead or Alive (2006), based on the Dead or Alive series.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Mark Dacascos is an actor, director, martial artist, and television personality. Whether seen on the big screen or small, playing the good guy or the bad, Mark has been making audience stand up and take notice for many years.
This May, Mark will be seen in highly anticipated film John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum playing the lethal assassin, Zero, opposite Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Asia Kate Dillon, and Laurence Fishburne.
Later this summer Mark can be seen in Roger Avary's film Lucky Day in the scene stealing role of Louis opposite Nina Dobrev and Crispin Glover and the new Netflix series Wu Assassins opposite Katheryn Winnick.
Dacascos has appeared in over 40 feature films including the haunting French film and box office success, Brotherhood of the Wolf, nemesis to Jett Li in Cradle to the Grave, and cult classic action film, Drive. He has also reprised the iconic role of Wo Fat in the hit CBS series Hawaii 5-0, Mr. Giyera on the hit television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as the star of the series The Crow. Mark has appeared in numerous television shows such as Chicago P.D., Lucifer, and the hugely popular Hallmark franchise, The Perfect Bride and it's follow up The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells.
Mark's turn as The Chairman on the Food Network's hit show, Iron Chef America launched him into pop icon status with over 200 episodes and counting on the Food Network. He also took his turn on the dance floor transforming his martial arts moves into dancing magic on ABC's hit show, Dancing With the Stars. Many millions have also enjoyed watching Mark in the hugely popular and uber successful web series Mortal Kombat Legacy and the international web series The Way.
Besides starring in television and films, Mark achieved a career milestone by directing his first feature film titled Showdown in Manilla starring Casper Van Dien and Tia Carrere.
The darkly exotic, multi-lingual, multi-skilled Dacascos is a mix of Japanese, Filipino, Spanish, Irish, and Chinese heritages. He was born in Hawaii and attended school in Germany. He is married and the proud father of 3 children.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Van Damme was born Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg in Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium, to Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, an accountant. "The Muscles from Brussels" started martial arts at the age of eleven. His father introduced him to martial arts when he saw his son was physically weak. At the age of 12, Van Damme began his martial arts training at Centre National De Karate (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Master Claude Goetz in Ixelles, Belgium. Van Damme trained for 4 years and earned a spot on the Belgium Karate Team. He won the European professional karate association's middleweight championship as a teenager, and also beat the 2nd best karate fighter in the world. His goal was to be number one but got sidetracked when he left his hometown of Brussels. In 1976 at the age of sixteen, Jean-Claude started his Martial Arts fight career.
Over the next 6-years, he competed in both full-contact and semi-contact matches. He debuted under his birth name of Jean Claude Van Varenberg. In his first match, Jean-Claude was staggered by a round-house kick thrown by fellow countryman, Toon Van Oostrum in Brussels, Belgium. Van Damme was badly stunned, but came back to knockout Van Oostrum moments later. In 1977, at the WAKO Open International in Antwerp, Belgium, Jean-Claude lost a decision to fellow team mate Patrick Teugels in a semi-contact match. At the 1978 Challenge De Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials),Jean-Claude placed 2nd in the semi-contact division. He defeated twenty-five opponents during the week long tournament, but lost in the finals to Angelo Spataro from the Naha Club. Later in 1978, Jean-Claude lost a 3-round match for the Belgium Lightweight Championship (semi-contact) to his fellow team-mate to Patrick Teugels.
In 1979, Jean-Claude traveled to the United States of America, to Tampa, Florida. In his first and only match against a United States opponent, Van Damme faced 'Sherman 'Big Train'Bergman', a kick-boxer from Miami Beach, Florida. For the first and only time in his career, Jean-Claude was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook from Bergman. However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with a perfectly timed ax-kick, knocked Bergman out in 56 seconds of the first round. Jean-Claude was a member of the Belgium team which competed on December 26, 1979 at the La Coupe Fancois Persoons Karate Tournament which was sanctioned by the Federation bruxelloise de Karate. Van Damme's final match victory enabled his team to win the European Team Karate Championship. In Full-Contact karate, Jean-Claude knocked out England's Micheal Heming in 46 seconds of the first round. In 1980, Van Damme knocked out France's Georges Verlugels in 2 rounds of a match fought under kick-boxing rules. Jean-Claude wanted to defeat his rival Patrick Teugels. At the Forest Nationals in Brussels, on March 8, 1980, Jean-Claude knocked Teugels down and Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue. Jean-Claude was awarded a first round victory.
Jean-Claude retired from martial arts in 1982, following a knockout over Nedjad Gharbi in Brussels,Belgium. Jean-Claude posted a 18-1 (18 knockouts) Kickboxing record, and a Semi-Contact record of 41-4. He came to Hong Kong at the age of 19 for the first time and felt insured to do action movies in Hong Kong. In 1981 Van Damme moved to Los Angeles. He took English classes while working as carpet layer, pizza delivery man, limo driver, and thanks to Chuck Norris he got a job as a bouncer at a club. Norris gave Van Damme a small role in the movie Missing in Action (1984), but it wasn't good enough to get anybody's attention. Then in 1984 he got a role as a villain named Ivan in the low-budget movie No Retreat, No Surrender (1985). Then one day, while walking on the streets, Jean-Claude spotted a producer for Cannon Pictures, and showed some of his martial arts abilities which led to a role in Bloodsport (1988). But the movie, filmed in Hong Kong, was so bad when it was completed, it was shelved for almost two years. It might have never been released if Van Damme did not help them to recut the film and begged producers to release it. They finally released the film, first in Malaysia and France and then into the U.S. Shot on a meager 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S box-office hit in the spring of 1988. It made about 30 million worldwide and audiences supported this film for its new sensational action star Jean-Claude Van Damme.
His martial arts assets, highlighted by his ability to deliver a kick to an opponent's head during a leaping 360-degree turn, and his good looks led to starring roles in higher budgeted movies like Cyborg (1989), Lionheart (1990), Double Impact (1991) and Universal Soldier (1992). In 1994, he scored with his big breakthrough $100 million worldwide hit Timecop (1994). But in the meantime, his personal life was coming apart. A divorce, followed by a new marriage, followed by another divorce. It began to show up in his career when his projects began to tank at the box office - The Quest (1996), which he directed; Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997). The three films made less than $50 million combined. In 1999 he remarried his ex-wife Gladys Portugues and restarted his lost career to attain new goals. With help from his family he faced his problems and made movies like Replicant (2001), Derailed (2002), and In Hell (2003) which did averagely in box office terms, but he tried to give his fans the best, his acting in those movies got better, more emotional and each movie was basically in different action tones.- Karen Sheperd is an American actress with numerous credits in film, television and theatre. Her fascination with acting began in high school where she appeared on stage in various plays. Sheperd Is also a World-Class #1 Champion Martial Artist and is in the Black Belt Hall of Fame, alongside icons such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Chuck Norris.
Sheperd's Martial Arts Celebrity status springboard her into Hollywood and acting studies. Throughout her acting career, Karen Sheperd has starred and co-starred with luminary award-winners such as Angelina Jolie, Jack Palance, Juan Jett, Madonna, Camilla Sparv, Paul Williams, James Hong, Nancy Kwan, John Hawkes, Pamela Anderson and more.
Karen received rave reviews for her lead theatre roles in Hollywood theatre productions such as "Summer and Smoke" by Tennessee Williams and "In The Boom Boom Room" by David Rabe.
Inspired by Bruce Lee, Karen Sheperd set out to become the first "female Bruce Lee." Sheperd dove into Martial Arts and ultimately became legendary. A trailblazing pioneer, Karen broke barriers and became the first female Champion to be rated #1 in the only ratings system at the time, "Karate Illustrated" magazine (1979 & 1980.) In 1979, at the request of "Karate Illustrated's" editor (Renardo Barden,) Sheperd embarked on what would be an historical and successful campaign to establish official ratings for women when none existed so that more women would compete. The number of women training and competing in 1979 was 10% (Black Belt Magazine). During Karens #1 reign and after, she witnessed the numbers rise to 50% because of her campaign. Inside Kung Fu's" "Star" ratings for women began in 1980, Karen garnering that #1 title as well.
Karen Sheperd was one of the first women to appear on the covers of major Martial Arts magazines such as "Black Belt", "Inside Karate", "KICK", and many more.
Besides acting, Karen has lent her expertise as a fight-choreographer to various film, television and stage productions, including live-action projects at Disneyland, CA.
Karen has been happily married to the same man since 1993, loves animals, has always had numerous rescue cats and dogs, actively serves her church community and still pursues acting. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ernie Reyes Jr. was born on 15 January 1972 in San Jose, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), The Rundown (2003) and Red Sonja (1985). He has been married to Lisa Reyes since 11 November 2009. They have two children.- Composer
- Actor
- Director
Frankie Chan was born on 30 November 1951 in Hong Kong. He is a composer and actor, known for Chungking Express (1994), Fallen Angels (1995) and Goodbye My Love (1986). He is married to Sheila Chan. They have one child.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Jason Statham was born in Shirebrook, Derbyshire, to Eileen (Yates), a dancer, and Barry Statham, a street merchant and lounge singer. He was a Diver on the British National Diving Team and finished twelfth in the World Championships in 1992. He has also been a fashion model, black market salesman and finally of course, actor. He received the audition for his debut role as Bacon in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) through French Connection, for whom he was modeling. They became a major investor in the film and introduced Jason to Guy Ritchie, who invited him to audition for a part in the film by challenging him to impersonate an illegal street vendor and convince him to purchase fake jewelry. Jason must have been doing something right because after the success of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) he teamed up again with Guy Ritchie for Snatch (2000), with co-stars including Brad Pitt, Dennis Farina and Benicio Del Toro. After Snatch (2000) came Turn It Up (2000) with US music star Ja Rule, followed by a supporting actor role in the sci-fi film Ghosts of Mars (2001), Jet Li's The One (2001) and another screen partnership with Vinnie Jones in Mean Machine (2001) under Guy Ritchie's and Matthew Vaughn's SKA Films. Finally in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of Frank Martin in The Transporter (2002). Jason was also in the summer 2003 blockbuster remake of The Italian Job (1969), The Italian Job (2003), playing Handsome Rob.
Throughout the 2000s, Statham became a star of juicy action B-films, most significantly Crank (2006) and Crank: High Voltage (2009), and also War (2007), opposite Jet Li, and The Bank Job (2008) and Death Race (2008), among others. In the 2010s, his reputation for cheeky and tough leading performances led to his casting as Lee Christmas in The Expendables (2010) and its sequels, the comedy Spy (2015), and as (apparently) reformed villain Deckard Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Apart from these blockbusters, he continued headlining B-films such as Homefront (2013).
In 2017, he had his first child, a son with his partner, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.- Yao Lin Chen is known for The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978) and Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon (1977).
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When he was 13 years old, he joined an entertainment troupe on tour of Singapore. During these years he began to study performing. In 1932 he debuted in the film "Gor Nui Ching Chiu" ("Sentimental Song of Companions' Tide") playing a bit part, shot in San Francisco (USA). Soon he came back to Hong Kong to participate in anti-Japanese opposition movement. His first leading role was in 1935 with "Song of the Yesterday", filmed the first version in Hong Kong and the second in the USA in 1937. During World War II Kwan travelled through USA to raise funds for China. In 1947 a Singaporean film company hired him to play martial arts master Wong Fei-Hung in a movie trilogy directed by Wu Peng. Kwan was hired because of his martial arts knowledge. The success was so great that Wu and Kwan would collaborate on 79 films, 59 of which were about Wong. After almost 90 films about Wong Fei-Hung, Kwan played the same character in his first TV series in 1976. In total Kwan made more than 130 films.- Stunts
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Kenji Tanigaki is a stuntman, stunt coordinator, fight coordinator, and director. As a child, Tanigaki began learning Shorinji Kempo which led him to join the Kurata Action school in Japan, beginning his career as a stuntman. His work led him to Hong Kong where he became a member of the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association. Tanigaki's projects have included films like Hidden Man, for which he won the Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Film festival in 2018. His talents have also taken him behind the camera, most recently directing Enter the Fat Dragon in 2020. Tanigaki's upcoming projects include Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter, Raging Fire, and Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins.- Actor
- Director
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Ka-Yan Leung was born on 20 January 1949 in Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Mr. Nice Guy (1997) and Profile in Anger (1984).- Actor
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With his funky Afro hairstyle, super cool attitude and superb karate skills, Jim Kelly was instantly identifiable, and one of the top martial arts film stars of the early 1970s. After appearing in a minor film role, Kelly's second screen effort was as one of the invited guests to the deadly Han's Island in Enter the Dragon (1973). Kelly quickly cropped up in several more martial arts influenced "blaxploitation" films including Three the Hard Way (1974), Golden Needles (1974) and Black Belt Jones (1974), with its interesting fight finale in a soap filled car wash! He then appeared in several other action films of the late seventies, however since 1980, Kelly has only cropped up in two minor roles. A talented athlete, winning ranked titles both in tennis and karate, Jim Kelly was an integral part of the African-American & martial arts cinematic explosion of the 1970s.- Actor
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- Actor
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Jon Foo was born October 30th, 1982 in London England. He is known for his roles in The Protector (2005) Tekken (2010) WEAPONiZED (2016) and Rush Hour (2016) . Inspired by His fathers karate and mothers Judo He began training Kung Fu and now trains mixed styles. He went from performing at festivals with the London Chinese Acrobats (gangs of New York) to signing with one of the biggest film companies in Asia.- Actor
- Director
Born Chang Fu-Sheng to a wealthy family on October 20th, 1954, in Hong Kong. His English adopted name was Alexander. He was the ninth of 11 siblings. He was considered his father's favorite. Unlike the rest of his family, he showed little interest in academic and had no desire to try his hand in business. He left school after only 2 years of secondary education and had showed a keen interest in Kung Fu. At 16, he joined the Shaw-TVB training center. He was the among the 45 graduates who graduated as the 1st class of the Shaw-TVB training center on Sept 28, 1972. After his stint at training school, Fu Sheng got his start at Shaw Brothers at 17. He was discovered by legendary director, Chang Cheh and trained for 6 months under the martial tutelage of legendary director and Martial Arts Master, Lau Kar-Leung. Some of his early appearances in film were Man of Iron (1972), Young People (1972), The 14 Amazons (1972). He got his 1st big role with the 1973 film, Police Force. He next appeared in Chang Cheh's youth action drama, Friends in 1974 co-starring David Chiang and Lily Li. He won the 'Best Young Newcomer' award at the 20th Annual Asian Film Festival for his performance. He joined Chang Cheh in Taiwan and made true and classic kung fu films such as Men From The Monastery (1974), Heroes Two (1973), Shaolin Temple and Shaolin Avengers (both 1976). He teamed up with legend Chun-Kuan Chi in the 1st of many films starting with Shaolin Martial Arts (1974). In the films Men From The Monastery, Heroes Two, Shaolin Temple, Shaolin Avengers, Fu Sheng played a role that he would become universally synonymous with--that of famed Chinese folk hero, Fang Shi-Yu. Fu Sheng was a star, but he rose to true super and mega status with Disciples of Shaolin (1975). Disciples of Shaolin (1975) is arguably the finest and greatest acting performance of of his career. He met Jenny Tseng, who was a popular singer who toured around the world and lent her voice to Chinese movies and television programs, in 1975 on the set of Boxer Rebellion. They fell quickly in love and married on December 4th, 1976. Fu Sheng would continue to rise to mega-star status in Asia and gained international stardom with the popular and classic movie, Chinatown Kid (1977) (1977). With his star on rise, he suffered two significant setbacks, both in September, giving the title, "The Black Septembers". On September 17th, 1978, he complained about being dizzy while shooting on the set of Sun Chung's Deadly Breaking Sword (1979). He fell backwards 8 feet in height with his head crashing through an urn, almost breaking his neck. It caused a serious concussion in his skull with internal bleeding. He wore a neck brace for a couple of months. He suffered permanent dizziness, poor diction, slurred speech and vision problems. The second accident occurred in September 19th, 1979 during the filming of Heroes Shed No Tears, his right leg was shattered when the harness holding him up broke sending him crashing to the hard floor. He had to undergo another procedure as the bone didn't set properly while he was recuperating from the first operation and a special contraption was put in place to keep him still. He was out of work for the of six months. Due to his injuries happening in September, he proclaimed to no longer film in the month of September for the rest of his career. At the time, he moved into a house once owned by the late Bruce Lee and known for it's negative feng shui. He made his comeback in 1981 with the classic and funny The Treasure Hunters (1981), a film he made with his brother, Chang Chan-Peng. His career was back on track and he kept on rising. He left his longtime director Chang Cheh, who he made a total of 23 films with. He became a actual student of martial arts master, Lau Kar-Leung, who was becoming a superstar director in his own way. Fu Sheng was filming the all time classic from Lau Kar-Leung, The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, when tragedy struck. July 7, 1983 Fu Sheng was returning to his home after dinner out at Clearwater Bay Country Club around 10pm. He was a passenger in his Porsche 911 Targa that was driven by his older brother, Chang Zheng Sheng. His brother took one of the winding curves on Clearwater Bay Road too fast and hit a cement barrier around 10:30pm. Fu Sheng's older brother suffered injuries, but Fu Sheng himself suffered a collapsed chest and severe wounds in the abdomen with unstoppable bleeding. He was rushed to the hospital. The doctors tried revive him by trying to get blood back into his body through transfusion but that was unsuccessful because he kept on losing more blood. The horrible realization set in that surgery was going to be impossible because Fu Sheng also had a broken back. After 5 hours in agony, at 3:43am, Shaw's and Asia's brightest movie star had died. He was only 28 years old. His funeral took place on Thursday, July 14th, 1983. His death was celebrated with a state honors funeral. The day of his death, the Hong Kong television programming stopped and showed chain pictures of his life and career. Over 2,000 actors and 30,000 people attended. The amount of attenders and spectators rivaled that of Bruce Lee's funeral a decade earlier. His funeral was organized by the Shaw Brothers committee. His remains were cremated. Fu Sheng left a long lasting legacy in the kung fu film history. With his mischievous good looks, versatility, amazing acting ability and agility, he quickly became a favorite of martial arts fans and luminaries. Fu Sheng's film work is still revered in Hong Kong and he has strong cult following among kung fu fans around the world. Considered Hong Kong's best loved actors and one Shaw Studios best actors ever, Fu Sheng left a wealth of entertainment for all to enjoy. He will always be one of the cinema's most treasured personalities and bonafide legend in kung fu film history. His films and legacy lives on.- Actor
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Phillip Rhee is a master martial artist, actor and filmmaker best known for creating the "BEST of the BEST" film franchise with his producing partner and mentor Peter E. Strauss (Former Chairman of Lions Gate) and Frank Giustra, a Canadian Billionaire and founder of Lions Gate. The first "Best of the Best" starring academy award nominated actors, James Earl Jones, Eric Roberts, Louise Fletcher, Sally Kirkland and Chris Penn was distributed through Sony Pictures. "Best of the Best 2" through 20th Century Fox and "Best of the Best 3", directed and starring Rhee and Gina Gershon was picked up by Miramax, and the fourth installment of "Best of the Best: Without Warning", directed and starring Rhee and Ernie Hudson was also acquired by Miramax/Dimension Films.
2015 AMC Movie Review by Chief Editor John Campea chose "Best of the Best" as his favorite movie of all time.
In 2015, "Best of the Best" was chosen by Fandango's 15 most inspirational sports movies of all time along with "Rocky".
In 2010, Rhee partnered with former President of Warner Bros, Jim Miller and launched "Stereo Pictures" a 3D conversion technology studio based in L.A. and Korea, servicing major Hollywood studios and consumer electronic giants such as Samsung, LG and game developers Blizzard.
Rhee, an avid martial artist holds a 7th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, 3rd degree in Hap Ki Do and Kendo and is one of the most sought after teachers in the world. His former students include the son of President, Ronald Reagan, Chairman of Warner Chappell, former Chairman of Fox, Chairman of ACI and numerous sports and film celebrities.
Rhee speaks three languages and lives with his fashion designer wife, Amy and his son Sean.- After studying Chinese and jazz dance from elementary school, at 17 years old, she won a national contest to find new talents, organized by Taiwanese TV, and shortly after she made several appearances on TV, and also got cast in a bit part in the Taiwanese film "Taipei Story" (1985), directed by Edward Yang. In 1987 she signed a contract with Hong Kong film studio D & B to replace Malaysian action star Michelle Yeoh and from then she starred in more than 20 martial arts films. From 1994 she combined her appearances in movies with TV series, making more than ten TV productions in only 5 years.
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Moon Lee was born on 14 February 1965 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Fighting Madam (1987), Fatal Termination (1990) and Mission of Justice (1992).- Actor
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Nicholas was born in Hong Kong, China. He attended school in Vancouver, Canada. He also attended school for a short time in Phoenix, Arizona before moving back to Hong Kong with his parents Patrick Yin Tse and Deborah Dik, and his sister, Jennifer (Ting Ting). Nicholas started his singing career around 1997.- Actor
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Jerry Trimble was born in Newport, Kentucky. He was an insecure, fearful and bullied kid. At age 14 he was inspired by Bruce Lee and began studying Taekwon-Do. In six months he began teaching the art. At 15, Jerry earned the rank of first-degree black belt and became the number one point fighter in the Midwest U.S. At 18, he started Kickboxing and won the "Kentucky State Championship".
In April 1979 Jerry moved to Atlanta, Georgia. in pursuit of the World Championship. Fighting under the name "Golden Boy", he won a string of additional titles that include The "Georgia", "Southeast", "U.S." titles, and on April 26, 1986, he became the PKA and PKC Kickboxing Champion of the World. Jerry was rated by the international kick-boxing media as the flashiest fighter and fastest kicker in the sport, (His 'hook-kick' was clocked at 118 MPH) He was awarded the rank of sixth-degree black belt and hired by "Inside Karate" Magazine to write his very own column, entitled "Martial Arts a Way of Life."
In April of 1990, Jerry retired from the ring and moved to Hollywood, California to embark on a career in the entertainment business. Within a few months, Jerry signed with a talent manager and his first two auditions resulted in leading roles in the same week.
Jerry has been in many feature films and TV Shows that include "Heat", (playing alongside Al Pacino) "Charlie's Angels" Green Hornet, more recent roles include Chesapeake Shores, The Flash, iZombie, Supernatural, Travelers, Lost Boys and more.
Jerry continues to fuel his ambitious drive into many different areas of the film industry that include acting, writing and producing, but Jerry's main ambition is to focus on the 'character actor' segment of acting. He enjoys a solid expanse of 'character' parts so he can exhibit his varied acting talent in a wide range of roles. Jerry is also a Youth Motivational Speaker who empowers teens to get out of their comfort zone, discover their gifts and go after their dreams. He uses his real-life experiences as proof that if an insecure, fearful, bullied teen like he was can make his dreams come true, anyone can. In 2018 Jerry was honored with the Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award. Jerry was inducted into the World Kickboxing League, Hall of Fame in 2019.
Jerry has dual citizenship in the US and Canada where he continues to work as an Actor in the film industry and a Youth Motivational Speaker. for more info on Jerry Trimble www.JerryTrimble.com www.TrimbleTalks.com