Heroes of Martial Arts
This is a list and not a ranking!
Sonny Chibba was add.Thank You!
Andy Lau and Michelle Yeoh...OK!
Takeshi Kanishiro, Bruce Willis or Silvester Stallone are action movie actors more than anything. Sorry!
Don Wilson deserves to be in the list.Thanks!
Sonny Chibba was add.Thank You!
Andy Lau and Michelle Yeoh...OK!
Takeshi Kanishiro, Bruce Willis or Silvester Stallone are action movie actors more than anything. Sorry!
Don Wilson deserves to be in the list.Thanks!
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- Producer
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- Stunts
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.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
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).- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
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.- 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.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
David Carradine was born in Hollywood, California, the eldest son of legendary character actor John Carradine, and his wife, Ardanelle Abigail (McCool). He was a member of an acting family that included brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine as well as his daughters Calista Carradine and Kansas Carradine, and nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.
He was born in Hollywood and educated at San Francisco State College, where he studied music theory and composition. It was while writing music for the Drama Department's annual revues that he discovered his own passion for the stage, joining a Shakespearean repertory company and learning his craft on his feet. After a two-year stint in the army, he found work in New York as a commercial artist and later found fame on Broadway in "The Deputy" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" opposite Christopher Plummer. With that experience he returned to Hollywood, landing the lead in the short-lived TV series Shane (1966) before being tapped to star opposite Barbara Hershey in Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood film, Boxcar Bertha (1972). The iconic Kung Fu (1972) followed, catapulting Carradine to super-stardom for the next three years, until he left the series to pursue his film career.
That career included more than 100 feature films, a couple of dozen television movies, a whole range of theater on and off Broadway and another hit series, Kung Fu: A Legend Reborn (1992).
Carradine received the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Film Review as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory (1976), and he won critical acclaim for his work as Cole Younger in The Long Riders (1980). "Kung Fu" also received seven Emmy nominations in its first season, including one for Carradine as Best Actor. In addition, he won the People's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival's "Director's Fortnight" for his work on Americana (1981), and a second Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985). Among his other notable film credits were Gray Lady Down (1978), Mean Streets (1973), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Serpent's Egg (1977) and Circle of Iron (1978). He returned to the screen in what could be his greatest performance, playing the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), for which he received his fourth Golden Globe nomination. He also continued his devotion to music, and recorded some 60 tracks in various musical genres and sang in several movies. He made his home in Los Angeles with his fifth wife Annie, her four children and their two dogs.
Found dead in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 3, 2009, aged 72.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
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.- 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
- 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.- 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.aikido- 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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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).- Actor
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Cung Le made his first appearance on the professional M.M.A. stage in 2006, and shortly after won the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship in 2008, setting high standards through his powerful kicks, skillful strikes, and well-timed take-downs. This U.S.-Viet Namese champion, actor, producer and action director is a household name in many parts of East Asia and is equally adored in Hollywood. He has starred in many major movies such as 'Puncture Wounds', 'Dragon Eyes', 'The Man With the Iron Fists', 'Pandorum' and Oscar-nominated 'The Grandmaster'. Born in Saigon, Viet Nam and arrived in the U.S. at three years old, this world-class fighter has graced the covers of many major martial arts publications such as Inside Kung Fu, Black Belt, Martial Arts Illustrated; and has made headlines and appearances in numerous main-stream outlets all over the world. Cung Le's latest high-profile project was coaching and mentoring fighters on the reality T.V. show: 'The Ultimate Fighter: China' and preparing them for the March 1st match in Macao where the winner earned a six-figure U.F.C. contract. This is the dream title that will catapult any fighter's status into stardom. Typically, the role of mentor and coach is reserved for the president of U.F.C. - Dana White. For the first time, he has appointed someone else - Cung Le - to take his position this season. This speaks volumes about Cung Le's martial arts skill and his ability to attract a world audience. Behind the scenes, Cung Le is an extremely down-to-earth, warm and fun-loving person with a positive view on life. He enjoys spending quality time and on vacation with his wife, taking his sons out to celebrate their academic and mixed martial arts successes at Five Guys Burgers, playing with his two dogs, embracing injuries with a light-hearted attitude, and training daily to stay in shape. He has been promoting his own amateur mixed martial arts event, Born to Fight, since 2001. He also attends martial arts events, works on various publicity projects, contributes positively to society through his "Train for a Cause with Cung Le" events, and stays true to himself by always expressing his candid points of view.- 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.- Actor
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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.- 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
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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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Jeff Speakman was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, where he became a All-American springboard diver in high school. He broke records in his school's district and conference all without ever having a coach. Determined to go to college, he worked for six years and graduated with honors from Missouri State College, earning a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in biology. Jeff currently holds a 6th-degree black belt in Japanese Goju-Ryu and a 6th-degree black belt in American Kenpo Karate. He is also found and director of American Kenpo Karate Systems (AAKS), an international kenpo karate organization with more than 50 schools. In 1993, Jeff was inducted into the Black Belt Hall of Fame as "Instructor of the Year." Jeff has only been studying acting for the past ten years.- Actor
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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
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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.- Fei Meng was born in 1952 in Shandong, China. He is an actor, known for Chuan ji Fang Shi Yu (1976), Kung Fu: The Punch of Death (1972) and Xia ying Liu Xiang (1980).
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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.- 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
- Producer
- Director
Jimmy Wang Yu was born on 28 March 1943 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor and producer, known for Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), Dragon (2011) and Soul (2013). He was married to Jeanette Lin Tsui. He died on 5 April 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
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
- Additional Crew
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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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- Director
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.- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Born in Indonesia to Cantonese parents, Lo migrated to Hong Kong in his teens, where he attended acting school and in 1962 joined the Shaw Bros. film company. By 1969 he had become the first kungfu superstar, preceding the legendary Bruce Lee. He acted in more than 100 films, usually cast as villains, then turned to directing in the 1980s. For over a decade ending in 1999, Lo was involved in television work in Hong Kong, until failing health forced him into semi-retirement.- Actor
- Producer
- Music Department
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
- Director
- Producer
Kuan Tai Chen was born on 24 September 1945 in Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Bloody Monkey Master (1977) and Kera Sakti (1978).- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
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.- Actor
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- 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
- Producer
- Stunts
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
- Producer
- Director
Simon Yam was born 19 March, 1955, also known as Yam Tat-wah, is a veteran Hong Kong-based actor and film producer. He started off as a supermodel before becoming an actor in the mid 1970s. He then signed with the Hong Kong television network TVB, starring and co-starring in a number of television series prior to "apply his trades" in the film industry in 1987. His elder brother is Yam Tak-wing, a retired former Deputy Commissioner of Hong Kong Police.
In 1989, he starred in the Japanese-Hong Kong co-production of Fainaru faito - Saigo no ichigeki (1989). This was the first of its kind in which English was spoken throughout the entire film. In 1992, Yam gained critical acclaim for his role as the maniacal Judge in the crime film Full Contact (1992), where he faced off in a bloody battle against Chow Yun-Fat's character. In 1993, he starred as "Dhalsim" in the action-comedy film Future Cops (1993), a parody of Street Fighter directed by Jing Wong. In 1996, Yam began his role as Chiang Tin-Sung, the leader of the Hung Hing triads in the first three installments of the Young and Dangerous (1996) film series.
In 2000, Yam starred as Cheung-sun, the progenitor of all vampires, in the television series Ngo wo geun see yau gor yue wui II (2000), produced by ATV. In 2003, Yam made his Hollywood film debut in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003) as Shaolin crime lord.
Yam received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival hits and box offices such as Naked Killer (1992), Kill Zone (2005), Election (2005), Election 2 (2006), Exiled (2006), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003), The Thieves (2012).
In 2019 in the city of Zhongshan, during a China promotional event, Simon Yam was assaulted by an attacker who stabbed him in the chest and slashed his arms. The security guards arrested the attacker and Simon Yam was taken to the hospital until he made a full recovery.- 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
- Stunts
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Philip Ng is a Hong Kong actor who is also a master in the martial arts. Trained in Ving Tsun Kung Fu under the late Sifu Wong Shun-Leung. Philip is also a 6th generation disciple of Choy Li Fut Kung Fu, training from his father, Sam Ng. Philip is also a trained expert in Hung Gar Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, Jiujitsu, and Escrima. He is also an accomplished fight choreographer, having worked some films in addition to acting.- 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
- Producer
- Art Department
Andy Lau Tak-wah, (born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter, presenter, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time. In the 1990s, Lau was branded by the media as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop. Lau was entered into the Guinness World Records for the "Most Awards Won by a Cantopop Male Artist". By April 2000, he had already won a total unprecedented 292 awards. In 2005, Lau was awarded "No.1 Box office Actor 1985-2005" of Hong Kong, yielding a total box office of HKD 1,733,275,816 for shooting 108 films in the past 20 years. In 2007, Lau was also awarded the "Nielsen Box Office Star of Asia" by the Nielsen Company.- Actor
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Easily the best known actor/martial artist during the 1980s ninja cinema craze, Kosugi was a proficient martial artist & skilled weapons performer which was highlighted in his several starring roles.
Kosugi grew up as the youngest child and only son of a Tokyo fisherman, and began his martial arts training at the age of five studying karate at a local dojo. Sho expanded upon his martial arts studies, also learning judo & kendo, and by his 18th birthday he had achieved the status of All Japan Karate Champion. Intent on entering the world of international finance, Sho left Japan at only 19 years old to study and reside in Los Angeles, USA where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Economics, yet he also remained focused on constantly improving his martial arts skills. Throughout the early 1970s, Sho competed in hundred's of martial arts tournaments & demonstrations including winning the L.A. Open in 1972, 1973 & 1974. In addition, he also met a young Chinese woman named Shook, who was eventually to become his wife and mother of his children, plus Sho had his first foray into the cinema with part's in a minor Taiwanese film titled "The Killers", and then in a Korean production, shot in Los Angeles known as "The Stranger From Korea".
Sho's big break came in 1981 when karate legend Mike Stone pitched a screenplay under the title of "Dance of Death" to Cannon Films. Cannon was at the time, a lackluster production house that had two years prior been purchased by film producer cousins Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus. The innovative cousins quickly turned Cannon into a profitable key player in the independently produced film market by latching onto topics popular to the youth market, having rapid shooting schedules, relatively unknown casts and tight budgets. Menehem Golan once remarked that he believed it was impossible to lose money on a film shot for the US market with a budget of under $5 million!!
Cannon Films backed Stone's screenplay and the title was changed to _Enter The Ninja (1981)_ starring Franco Nero, Christopher George & Susan George with filming completed in the Phillipines in early 1981. Sho's role was as the evil black ninja "Hasegawa", and his icy screen presence and martial arts skills grabbed the attention of martial arts film fans, and ignited the huge fascination with ninjitsu that engulfed martial arts for the next decade. With the financial success of their first "ninja" film, Cannon readily backed a further ninja movie, only this time Sho was elevated to being the star of the film and had become a good guy!! Revenge of the Ninja (1983) was shot in Salt Lake City, Utah in late 1982 and featured Sho as a ninja master forced to flee from Japan to America with his only surviving son, after the rest of his family are butchered by opposing ninjas's. Launching into an art importing business with an American business partner, Sho finds out too late that his partner is also a ninja, importing drugs hidden in Sho's Japanese dolls. The second film outstripped the first on box office takings, and Sho Kosugi was now the hottest star in martial arts cinema!
Based on those booming ticket sales, Cannon were once again happy to back another ninja movie, and in late 1983 shooting commenced in Phoenix, Arizona on Ninja III: The Domination (1984). The plot line however, was a rather strange affair, with the spirit of dead ninja possessing the body of dance instructor Christie (played by Solid Gold dancer Lucinda Dickey)......it was a misguided attempt by Cannon to combine ninjutsu with the 80s break dancing craze and horror movies about possession. None the less, fans didn't seem to mind, and the third installment in Cannon's ninja trilogy did reasonable business at the box office.
Kosugi then starred in the short lived action TV series _"The Master" (1984)_ alongside legendary screen bad guy 'Lee van Cleef', before going onto star in several more ninja films, including taking on Mafia thugs in the bloody Pray for Death (1985), stopping terrorists as a ninja commando in Nine Deaths of the Ninja (1985) and as a ninja secret agent taking on "the Muscles from Brussels" Jean-Claude Van Damme in the military adventure Black Eagle (1988).
However, by 1990 the US movie going public had grown tired of a decade of black clad ninja's hurling shuriken's and swords at each other, and Sho Kosugi left Hollywood to venture back to Japan where he became involved in numerous TV productions again centered around martial arts. In 1992, Kosugi starred in his biggest budgeted movie to date, a samurai epic titled _Journey of Honor (1992)_ also featuring screen legends Toshirô Mifune and Christopher Lee. Since then, Kosugi has remained very active in Japanese TV, was involved in contributing martial arts choreography for the highly popular Sony Playstation game "Tenchu; Stealth Assassins", plus he returned to Hollywood in the late 1990s to set up the Sho Kosugi Institute to assist Asian actors wishing to break into the mainstream US film market.
Undeniably, many of the ninja films featuring Sho Kosugi were marred by low budgets & cheap production....however his superb martial arts skills and captivating on screen presence have assured him a unique place in the history of martial arts cinema, and his name has become synonymous with the art of ninjitsu.- Actor
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- Additional Crew
Born in California, he is half Japanese and half Chinese. He began his training in martial arts at the age of one and a half. Since moving to Japan at the age of 18, he has done numerous movies and TV shows becoming one of the nation's most popular and recognizable talents. He has worked with some of the action movie greats including Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Jean-Claude Van Damme.- Actress
Kara Hui Ying-Hung was born in Shandong, China; her family moved to Hong Kong in 1966 and at 14 she quit school and started working at nightclubs. Penniless after her family lost their savings from her father's business acquaintances, Hui and her mother and siblings resided in the poor shanty town of Rennie's Mill and were forced to peddle goods on the streets of Hong Kong. Hui was discovered by film director Chia-Liang Liu and cast in Challenge of the Masters (1976) in 1976. Soon after, she started in many films directed by Liu Chia-Liang. She signed with Shaw Brothers Studios in February of 1975 and made over 40 action movies. She won the very first Best Actress Award for her critically-acclaimed role as Jing Dai-Nan in the 1981 classic My Young Auntie (1981) at the first Hong Kong Film Awards in 1982. After Shaw Studios closed down in 1985, Kara's career transition was very smooth and she has since portrayed more serious roles with very great success, winning the Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, Changchun Film Festival, Pacific Meridian, Asian Film Awards, and Golden Horse Awards for her portrayal of a mother in the 2009 film At the End of Daybreak and winning Best Supporting Actress for her role as Yeung Feng in Rigor Mortis in 2014 at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards. Kara Hui is a legend. She has acted in over 138 films and is still active in the Hong Kong film industry today.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Pei-Pei Cheng was born on 4 December 1946 in Shanghai, China. She is an actress and producer, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Lilting (2014) and Mulan (2020). She was previously married to Wen-Tung Yuan.- 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.- Actor
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Jacky Woo is known for Grandma Is All Good (2019), Half Blood Samurai (2008) and Walang hanggang paalam (2009).- 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
- Additional Crew
Roy Chiao was born on 16 March 1927 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor, known for Bloodsport (1988), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Game of Death (1978). He died on 14 April 1999 in Seattle, Washington, USA.- Actor
- Stunts
Ying Bai was born in 1940 in Sichuan Province, China. He is an actor, known for Dynasty (1977), A Touch of Zen (1971) and Lady Kung Fu (1972).- Mike grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was inspired by one of his heroes, Jackie Chan, while working as a stuntman in Hong Kong on the film "Robin-B-Hood" to pursue a career in acting. Mike relocated to Los Angeles and landed roles in numerous commercials, TV shows, and films like "Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist" - widely considered the best film adaptation of a video game.
After nearly a decade in Los Angeles, Moh relocated his family back to the Midwest in 2013 to open Moh's Martial Arts (LVLUP Martial Arts) in Waunakee, WI. While juggling a growing family and one of the most successful martial arts schools in the Midwest, he has been able to book roles on prime-time shows like FOX's "Empire" and ABC's "Marvel's Inhumans".
Mike continues his martial arts training daily and holds the rank of 6th degree black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. In November 2022 he was bestowed the title of Master Instructor. - Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Chow Yun Fat is a charismatic, athletically built and energetic Asian-born film star who first came to the attention of western audiences via his roles in the high-octane/blazing guns action films of maverick HK director John Woo.
Chow was born in 1955 on the quiet island of Lamma, part of the then-British colony of Hong Kong, near its famous Victoria Harbour. His mother was a vegetable farmer and cleaning lady, and his father worked on a Shell Oil Company tanker. Chow's family moved to urban Hong Kong in 1965 and in early 1973, Chow attended a casting call for TVB, a division of Shaw Bros. productions. With his good looks and easy-going style, Chow was originally a heartthrob actor in non-demanding TV and film roles. However, his popularity increased with his appearance as white-suited gangster Hui Man-Keung in the highly popular drama TV series Shanghai Beach (1980).
In 1985, Chow started receiving acclaim for his work and scored the Golden Horse (Best Actor) Award in Taiwan and another Best Actor Award from the Asian Pacific Film Festival for his performance in Hong Kong 1941 (1984). With these accolades, Chow came to the attention of Woo, who cast Chow in the fast-paced gangster film A Better Tomorrow (1986) (aka "A Better Tomorrow"). The rest, as they say, is history. The film was an enormous commercial success, and Chow's influence on young Asian males was not dissimilar to the adulation given to previous Asian film sensations such as Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan. Nearly every young guy in Hong Kong ran out and bought himself a "Mark Coat," as they became known--a long, heavy woolen coat worn by Chow in the movie (although it is is actually very unsuited to Hong Kong's hot and humid climate).
Further hard-edged roles in more John Woo crime films escalated Chow's popularity even higher, and fans all over the world flocked to see A Better Tomorrow II (1987) (aka "A Better Tomorrow 2"), The Killer (1989) (aka "The Killer"), and Hard Boiled (1992) (aka "Hard Boiled"). With the phenomenal global interest in the HK action genre, Chow was enticed to the United States and appeared in The Replacement Killers (1998) with Mira Sorvino, The Corruptor (1999) with Mark Wahlberg, and, for a change of pace, in the often-filmed romantic tale of Anna and the King (1999).
Chow then returned to the Asian cinema circuit and starred in the critically lauded kung fu epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) (aka "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). His wide appeal can be seen in his "boy next door" type of personality and his ability to play such a broad spectrum of roles from a comedic buffoon to a lovestruck Romeo to a trigger-happy professional killer. A highly entertaining and gifted actor with dynamic on-screen presence, Chow continues to remain in strong demand in many film markets.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Louis Koo was born on 21 October 1970 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and producer, known for Warriors of Future (2022), Paradox (2017) and Protégé (2007).- 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.- Stunts
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Raised in South Central Los Angeles, James Lew's destiny was to answer a cattle call in Hollywood for the hugely popular Kung Fu (1972) television series. He went on to star in the now collectible Hong Kong film, Young Dragon (1979). He made the move to big budget studio films in 1984. John Carpenter handpicked him as the Martial Arts Choreographer for 20th Century Fox's now cult film, Big Trouble in Little China (1986).
Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, David Carradine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Jeff Speakman Madonna, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathleen Turner, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Lee, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on as his co-stars.
James was voted "Favorite Action Star" by fans of Inside Martial Arts magazine. Internet fans voted him into the Hall of Fame in the Martial Arts History Museum. Inside Kung Fu Magazine inducted him as one of the "Martial Arts Greats" alongside legends as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and his longtime friend Jackie Chan.
Hit Parader Magazine dubbed him "the king of big-screen martial arts villains." From the deadly killer in Red Sun Rising (1994) to the deadly fighter in the comedy spoof Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Lew has proven his chops in both drama and comedy. As a stunt/fight coordinator his creative talents shone in the television series The Crow to recent work on the hit video game, The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005). He handpicked elite members for his company, "Hong Kong Wire Action Team," to bring state of the art action to movies. His formula for longevity in the film industry is diversity, hard work and having a whole lot of fun.
Most recently, James Lew wrote, directed and starred in a movie inspired by his personal experiences in the business titled 18 Fingers of Death! (2006). The story follows Buford Lee (James Lew), the most famous unknown "B"-minus, low-budget, martial-arts movie star and Ronald Mack (Maurice Patton), a young black kid from the hood. Together they laugh and bond together on their quest to finally make Buford's break out movie, 18 Fingers of Death! (2006).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Michael "The Miz" Mizanin was born in Cleveland, OH on October 8th, 1980 to Barbara and George Mizanin. He graduated with honors from Normandy High School before attending Miami University of Ohio (where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity).
While in college, he auditioned for The Real World after seeing a casting call on MTV. Despite doubts about his ability to perform on a reality show, Mike went on to become one of the most popular cast members of the show's 10th Season, subtitled "Back to New York." It was on this show where he debuted his wrestling alter ego: "The Miz." In the years following, Mike "The Miz" became a mainstay on MTV, hosting various popular shows on the network and competing on The Real World's sister show, "Real World/Road Rules."
"The Miz" went from alter ego to reality after Mike moved to Los Angeles, where he auditioned for the WWE's "Tough Enough." Despite finishing in second place, Mike's performance impressed the WWE executives enough for them to grant him a developmental contract.
In the 12 years and counting that followed, The Miz has become one of WWE's biggest stars. He has won the WWE, US, Intercontinental, and Tag Team titles (making him the 25th Triple Crown and 14th Grand Slam Champion in the history of the WWE).
In addition to his wrestling stardom, Mike has established a robust film career as well. He is best known for playing Sgt. Jake Carter in "The Marine 3: Homefront" and "The Marine 4: Moving Target." The next film in the series ("The Marine 5: Battleground") is set to be released in 2017.- 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
- Producer
- Stunts
Olivier Gruner was born on August 2, 1960 in Paris. His father was a successful surgeon with his own surgery practice. One of his brothers also became a surgeon and his younger brother became an engineer. When he was 18 years old, he joined the Marine Nationale, volunteering for their Commando Marine unit, which are the Special Operation Forces of the French Navy. As part of his military training, he learned to scuba dive, sky dive and climb. Most of this time he was in Djibouti and Somalia. At this time he already trained karate. When he left the Marine Nationale in 1981, he went to the French Alps and started to train kick-boxing. He choose this place because he could ski, one of his biggest hobbies. After three years of hard training, he became for the first time French Kickboxing Champion. He defended the title two times and in 1986 he became the World Middleweight Kickboxing Champion. He had a job at the film festival in Cannes, where he put up a poster of himself. Two days later, a man came and invited him for test shoots to Los Angeles, which lead to his first film Angel Town (1990). He retired from kickboxing in 1987 to pursue a career as an actor. model and director. Some more, mainly martial arts, movies followed.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Bryan Genesse was born on 20 March 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for Bad Guys (2000), Street Justice (1991) and The Alternate (2000). He has been married to Brooke Theiss since 18 June 1994. They have two children.- 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.- 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
- 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
- Director
- Producer
Bruce Li is known for Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth (1976), The Chieh Boxing Master (1982) and Fist of Fury III (1979).- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Bruce Le was born on 5 June 1950 in Taiwan. He is an actor and director, known for Challenge of the Tiger (1980), Zui she xiao zi (1980) and Super Hero (1979).- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
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
- Director
- Producer
Kuan Tai Chen was born on 24 September 1945 in Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Bloody Monkey Master (1977) and Kera Sakti (1978).- 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
- Stunts
- Director
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.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Chia-Yung Liu was born in 1944 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. He is an actor and director, known for Once Upon a Time in China (1991), Armour of God (1986) and The Dragon Family (1988).- 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
- 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
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
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
- 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.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Joey Ansah was born in 1982 in Hammersmith, London, England, 2nd in line to an older brother, Ryan, 3 years his senior. He is of mixed ethnicity, with his mother Nicola, originating from Plymouth, Devon, England and his father Kofi, originally from Ghana, west Africa. Joey grew up and spent the first 10 years of his life in Streatham, South London, attending private school first at Oakfield School and then at Dulwich College Prep. During these early years in London, his interest and enjoyment for acting and performance became evident, as he took part in all of the stage performances that were on offer. The almost obsessive interest in martial arts and action cinema began very young. As early as Joey can recount, he has memories of his father renting Action and martial arts films from the local video shop which he would avidly watch. Arnold, Stallone, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Van Damme became instinctive idols and sources of inspiration which remain to this day. Joey's family then emigrated to Accra, Ghana. This was initially a culture shock to say the least for a young Joey, who had up to this point spent most of his life in the almost exclusively white, upper-middle class environment of the English public-school system. In Accra, Joey attended Ghana's top International school for almost 5 years. During this period he was able to truly get in touch with African culture, and obtain a balanced understanding, love and pride for both halves of his heritage. Acting and stage performance continued here for a time as well. It was in Ghana that Joey's love for martial arts, dancing and stunts really took off. He joined the local Tae Kwon Do class which he trained at for 4 years. He became embroiled in the Hip Hop dance craze that was present at the school in Ghana. He also fell in love with motorbikes and began riding with friends - including the sons of an Australian former motocross champion.
A few months before his 15th birthday, Joey moved back to England (this time to Plymouth) with his mother and 1-year old sister, Tanoa. He attended Devonport High school for boys where he completed his secondary education. During this time Joey also began obsessively training for the rare Martial art of Ninjutsu with military personnel in Plymouth. After a brief stint high diving, Joey became very interested in acrobatics and tumbling, and began to develop this aspect of Ninjutsu to a very high level. After passing his A-levels, Joey moved to Oxford where he did a 3 year degree in Human biology at Oxford Brookes University. Whilst continuing to practice Ninjutsu and Acrobatics, he also took up the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira in which he has trained ever since. It was during these 3 years in Oxford that Joey began his professional work in show-business, getting work and experience wherever he could. In the first couple of years at University, Joey did his fair share of extras and walk-on parts and he saw this as a valuable opportunity to spend lots of time on varied film, TV and commercial sets, learning the film making process and more importantly watching and intently studying established actors at work. Rather than frowning upon doing extras work as many do, he viewed this as an invaluable learning period. Joey also worked as a model, both on the catwalk and in TV and print campaigns. His work in stunts also occurred at this time, working on Batman Begins as a stuntman, in addition to working as trainer and fight choreographer on the Sci-Fi series Starhyke (2006). He has used his Dance, martial arts and acrobatic abilities for various music videos and Live international shows.
Straight after graduating from University, Joey moved back to London and landed a major role in the award winning UK indie film, Lovestruck (2005). Following that he got an acting agent and his full time acting career began. Over the last 2 years he has been working consistently in a varied range of TV and film projects. With notable TV appearances as the terrorist Abbud in the hit TV show Spooks (2005) (aka MI5 in the USA), Roman emperor Geta in the prime time BBC docuseries Timewatch (2006). In 2006 Joey landed a major role in the upcoming, ground breaking UK action Feature 'Underground'.
His big Hollywood break came in the form of him being cast in the upcoming Bourne Ultimatum (2007) by award-winning director, Paul Greengrass, in which he plays 'Desh', a Blackbriar super assassin working for the CIA who goes up against Jason Bourne (Matt Damon). The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) is released in the US and UK Aug 3rd.- 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
- 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
- Writer
- Director
Born in Philadelphia, Michael came from a line of German sailors on one side and American Delaware Indians on the other. As a 10 year old Michael directed his first film entitle The Tire. It was shot with a super-8 camera his mother bought him. He continued making short films into his late teens. During his early teens, Michael had a few small parts in film and television. Living with his dog in a truck for six months in Los Angeles to save money, he worked odd jobs and construction work, taking whatever small parts he could as he climbed the Hollywood ladder. His first lead came with the film Final Impact (1992) for which Variety deemed him "a promising newcomer." He worked in a series of low-budget films before landing a part in the TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1993). He had a close call with greater fame from being second choice for the role of Robin in Batman Forever (1995). Michael wrote and directed the independent Killing Cupid (2005) which gained him a Best Director nomination at the Action On Film Film Festival in 2005 as well as winning Best Fiction Film at the Hollywood Fiction Film and Video Festival in 2006. He wrote and recently completed appearing the psychological thriller/western Dual (2008) which won Best Independent Action Film. His second directorial work is the drama God's Ears (2008).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Jeff Wincott is an established actor and producer originally from Toronto, Canada. He starred in the award-winning Canadian television series Night Heat playing Detective Giambone for five years. He was nominated for Best Actor at the Gemini Awards for his performance which gave him international recognition and led to an extensive film career in the United States.
Wincott went on to star in over a dozen martial arts films for which he is well-known, including Mission of Justice and Last Man Standing. Wincott has also played roles in various television shows including Sons of Anarchy, the Lizzie Borden Chronicles, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, The Good Wife, N.C.I.S., The Night Of, and The Wire. He was featured in the high-budget action films The Invasion and Unstoppable and played a supporting role in the independent film Kringle Time for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the GenreBlast Film Festival (2021).
In 2019, Jeff and his wife founded Hollow Metropolis Films in order to create and produce their own films. Their award-winning short films Ping Pong Pigeons, Platitudes, and Dystopian Snow Globe have been screened internationally. In 2020, the Wincotts co-produced their first feature film, The Issue with Elvis, with Jeff playing the leading role, Dr. Mercer. He has gone on to win three Best Actor Awards for his performance at various film festivals including the Hollywood Women's International Film Festival, the Toronto Beaches Film Festival, and the Montgomery International Film Festival. The Issue with Elvis has won over ten awards in 2021, including two Best Feature Film awards. The film will be distributed by Random Media and 1091 Pictures with a release date in 2022.
Wincott co-produced a documentary feature called Fall Fight Shine on addiction and recovery. The film premiered in September 2021 at The Art of Recovery Film Festival in the greater Miami area and won Best Documentary Feature at the Hollywood Women's International Film Festival in October, 2021. The film features Jeff's recovery story.- 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- Actor
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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.- 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).- Bin Amatsu was born on 16 February 1921 in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He was an actor, known for Onmitsu kenshi (1962), Crimson Bat, the Blind Swordswoman (1969) and Sanjûrokunin no jôkyaku (1957). He died on 24 July 1979 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Angela Mao was born as Mao Ching Ying in 1950 as the third of eight children to a family of entertainers for the Peking Opera House. She had a successful career as a Chinesa Opera actress, where her flexibility and martial arts first developed. She was discovered by film producer Raymond Chow who made her a star. Then, she trained in hapkido, and felt attracted to the new kung fu style, on demand by Hong Kong producers. Her career, if not long, was impressive, as she was one of the first women to make that sort of break-through in the film industry, until then reserving the fights and acrobatics to men. She played Bruce Lee's sister in Enter the Dragon (1973), and she also worked with Jackie Chan several times when he was a newcomer. In 1974, she fell in love and married Kelly Lai Chen. Their daughter Hsi Pui Sze was born in 1976. However, the couple divorced. She retired from films in 1983 and moved to America with her second husband when her son George King was born. She moved to Queens, New York in 1993 and eventually opened several Chinese restaurants that she runs with her son and daughter-in-law: Mama King, Nan Bei Ho, New Mei Hua, Guo Ba Inc. She usually declines interviews, because she wanted to lower her profile for the sake of her marriage. In 2008, she visited China to attend the wedding of her daughter, who had been raised by her first husband. In 2016, she gave a reluctant interview to the "New York Times" while feeding her baby granddaughter in one of her restaurants, with her son and daughter-in-law acting as her translators. She said that she still has fans who show up to her restaurants just to see her, but that fame was never as important as taking care of her family.
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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
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Lung Ti was born on 19 August 1946 in Guangdong Province, China. He is an actor and director, known for A Better Tomorrow (1986), Drunken Master II (1994) and The Warrior's Way (2010). He has been married to Min-Ming Tao since 22 May 1975. They have one child.- Actor
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Shao-Peng Chen was born in 1933 in Taiwan. He was an actor and director, known for Interpol (1982), Invincible Devil (1976) and Lü si niang chuang shao lin (1976). He died in 2005 in Taiwan.- Actor
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Krzysztof Soszynski is mixed martial arts fighter, actor, stuntman, DJ and creator of the KSOS Conditioning System. He was born in Stalowa Wola Poland and moved to Canada with his family when he was 10. Soszynski, former TKO Heavyweight Champion, is a UFC veteran and MMA coach at the UFC Gym in Torrance California. His strong work ethic has allowed him to pursue many passions including acting and music. He has worked in feature films with Kevin James in 'Here Comes the Boom' and as Mickey Rourke's stunt double in 'Immortals. Krzysztof will also appear in the upcoming film 'Tapped' and 'Severed Connection'.- Actor
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Nicholas Yunge-Bateman was born in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He started karate at age 4 in hopes to become a Ninja Turtle. Since then Nick has won 4 martial arts world titles. Nick graduated from Capilano University in Vancouver BC at age 20 and opened his own karate school for 3 years. He then decided to close it to pursue his passion for acting. He landed his first major role starring alongside Rutger Hauer and Gregory Smith in 'Hobo With a Shotgun'. Nick is also known for his international model work with Abercrombie & Fitch, Dsquared, Fila, Jockey, Calvin Klein etc.- Actor
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John Felix Anthony Cena was born on April 23, 1977 in West Newbury, Massachusetts to Carol Cena and John Joseph Cena. He is of Italian (father) and French-Canadian and English (mother) descent, and is the grandson of baseball player Tony Lupien. When he was in college, he played football. He then continued on to be a bodybuilder and a limousine driver. The 6-foot-1 tall star weighs exactly at 240 pounds and is a very successful superstar in the WWE.
The Dr. of Thuganomics started training to be a wrestler at Ultimate Pro Wrestling where he also created the character, The Prototype. Cena first appeared on WWE in a match against Kurt Angle on the 27th of June, 2002 which ended up with him losing.
In 2004, John Cena's status as a celebrity began to develop. Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show. Not too long later, Cena lost the title but he gained it back soon. Cena then lost the title again to fellow WWE superstar, Carlito. During that time, Cena apparently got stabbed in the kidney by one of Carlito's bodyguards. This resulted in staying out of action for a month.
In 2005 and 2006 respectively, Cena was involved in controversies. He had a feud with champion John Bradshaw Layfield, manager Eric Bischoff and fellow wrestler Chris Jericho. Cena also had feuds with Edge and Umaga at that time. But even so, some friendships were formed. Cena is said to be friends with Carlito after they won a match with Jeff Hardy against Edge, Randy Orton and Johnny Nitro.
The year 2007 was a big year for Cena as he was involved in a wrestling match with Britney Spears' ex and rap star, Kevin Federline. John ended up losing that match thanks to some assistance from Umaga to Kevin Federline. Later that night, Cena took revenge by body slamming Kevin Federline backstage. The year 2007 also started pretty well for John Cena as he became the first person to defeat the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga that year. The Chain Gang Soldier also teamed up with Shaun Michaels defeating the RKO tag team, Randy Orton and Edge. The match ended up with Cena and Michaels winning.
As of October 2007, Cena lost his WWE Championship title because of an injury. While wrestling against Mr. Kennedy, Cena tore his pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Although he finished the match and completed the rest of the scripted event, a check-up the next day showed that John's pectoral major muscle was torn completely from the bone, requiring seven months to a year rehabilitation. Not able to perform, WWE's CEO, Vince McMahon stripped him off the title and ended his reign.
In 2008, Cena made an unannounced return to action on January 27 as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match. He won the match, and the traditional WrestleMania title shot. Cena also had a match against JBL, which he defeated at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match. However, JBL defeated him at the New York City Parking Lot Brawl. In the month of August, Cena was replaced by Rey Mysterio after it was announced Cena had suffered a herniated disk in his neck which required surgery and he would be out of action indefinitely. According to reports, Cena underwent successive surgery to repair the herniated disk in his neck with Doctor Joseph Maroon on August 25.
Aside from wrestling, John has also made a name in the movie business. In 2006, a WWE franchise movie titled The Marine was released with John playing the lead character, John Triton. The movie received mixed reviews due to the poor story-line and discrimination to the US Marines. Even so, fans queued up to watch the movie as this was John's first big screen appearance.
The WWE wrestler also added recording artist to his resume as he released his debut rap album "You Can't See Me" which debuted at #15 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. The album featured his entrance theme song, 'The Time Is Now' & a host of other singles performed by Cena. One of the songs he performed with popular rap band Estoric and a number of other songs Cena performed with famous rapper Bumpy Knuckles. Cena is the only professional wrestler to ever perform on BBC Two's long running TV show Top of the Pops.
While still active with WWE, Cena made a couple of guest appearances: Jimmy Kimmel Live! twice to promote his album. He has also appeared on popular shows like Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fuse's Celebrity Playlist, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, MADtv, G4's Training Camp and two appearances on MTV's Punk'd. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of Nashville Star, and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards 2007.
In fashion, The Champ has also made a few trademarks. Cena is often seen with knee-high denim jeans and throwback jerseys when he first started on WWE. Lately, Cena has been wearing a lot of Chain Gang merchandise. When his movie, The Marine was released, John was seen to be adding more military-inspired clothing to his outfit to promote his movie.
Cena graduated from Springfield College, Massachusetts with degrees in exercise physiology and human anatomy. He applied to 60 colleges and he got accepted by 58 of them but in the end, he chose Springfield College. He is the second eldest of five brothers and is said to be a family guy when he is not wrestling. His good friends are fellow wrestlers, John Hennigan, Batista, Randy Orton, Carlito, Jeff and Matt Hardy, whom he will have to fight.
John Cena is definitely going to be a big inspiration to all, whether in wrestling, fashion, music or even movies as his participation in the industry is already more than regular celebrity. With all he has achieved, fans can definitely expect to see more of this WWE superstar in the coming future.
Also, recently he has completed his new movie 12 Rounds produced by WWE Films. This movie was said to have finished filming when John suffered from his injury in 2007.- Actress
Amanda Lourenço Nunes is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Widely regarded as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time, Nunes is the first woman to become a two-division UFC champion, and the third fighter to hold UFC titles in two weight classes simultaneously, after Conor McGregor and Daniel Cormier. She is also the first and only fighter to defend two UFC titles while holding both. As of December 13, 2021, she is ranked #1 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings and as of January 17, 2022, she is ranked #2 in UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.- Actor
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Jin Zhang was born on 19 May 1974 in Chongqing, China. He is an actor, known for The Grandmaster (2013), Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). He has been married to Ada Choi since 12 January 2008. They have three children.- Kenneth Wayne Shamrock is an American bare-knuckle boxing promoter and retired professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, and kick-boxer. He is best known for his time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and other combat sports. A member of the UFC Hall of Fame, Shamrock is widely regarded as icon and pioneer of the sport. He has headlined over 15 main events and co-main events in the UFC and Pride FC and set numerous MMA pay-per-view records. In the early part of his UFC career, Shamrock was named "The World's Most Dangerous Man" by ABC News in a special called "The World's Most Dangerous Things". The moniker has stuck as his nickname.
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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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Siu-Ho Chin was born on 26 January 1963 in Hong Kong. He is an actor, known for Tai Chi Master (1993), Fist of Legend (1994) and Masked Avengers (1981). He has been married to Sin-Ming Yau since 2001. They have one child. He was previously married to Sharon Kwok.- 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.- 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.- Actor
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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
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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
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Tony Liu was born on 7 February 1952 in Hong Kong. He is an actor and director, known for The Way of the Dragon (1972), The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972).- Actor
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Conor Anthony McGregor is an Irish mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He began his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2008 after leaving his job as a plumber. In 2009, he attended UFC 93 and was so inspired by the experience that he began pursuing a dream, of one day having a career in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. On 9 March 2008, Conor McGregor made his professional MMA debut at Cage of Truth 2, defeating Gary Morris by second round TKO.- Actor
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Anderson is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva was the UFC's longest reigning champion and also holds the longest winning and title defense streak in UFC history, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses, and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world according to ESPN, Sherdog, Yahoo! Sports and other publications. Silva holds notable victories over former champions Carlos Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Chris Leben, Rich Franklin(x2), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort. UFC president Dana White has called Silva "the greatest mixed martial artist ever. Anderson Silva was born April 14, 1975, a middle child of four. The son of a poverty stricken family, Silva spent the majority of his childhood with his aunt and uncle, an officer with the Curitiba police force. Silva has three sons and two daughters with his wife, Dayane. Silva appeared in Never Surrender in 2009 and a documentary about his life in the UFC called Like Water, released in 2011.
Silva first began training Jiu Jitsu with neighborhood kids who could afford lessons. By the age of 12, his family was able to set aside enough money to start him in Tae Kwon Do lessons, from which he moved on to Capoeira, before finally settling on Muay Thai at the age of 16.
Before he began his career as a professional fighter, Silva worked at McDonalds, and also as a file clerk. He also considers Spider-Man a personal hero, and has a stated love of comic books and comic book heroes. Film and television is one of his greatest passions and he can see himself heavily immersed in the industry in the future.- Actor
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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).- Actor
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Ryong Keo was born in 1940 in North Korea. He is an actor and producer, known for The Clones of Bruce Lee (1980), Sahyeong samgeol (1981) and Heukpyo bigaek (1981).- Actor
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Chin-Kun Li is known for The Mandarin Magician (1974), Hei dai kong shou dao (1977) and Black Belt Karate (1979).