Real Life Fighting actors
List activity
17K views
• 20 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
116 people
- 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
- Stunts
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
- 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
- Director
- Stunts
Nathan Jones's saga is a tapestry of raw power and entertainment, woven from the rugged landscapes of Australia to the glitz of global arenas. A towering figure at 6' 11", he carved his niche as a colossus in strength athletics, power-lifting his way to stardom in the mid-90s. His moniker "Megaman" aptly captured his gargantuan presence, which saw him dominate strongman contests, including a notable victory in the Highland Games World Strongman Challenge at 26.
Born to a lineage of extraordinary individuals, Nathan inherited a legacy of strength and intellect. With roots stretching from the champion caber tosser grandfather in New Zealand to the nautical engineer great grandfather who miraculously survived the icy River Thames, his heritage is a chronicle of triumph over adversity. This lineage of achievers, including an Olympic cyclist grandfather with a penchant for physics and electrical engineering, set the stage for Nathan's own feats of strength and skill.
Nathan's transition to WWE in 2002 unveiled "The Colossus of Boggo Road" on the SmackDown! roster, a title that evoked his turbulent past and resilience. His stint in professional wrestling was highlighted by appearances with icons like The Undertaker and in marquee events such as WrestleMania XIX.
The turn of fate that launched his acting career was as serendipitous as it was spectacular, with martial arts superstar Jackie Chan propelling him onto the silver screen. Nathan's filmography is marked by formidable characters, from the imposing Boagrius in "TROY" to the menacing Rictus Erectus in "Mad Max: Fury Road". His roles span mythic warriors to modern-day villains, each embodying an intensity that is quintessentially Nathan Jones.
Off-screen, Nathan's life is anchored in Queensland, Australia, where he resides with his wife Fawn Tran, his son Justice, and a narrative rich with the spoils of a life lived large. His journey from strongman to screen is not just a story of personal success but a testament to the indomitable human spirit.
Written by F. Tran- 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
- Producer
- Director
Lorenzo Fernando Lamas was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of actors Arlene Dahl and Fernando Lamas. His father was Argentinian and his mother was American, of Norwegian descent. Lorenzo was raised in Pacific Palisades, California. In 1968, his family moved to New York. He attended private school, graduating from Admiral Farragut Academy in 1975. He then moved back to California. With encouragement from his father, he enrolled in Tony Barr's Film Actors Workshop and began his career with a small role in a television show in 1976. He also began to study karate and tae kwon do in 1979. He has starred in five television series and in over fifty movies. He is most known for his roles on television, notably as Lance Cumson on CBS' Falcon Crest (1981) and Reno Raines in the syndicated hit show Renegade (1992). Lorenzo also sustained a professional racing career while working successfully as a TV and Film actor in the 80's and 90's. He acts on stage and has a cabaret show that he tours with across the country. Some of the roles he has played onstage include the king in the musical The King and I as well as Zach in the musical A Chorus Line. He is an avid motorcyclist for over thirty years and has participated in the Love Ride, to benefit MDA and various charities since its inception in 1983. He is also on the board of directors. Lorenzo is a commercial helicopter and airplane pilot and he often flies disadvantaged children to summer camps and people too sick or financially challenged to travel normally on domestic flights. He just recently received his certification to become a helicopter flight instructor.- 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
- 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
- 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.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
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
- Producer
- Writer
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova Scotian descent), and his mother is of Samoan background (her own father was Peter Fanene Maivia, also a professional wrestler). While growing up, Dwayne traveled around a lot with his parents and watched his father perform in the ring. During his high school years, Dwayne began playing football and he soon received a full scholarship from the University of Miami, where he had tremendous success as a football player. In 1995, Dwayne suffered a back injury which cost him a place in the NFL. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.
He made his wrestling debut in the USWA under the name Flex Kavanah where he won the tag team championship with Brett Sawyer. In 1996, Dwayne joined the WWE and became Rocky Maivia where he joined a group known as "The Nation of Domination" and turned heel. Rocky eventually took over leadership of the "Nation" and began taking the persona of The Rock. After the "Nation" split, The Rock joined another elite group of wrestlers known as the "Corporation" and began a memorable feud with Steve Austin. Soon the Rock was kicked out of the "Corporation". He turned face and became known as "The Peoples Champion". In 2000, the Rock took time off from WWE to film his appearance in The Mummy Returns (2001). He returned in 2001 during the WCW/ECW invasion where he joined a team of WWE wrestlers at The Scorpion King (2002), a prequel to The Mummy Returns (2001).
Dwayne has a daughter, Simone Alexandra Johnson, born in 2001, with his ex-wife Dany Garcia, and daughters, Jasmine, born in 2015, and Tiana Gia, born in 2018, with his wife, singer and songwriter Lauren Hashian.- Actress
- Producer
From pioneering women's MMA to blazing a trail in movies, GINA CARANO is one of Hollywood's most unique rising stars. Carano began her training with Muay Thai to competitive MMA, where she competed in Strikeforce and EliteXC. Her popularity led to her being called the "Face of Women's MMA" and she was the fastest-rising search on Google and third-most-searched person on Yahoo and ranked 5th on a list of the "Top 10 Influential Women" of 2008. In August 2009, Carano fought Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, the first time two women headlined a major MMA event and at the time was the highest rated fight in Showtime history. Carano compiled a competitive record of 12-1-1 in Muay Thai and a 7-1 in women's MMA.[4]
Outside the ring, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring fighters in the 2007 Oxygen reality series Fight Girls and performed as 'Crush' in the revamped television series American Gladiators before her breakout performance in Steven Soderbergh's film HAYWIRE, holding her own against the likes of Michael Douglas, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Bill Paxton and Antonio Banderas. Gina's authenticity to making the Action look real earned her performance a Critics Choice Award Nomination for Best Actress in an action film. Hot on the heels came a role in the worldwide hit FAST AND FURIOUS 6 for Universal Pictures opposite Dwayne Johnson furthering her appeal as an Action Star. Next up, she co-starred alongside Robert DeNiro, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Dave Bautista in Lionsgate's film HEIST followed by the role of 'Angel Dust' in the smash hit MARVEL/FOX film DEADPOOL opposite Ryan Reynolds based on the popular comic book. The film grossed over $870 Million dollars at the Box Office. After starring in the independent films DAUGHTER OF THE WOLF opposite Richard Dreyfuss and the dark comedy MADNESS IN THE METHOD with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, Gina had secured a lead role in Jon Favreau's highly reviewed Star Wars TV show THE MANDALORIAN for Disney +. Gina played 'Cara Dune', a former Rebel Shock Trooper in the series. However, after sharing a controversial post on social media, Gina was fired by Lucas Film and her character was written out of the show.
Carano was born in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Dana Joy (née Cason) and professional football player Glenn Carano who played for the Dallas Cowboys and was the backup quarterback to Roger Staubach. She has two sisters, one older and one younger.
*Gina became the first recipient of ActionFest's Chuck Norris (Best Female Action Star) Award, given to the female action star of the year.
*Gina received the Artemis Action Warrior Award for her contributions to the female action genre and women's MMA. The award was presented to her by Action legend Zoe Bell- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Ray Park was born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He moved with his parents, younger brother and sister to London, UK, at the age of seven. Ray always wanted to be in the movies, and be like their heroes. He also began to nurture a love for martial arts from the age of seven, when his father's fondness for Bruce Lee films sparked a fire in the youngster's mind that would never extinguish. Specializing in the traditional Chinese Northern Shaolin Kung-fu (in the Chin Woo style), Park moved on to master other styles, most notably Wushu. In 1991, at age 16, Ray became a member of the Great Britain Wushu team, competing in his first international in Beijing, China at the 1st World Wushu Championships. Ray was the first Wushu athlete from Great Britain and Europe to place in the top seven in the world, and went on to compete for Great Britain for another six years. He became a fixture at martial arts exhibitions and tournaments, Nationally, European and Internationally, attaining Gold Medal for the Great Britain Wushu and the Chin Woo Martial Arts team.
Ray began teaching himself gymnastics at a young age but felt he was missing the correct training to achieve a higher level. At fifteen, he found a school that was willing to allow him to practice and use the floor space. The gymnastic training helped to improve his martial arts training and began to sit in and take seminars in coaching gymnastics. It was when he was nineteen that he relocated to another gymnastic gym and became one of the boys' squad coaches. He further went on to be in charge of coaching recreational gymnastics throughout schools in London. Ray's boys squad won 1st in The London Youth Games for Hendon Gymnastics Club. During one of his frequent visits to Malaysia, he was approached to audition for Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997). Ray became martial arts advisor to one of the stunt coordinators and later landed playing one of the Reptiles, Baraka, and doubling for Rayden.
Conjuring memories of his youthful cinematic martial arts passion, Park attempted to learn as much as possible about the process of filmmaking. Soon being given more scenes and becoming more natural on set, he was contacted by stunt coordinator Nick Gillard to audition for George Lucas' prequel Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999). Offered the job by producer Rick McCallum, Park was given the creative freedom to develop his choreography by an impressed Lucas, and soon gained the confidence to develop his role to the best of his abilities.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model. She was born in Petah Tikva, Israel, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family (from Poland, Austria, Germany, and Czechoslovakia who Hebraized their name from 'Greenstein' to sound less European). She served in the IDF for two years, and won the Miss Israel title in 2004.
Gal began modeling in the late 2000s, and made her film debut in the fourth film of the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast & Furious (2009), where she appeared as Gisele Yashar; she repriced the role of Yashar in several subsequent installments of The Fast Saga. Gadot went on to achieve global stardom for her portrayal of Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe, including in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Wonder Woman (2017) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). She has since starred in the Netflix action-comedy film Red Notice (2021) and the mystery film Death on the Nile (2022).
Gal is a motorcycle enthusiast, and owns a black 2006 Ducati Monster-S2R. She has been married to Yaron Versano since September 28, 2008. They have three daughters.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
David Michael Bautista, Jr. was born on January 18, 1969 in Washington, D.C., to Donna Raye (Mullins) and David Michael Bautista, a hairdresser. He has Filipino and Greek ancestry.
When WCW officials told him he'd never make it in sports entertainment, Bautista pushed himself to achieve his dream of being a Superstar. In May 2002, he made his debut on SmackDown using the ring name Batista, but it wasn't until a move to Raw and two victories over Kane that "The Animal" began to make noise in the WWE Universe. The wins impressed Ric Flair and Triple H, who were looking to align themselves with the industry's brightest new stars. After a lengthy search, they identified Randy Orton and Batista. Collectively the four Superstars became known as Evolution.
Batista earned his first championship alongside "The Nature Boy" when the duo captured the WWE Tag Team Championships in December 2003. As Evolution dominated WWE, Batista started to emerge from the shadows of Triple H and Ric Flair. By the time Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble Match, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H viewed him as a serious threat to his title.
After a triceps injury at the hands of Mark Henry forced Batista to relinquish the title in January 2006, he vowed to return. Batista successfully regained the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series in 2006. Four months into his second reign, Batista faced the Undertaker at WrestleMania 23. "The Animal" took Undertaker to the limit, but was unable to stop the streak of "The Deadman" at WrestleMania. Though disappointed, Batista stayed hungry and always managed to keep himself in the championship hunt for the rest of his career.
At Bragging Rights in 2009, Batista shocked the world when he blamed Rey Mysterio for a loss to Undertaker, then attacked his former tag team partner. "The Animal" then became locked in a tense rivalry with another former friend, John Cena, over the WWE Championship. The grueling match at Over the Limit led to a wheelchair-bound Batista declaring "I quit!" the following night on Raw before fading from the WWE Universe in May 2010. Following his departure from WWE, Bautista appeared opposite Vin Diesel in the Universal film Riddick (2013) and RZA's feature directorial debut The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), in which he played the villainous Brass Body and starred opposite Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu. His other film credits include The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption (2012), where he played Argomael; the action film House of the Rising Sun (2011); and Wrong Side of Town (2010) opposite rapper Ja Rule.
Two years later, he joined MMA and won his first professional MMA fight. In January 2014, he made his long awaited return to the WWE, before quitting a second time in June of that same year. He did this in order to promote Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), which was released on August 1, 2014, and starred Chris Pratt, Benicio Del Toro, Zoe Saldana, and Djimon Hounsou, alongside Bautista.
He will shoot Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016), directed by John Stockwell, and co-starring martial artist Alain Moussi and UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre. The remake of the 1989 Jean-Claude Van Damme film, Kickboxer (1989) is about two brothers David and Kurt Sloan; When David wins the Karate World Championship, a promoter lures him to Hong Kong, despite his brother's protestations that the man is a crook. When Kurt travels to Thailand to meet his brother, he discovers he has died and seeks his revenge.
After starring in films such as, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Hotel Artemis (2018), Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018), and Final Score (2018), he made a special guest appearance on WWE Smackdown! (1999) for it's 1000 episode reuniting with his former Evolution members Triple H, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair on October 16, 2018. The following year on February 25, 2019, he made his return to WWE Raw (1993) when he attacked Ric Flair on his 70th birthday at the end of the episode sending a message to Triple H that would ultimately lead to a No Holds Barred match for WrestleMania 35 (2019). Batista added the stipulation that if he wins the match, Triple H will have to retire from in-ring competition. As a result, Triple H was finally able to beat Batista for the first time and won the match, which ultimately led to Batista announcing his official retirement from wrestling in the WWE. Following his retirement, he will continue with his career as an actor in Hollywood.
His next films scheduled for release will be; Stuber (2019), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019), and My Spy (2020). He is one of many professional wrestlers to make the smooth transition from wrestling into the entertainment world.- Actor
- Producer
Quinton Ramone "Rampage" Jackson is an American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler, who most recently fought in the Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and unified the Pride Middleweight Championship belt. Due to his eccentric personality and aggressive fighting style, Jackson became a star in Japan during his tenure with Pride FC and following his move to the UFC, he helped pioneer MMA's growth into a worldwide sport.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Don "The Dragon" Wilson is considered the greatest kick-boxing champion in the sport's history. A native of South Florida, Wilson began fighting in the late 1970s. In a career which spanned 4 decades, he won 11 world kick-boxing championships, among them the WKA, STAR, WKC, PKO Lightheavyweight World Championships, WKA, STAR, ISKA World Cruiserweight Titles, and the WKA and STAR Super-Lightheavyweight World Championships. He posted a record of 72-5-2 with 47 wins by knockout. Wilson defeated such world champions as Dennis Alexio, Oaktree Edwards, and Dick Kimber. He retired from the sport in 1990, but launched a comeback on May 14, 1999. Since his return he has knocked-out Dick Kimber and defeated Dewey Cooper.- Georges St-Pierre was born on 19 May 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Cartels (2016) and Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016).
- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Randy Couture is a collegiate wrestler and fighter turned actor from Everett, Washington. He served as a four time US Olympic wrestling team alternate as a soldier in the U.S. Army, and is also a 6 time world heavyweight and light heavyweight UFC champion and Hall of Famer. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree in foreign language literature and is also fluent in German. Randy's current girlfriend is actress Mindy Robinson. He is best known for starring in all three of The Expendables, Ambushed, and The Scorpion King 2.- Producer
- Actor
- 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
- Stunts
Wesley Trent Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, to Marian (Long), a teacher's assistant, and SMSGT Wesley Rudolph Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up on the streets of the South Bronx in New York City, where he very early decided that dance and the theatre were to be his career. He attended the High School for the Performing Arts (popularized in Fame (1980)). But dreams of the musical theater (and maybe a few commercials) faded when his mother moved to Orlando, Florida before he could graduate. Fortune would have it that he along with two friends and his "Drama class" teachers Mr. S Porro and K. Rugerio, would start a bus-n-truck theatre company (Struttin Street Stuff) be instrumental in his high schools (Jones High) induction into the International Thespian Society, Orlando Chapter and help lay the foundation for what would become Dr. Phillips High Schools theatre arts program. Musical theatre rooted Snipes performed song-n-dance, puppetry, and acrobatics in city parks, dinner clubs, and performing arts centers around central Florida. As a recipient of a Victor Borge Scholarship, Snipes left Orlando and entered the world-renowned professional theatre arts program at SUNY Purchase in New York, now Purchase College, where he honed his theatrical performance and martial arts skills. Graduating with a BFA, he went on to co-star in a few soap operas and nighttime dramas, peppered in between critical acclaim performances Broadway. It was there in a Broadway theater An agent saw him on stage and invited him to audition for his first feature film role.
Goldie Hawn Wildcats (1986). Athletic roles such as that gave way to dramatic roles such as that gave way to tough guy roles as in New Jack City (1991), and to the action hero in Passenger 57 (1992). Wesley feels that at least with the Hollywood heavyweights he must be doing something right - Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Dennis Hopper and Sean Connery all had veto power over casting and all approved his role. Wesley also founded Amen Ra Films Production Company, and is a Multi System Combat Arts Black Belt Holder IT Technologist & VC.- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor, a martial arts artist, a martial arts action film star, a producer, and a fight coordinator. . Daniels who was also interested in films, starred in two motion pictures in 1988 made in the Philippines. These were Teddy Page's action martial arts film Final Reprisal (1988), and the jungle adventure, The Secret of King Mahi's Island (1988). Daniels returned to the US, and continued competing. From 1991 to 1994, Daniels was seen acting in several action and martial arts films, within those he had a supporting role in Albert Pyun's Knights (1993), and played an adversary who had showdowns with Jackie Chan in City Hunter (1993) and Don Wilson in Ring of Fire (1991), and Bloodfist IV: Die Trying (1992). On his own, Daniels was the star of the action films Capital Punishment (1991), American Streetfighter (1992), Firepower (1993), Full Impact (1993), and Deadly Target (1994).
In 1995, Daniels played the lead role of Kenshiro in Tony Randel's American live-action version of Japanese manga Fist of the North Star. The film had a notable cast that included Costas Mandylor, Isako Washio Malcolm McDowell, etc. From its release on, the film was widely seen on television and on home video. From that point up until 2001, Daniels, now an established action film actor, acted in many films mixed between action, martial arts, and science fiction. Some of these efforts included Albert Pyun's Heatseeker, Joseph Merhi's Rage, Art Camacho's Recoil, Jeff Burr's Spoiler, Master P's No Tomorrow, Isaac Florentine's Cold Harvest, Joseph Zito's Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol, Bloodmoon, White Tiger, Hawk's Vengeance, Riot, Epicenter, Fatal Blade, City of Fear, Black Friday, Queen's Messenger, and Witness to a Kill.
From 2004 on, Daniels took on more supporting roles, this includes the role of Ed Parker in the Bruce Lee biographical mini-series The Legend of Bruce Lee, with contemporary martial artists Mark Dacascos, Ray Park, Ernest Miller, and Michael Jai White. He is also known for his supporting role as Bryan Fury in the 2009 live-action film Tekken, and its 2014 prequel, based upon the popular fighting game series. Daniels acted alongside Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Steve Austin, and Randy Couture in the Sylvester Stallone film The Expendables as Lawrence "The Brit" Sparks, an ally of the villain. Daniels appeared in La Linea, an action-crime film with an ensemble cast that includes Ray Liotta, Andy García, Armand Assante, etc. Next was Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright alongside Aidan Quinn, Andy García for the second time, Mario Van Peebles, etc. Other efforts among many include David DeCocteau's The Wrong Child with Vivica A. Fox, the Wesley Snipes action vehicle Game of Death, Steve Austin's action vehicle Hunt to Kill, Stu Bennett's thriller I am Vengeance, etc. Some of the lead roles Daniels took are the martial arts fighting films Forced to Fight with Peter Weller, and Rumble. He was also the lead actor in the thriller Misfire, where he plays seasoned DEA agent, who descends into the underworld of Tijuana, and the jaded former hitman in Skin Traffik going against a gangster played by Mickey Rourke, with an ensemble cast including Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Dominique Swain, and Alan Ford.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Mark Dacascos is an actor, director, martial artist, and television personality. Whether seen on the big screen or small, playing the good guy or the bad, Mark has been making audience stand up and take notice for many years.
This May, Mark will be seen in highly anticipated film John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum playing the lethal assassin, Zero, opposite Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Asia Kate Dillon, and Laurence Fishburne.
Later this summer Mark can be seen in Roger Avary's film Lucky Day in the scene stealing role of Louis opposite Nina Dobrev and Crispin Glover and the new Netflix series Wu Assassins opposite Katheryn Winnick.
Dacascos has appeared in over 40 feature films including the haunting French film and box office success, Brotherhood of the Wolf, nemesis to Jett Li in Cradle to the Grave, and cult classic action film, Drive. He has also reprised the iconic role of Wo Fat in the hit CBS series Hawaii 5-0, Mr. Giyera on the hit television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., as well as the star of the series The Crow. Mark has appeared in numerous television shows such as Chicago P.D., Lucifer, and the hugely popular Hallmark franchise, The Perfect Bride and it's follow up The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells.
Mark's turn as The Chairman on the Food Network's hit show, Iron Chef America launched him into pop icon status with over 200 episodes and counting on the Food Network. He also took his turn on the dance floor transforming his martial arts moves into dancing magic on ABC's hit show, Dancing With the Stars. Many millions have also enjoyed watching Mark in the hugely popular and uber successful web series Mortal Kombat Legacy and the international web series The Way.
Besides starring in television and films, Mark achieved a career milestone by directing his first feature film titled Showdown in Manilla starring Casper Van Dien and Tia Carrere.
The darkly exotic, multi-lingual, multi-skilled Dacascos is a mix of Japanese, Filipino, Spanish, Irish, and Chinese heritages. He was born in Hawaii and attended school in Germany. He is married and the proud father of 3 children.- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Darren Shahlavi was seven years old when he started training in martial arts in an old drama theatre in Manchester, England. Inspired by Bruce Lees films and other action movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of being a movie actor and would show up to his Judo class at the drama hall early to watch the actors rehearsing and performing plays.
When Darren was seventeen years old he attended a seminar for "Hong Kong style fight choreography", by Kung Fu star Donnie Yen, which gave him the confidence to pursue his dream of working in Hong Kong movies as a stepping stone to Hollywood. Then, in the early nineties, a young Shahlavi moved to Hong Kong where he began his career as a stuntman until Director Woo-Ping Yuen hired him as the lead villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan. As a string of martial arts films followed, Darren also used his fighting skills as a stunt performer in studio blockbusters such as "Riddick", "Blade 3", "300", "Watchmen" and the "Night at the Museum" films, as well as supporting roles in Hollywood movies such as "I Spy" playing a boxer fighting Eddie Murphy, "The Final Cut" with Robin Williams, and guest star roles in TV shows such as "Sanctuary", "Human Target" and "Reaper."
In 2010, Darren made a triumphant return to Hong Kong action films, co-starring opposite his childhood heroes Donnie Yen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the Wilson Yip directed Ip Man 2 (2010). Shahlavi plays the evil British boxing champion "The Twister" in the semi-biographical story of Bruce Lee's real life kung fu master, Ip Man. The film opened to huge critical and commercial acclaim, becoming the most successful Asian film at the box office in 2010 and widely recognized as the biggest and best martial arts film of the past decade. Following Ip Man 2's successful theatrical run in the United States, Darren has a renewed following amongst action film fans with new films set for release in 2011 including "Born to Raise Hell" opposite Steven Seagal, "Hangar 14" with Steve Austin as well as starring roles in "Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn" and Mortal Kombat for Warner Brothers.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Ronda Rousey burst onto the women's MMA scene in August of 2010. Born in Riverside County, California on February 1, 1987 to parents Ron Rousey and AnnMaria DeMars, little Ronda was born with an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck that damaged her vocal cords. She didn't speak coherently until the age of six. Ronda was a self-professed tomboy and swam from the ages of 6 to 10. She competed on the Jr. Olympic swim team where she placed in the state level.
Because of her mother, a 7th degree black belt and 1984 World Judo Champion, Ronda took up the sport. She had a hard time socializing with other kids and found that Judo gave her confidence. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art.
Ronda's Judo career is a storied one. At 17 she became the youngest judoka in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. That same year she won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, and in 2006 she became the first U.S. female in almost 10 years to win an A-Level tournament going 5-0 to clench the gold at the World Cup in Great Britain. At 19 she won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. She is the first U.S. athlete to win two Junior World Medals. In 2007 she added a silver at the World Judo Championships and a gold at the Pan American Games. The pinnacle of her Judo career was a bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's Judo since it became an Olympic sport in 1992.
After medaling in the Olympics, Ronda's career hit a dead end. She did some bartending to make ends meet and tried to find a better paying job, but it was tough finding anyone that needed her particular skill set. Throwing people down and putting them in armbars aren't really something you can put on a resume. By chance Ronda caught the Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie fight on television and things changed.
She made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in 2010. Since then she has never lost a fight, winning the majority in the first round by armbar submission. Ronda took it upon herself to chase after and demand attention so that the UFC could no longer ignore women fighters. UFC President Dana White had publicly stated that women would never be allowed to fight in the UFC, but on February 23, 2013, Ronda did just that. She won the fight against Liz Carmouche in the first round with her signature armbar and became the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
In 2014, Ronda appeared in her first motion picture - The Expendables 3 (2014). Other projects are Furious 7 (2015) and The Athena Project as well as Entourage (2015).- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
Michael Dudikoff was born in Redondo Beach, California, USA. Michael is an actor and assistant director, known for Platoon Leader (1988), American Ninja (1985) and Bachelor Party (1984). Michael has been married to Belle since 18 September 2004. They have three children.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Danny Trejo was born Dan Trejo in Echo Park, Los Angeles, to Alice (Rivera) and Dan Trejo, a construction worker. A child drug addict and criminal, Trejo was in and out of jail for 11 years. While serving time in San Quentin, he won the lightweight and welterweight boxing titles. Imprisoned for armed robbery and drug offenses, he successfully completed a 12-step rehabilitation program that changed his life. While speaking at a Cocaine Anonymous meeting in 1985, Trejo met a young man who later called him for support. Trejo went to meet him at what turned out to be the set of Runaway Train (1985). Trejo was immediately offered a role as a convict extra, probably because of his tough tattooed appearance. Also on the set was a screenwriter who did time with Trejo in San Quentin. Remembering Trejo's boxing skills, the screenwriter offered him $320 per day to train the actors for a boxing match. Director Andrey Konchalovskiy saw Trejo training Eric Roberts and immediately offered him a featured role as Roberts' opponent in the film. Trejo has subsequently appeared in many other films, usually as a tough criminal or villain.
Trejo is of Mexican descent.- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let him, afraid that he would get hurt. He then turned to acting and dreamed of becoming a famous actor.
After graduating from high school and attending community college, he worked digging ditches at People's Gas Company in Chicago. When he quit his job and headed to Hollywood, he landed small roles while working as a bodyguard. Duncan's role in the movie Armageddon (1998) led to his breakthrough performance in The Green Mile (1999), when his Armageddon co-star Bruce Willis called director Frank Darabont, suggesting Duncan for the part of convict John Coffey. He landed the role and won critical acclaim as well as many other Awards and Nominations, including an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
After suffering a heart attack on July 13, 2012, he was taken to a Los Angeles hospital, in which his girlfriend Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth tried to save his life with CPR. Unfortunately, on September 3, 2012, Michael Clarke Duncan died at age 54 from respiratory failure.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Award-winning actress, director, producer, Katheryn Winnick, is best known for starring and directing the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television series "Vikings." Winnick made her directorial debut in sixth and final season which earned her "Best Director" at the 2020 WIN Awards. She produced and starred in Sean Penn's "Flag Day" that premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and recently starred in David E. Kelley's critically acclaimed series "Big Sky" that was ABC's most watched and highest-rated debut since 2017. She started her production company, Kat Scratch Inc., to champion strong female-lead stories.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Mickey Rourke was born Phillip Andre Rourke, Jr. on September 16, 1952, in Schenectady, New York, the son of Annette Elizabeth (Cameron) and Philip Andre Rourke. His father was of Irish and German descent, and his mother was of mostly English and French-Canadian ancestry. When he was six years old, his parents divorced. A year later, his mother married Eugene Addis, a Miami Beach police officer, and moved to Miami Shores, Florida. After graduating from Horace Mann Junior High School, Rourke's family moved to a house located on 47th Street and Prairie Avenue in Miami Beach. In 1969 Rourke attended Miami Beach Senior High School, where he played second-string first baseman under coach Skip Bertman. He also acted in a school play, "The Serpent," directed by legendary "Teacher To The Stars" Jay W. Jensen.
In 1971 he graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School, and after working for a short time as a bus boy at the famed Forge Restaurant on Miami Beach, Rourke moved back to New York to seek out a career in acting.
Rourke's teenage years were more aimed toward sports more than acting. He took up self-defense training at the Boys Club of Miami. It was there he learned boxing skills and decided on an amateur career. At the age of 12, Rourke won his first boxing match as an 118-pound bantamweight, defeating Javier Villanueva. Some of his early matches were fought as Andre Rourke. He continued his boxing training at the famed 5th Street Gym in Miami Beach, soon joining the Police Athletic League boxing program. In 1969 Rourke, now weighing 140 pounds, sparred with former World Welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the number one-rated middleweight boxer in the world and was training for his match with world champion Nino Benvenuti. Rourke claims to have received a concussion in this sparring match.
In 1971, at the Florida Golden Gloves, Rourke received another concussion from a boxing match. Doctors told him to take a year off and rest. In 1972 Rourke knocked out Ron Robinson in 18 seconds and John Carver in 39 seconds. On Aug. 20, 1973, Rourke knocked out 'Sherman "Big Train"' Bergman' in 31 seconds. Shortly after, Rourke decided to retire from amateur boxing.
From 1964 to 1973, Rourke compiled an amateur boxing record of 27 wins (17 by knockout) and 3 defeats. At one point, he reportedly scored 12 consecutive first-round knockouts. As an amateur, Rourke had been friendly with pro-boxer Tommy Torino. When Rourke decided to return to boxing as a professional in 1991, Torino promoted some of Rourke's fights. Rourke was trained by former pro-boxer Freddie Roach at Miami Beach's 5th Street Gym and the Outlaw Boxing Club Gym in Los Angeles. He made $250 for his pro debut, but by the end of his second year of boxing, he had earned a million dollars. In June 1994, Rourke appeared on the cover of World Boxing Magazine. He sparred with world champions James Toney, John David Jackson, and Tommy Morrison.
Rourke wished to have 16 professional fights and then fight for a world title. However, he retired in 1994 after eight bouts and never got his desired title fight. His boxing career resulted in severe facial injuries that required a number of operations to repair his damaged face. Rourke went back to acting but worked in relative obscurity until he won a Golden Globe Award for his role as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler (2008). He was nominated for Best Actor, as well, but lost.- 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
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Roberts is an Academy Award nominee for his role in Runaway Train, and a three-time Golden Globe nominee for Runaway Train, Star 80, and King of the Gypsies.
In addition, Roberts received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival for his role in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and It's My Party. He also starred in La Cucaracha, which won Best Film at the Austin Film Festival, and for which Roberts won Best Actor at the New York Independent Film Festival that same year. Other notable performances include his roles in The Dark Knight, Final Analysis, and Paul Thoman Anderson's Inherent Vice for Warner Bros., Millennium Films' Lovelace and The Expendables for Lionsgate.
On television, Roberts' memorable recurring roles include USA's Suits, CSI and Code Black for CBS, NBC's Heroes, and Crash for Starz. He has appeared in guest star roles on ABC's Greys Anatomy, NBC's Will & Grace, Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, CBS' Hawaii Five-O, HBO's Entourage, and so much more.
Upcoming, Roberts plays Matt Dillon's doctor in Head Full of Honey, a Warner Bros. Germany production that is directed by Til Schweiger. Emily Mortimer and Nick Nolte also star. He also has a supporting role in the independent Hard Luck Love Song directed by Justin Corsbie. Roberts will play "Skip," a grizzled doorman whom offers advice to characters played by Michael Dorman and Sophia Bush. The film also stars Dermott Mulroney, and American rapper, RZA. Finally, Roberts is set to recur as DEA boss "Erick Sheldon" in La Reina del Sur for Telemundo Global Studio and Netflix.
Roberts was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, and grew up in and around the Atlanta area. He began his career in theatre in New York City where he won the Theatre World Award for his role on Broadway in Burn This.
He resides in Los Angeles with his wife of 26 years and brood of felines.
Roberts is represented by Sovereign Talent Group, Cultivate Entertainment, and Miles Anthony Associates in the UK.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ryan Phillippe was born on September 10, 1974 in New Castle, Delaware, to Susan (Thomas), a nurse, and Richard Phillippe, a chemical technician. He has three sisters, Kirsten, Lindsay, and Katelyn, and attended New Castle Baptist Academy. Ryan's acting career began with the soap opera One Life to Live (1968). It was no small role. His character, Billy Douglas, was US daytime television's first gay teenager. Billy struggled with coming out issues and the town's anti-gay reactions. After several other television appearances and he began appearing in movies of his own, Nowhere (1997), White Squall (1996) I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Cruel Intentions (1999), Crash (2005), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), and Stop-Loss (2008).- Matthias Hues was born on Valentine's Day in Waltrop, Germany, to the late Dr. Josef Hues and Maria Humperdinck Hues who still resides in Germany. Maria is the niece of Engelbert Humperdinck, composer of the opera Hansel and Gretel.
Matthias was very involved in sports from an early age on. By the time he was 19 he was part of the team that won the German pentathlon championship in Hannover and he later became Germany's hopeful in track and field. He also took up martial arts due to his ability to move extremely fast for his 6'5" height and 250-pound weight.
After graduating from school, Matthias moved to Paris to fulfill his early dream of entering Hotel management. Once there he joined one of the most prestigious health clubs in Paris, which had just been bombarded with the new Jane Fonda aerobic exercise program from the US. Matthias recognized an opportunity when he saw one, then and after returning to Germany he gave up his idea of going into Hotel management and instead opened two health clubs, flying in aerobic teachers from the USA.
It was during that time when he became obsessed with America and the American way of life, and due to his spectacular physique and bigger-than-life appearance and personality, it wasn't long before some people suggested that he should try to enter the entertainment industry, so he sold his clubs and boarded a plane to Los Angeles.
He immediately joined Gold's Gym in Venice, California, the mecca of bodybuilding and entertainment personalities. Within a few weeks Derek Barton, a former Hollywood stuntman, and formerly one of Gold's managing directors, received a frantic call from a producer who had just lost Jean-Claude Van Damme for his movie and needed someone to replace him immediately. Derek didn't hesitate to send Matthias to test for the role, and Matthias managed to convince the producers to give him the part, despite having no acting experience whatsoever. The movie, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987), was a moderate success, and opened the door for Matthias to make more films.
He established himself quickly as a powerhouse in the action genre and began appearing in more films, his most successful to date being Dark Angel (1990). Over the years he recognized that his outstanding physique and size would not always be a plus in his acting career, so if needed he would reshape his look, dropping up to 40 pounds at times for various roles, and he began studying with some of the industry's best acting and speech coaches.
Matthias played a variety of roles in his films, from a gladiator turned private investigator in Age of Treason (1993) to an aging hit-man in Finding Interest (1995) to a bumbling idiot trying to kidnap a rich kid in Alone in the Woods (1996) to a dancing lion tamer in Big Top Pee-wee (1988). He also played a Klingon general in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991). Matthias is one of the few foreign actors who managed to loose his accent to the extent that many people in his own country don't even know that he is from Germany.
Matthias recently began writing and producing. He is set to direct and produce his first full feature film; a spy thriller to be shot in Frankfurt and Rome. - Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Taylor Daniel Lautner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Deborah, a software company worker, and Daniel Lautner, a pilot for Midwest Airlines. He and his younger sister Makena were raised in a well-mannered, Roman Catholic household in Hudsonville, Michigan. He is of English, German, Dutch, and Scottish descent. At the age of six, Taylor began studying martial arts at Fabiano's Karate School and he, along with his family, quickly noticed his unique and natural talent for the sport. He was soon invited to train with seven-time world karate champion Michael Chaturantabut (aka Mike Chat) and, at the age of eight, he was asked to represent his country in the 12-years-and-under division in the World Karate Association, where he became the Junior World Forms and Weapons champion, winning three gold medals. In 2003, Taylor continued to flourish in the martial arts circuit where he ranked number one in the world for NASKA's Black Belt Open Forms, Musical Weapons, Traditional Weapons, and Traditional Forms and, at the age of 12, he became the three-time Junior World Champion.
However, in addition to his love for martial arts, Taylor quickly developed a love for acting at the age of seven years old when his martial arts instructor, who was involved in show business, encouraged him to audition for a small appearance in a Burger King commercial. Although he was unsuccessful, he enjoyed the experience so much that he told his parents that he wanted to pursue a career in acting. Soon, he and his family were traveling back and forth from their home in Michigan to California so Taylor could regularly audition for acting roles. When Taylor was 10, with the frequent traveling and air fares starting to become overwhelming, his family made the crucial decision to relocate to Los Angeles, where Taylor would have the advantage of being able to audition for films, television, and commercials full-time.
Once Taylor moved with his family to Los Angeles, he found himself landing more and more small acting roles. He booked many occurring roles on various television shows such as My Wife and Kids (2000), Summerland (2004), and The Bernie Mac Show (2001). Taylor also found himself becoming successful in films as well. In 2005, he landed the role of Sharkboy in the family blockbuster flick, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005), and the role of Eliot Murtaugh in Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005). However, it would be one single role that would ultimately change Taylor's life forever. In 2008, Taylor auditioned for the iconic role of werewolf hunk Jacob Black in the record-smashing, blockbuster hit Twilight (2008). With the sudden and unexpected success of the film, Taylor, along with fellow cast members Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, found himself being propelled into a world that would forever change his life and his career.
Taylor has continued to portray Jacob Black in the following film adaptations of The Twilight Saga as well as branch out into other roles and films, such as the star-studded romantic comedy Valentine's Day (2010) and the action-packed thriller Abduction (2011). Taylor Lautner has quickly become one of the most famous, talented, and successful young Hollywood actors thanks to the blockbuster success of the Twilight (2008) films. It has quickly been established by this young man's diverse and gifted talent that we will continue to be his audience for many years to come.- Actor
- Stunts
- Director
Daniel Bernhardt was born on the 31st August 1965 in Worblaufen, Bern in Switzerland.
After finishing high school, he studied architectural design for four years and graduated in Bern. At the same time he opened a martial arts school with his brother. After completing his studies, Daniel moved to Paris and started to work as model. He worked for such designers as Montana, Mugler, Boss,Cerruti, Versace, Jaene Barnes and was published in the magazines Vogue, Elle, Max, Interview, Cosmopolitan and later, he established himself as a international Top Model.
Later, Bernhardt moved to New York where he was cast to co-star with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Bruce Weber's TV spot "Looking for Kicks" for Gianni Versace. Producer Marc Di Salle who launched Van Damme's carrier with Bloodsport and Kickboxer, discovered Daniel Bernhardt and cast him to star in the sequel Bloodsport II (1996) which was his debut, opposite such actors as Pat Morita and James Hong, including comic relief big guy Donald Gibb and Taekwondo champion Philip Tan.
The same year, a sequel Bloodsport III (1996) was released, again with Morita and James Hong, including John-Rhys Davies, and 9th degree black belt Taekwondo master Hee II Cho. From that point, Daniel began his career as action star on low budget films. His next films were Future War (1997), opposite Robert Z'Dar, Black Sea Raid (1997), True Vengance (1997), with Miles O'Keeffe and Beverly Johnson and Perfect Target (1997) with Robert Englund and Brian Thompson.
After these films, Daniel's interest in acting became bigger and he started to study acting in Los Angeles under Harry Mastrogeorge. So, he continued with G2 (1998), again with James Hong, Bloodsport 4: The Dark Kumite (1999), the last one in the series, this time against Brazilian JuJutsu champion Stefanos Miltsakakis. He appeared on TV series "Mortal Kombat: Conquest", as Siro, and it was followed by Global Effect (2002) and a mega hit "Matrix" sequel Matrix Reloaded (2003), where he appeared as upgraded agent Johnson, where he had an awesome fighting scene with Laurence Fishburne on the large truck, he has worked with other great names in this film, such as Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Monica Bellucci, Lambert Willson and Jada Pinket Smith.
He also lent his voice to agent Johnson in Enter The Matrix video game. The same year he filmed an action independent film, titled The Librarians (2003), where he co-starred with William Forsythe, Burt Reynolds, Erika Eleniak, Andrew Divoff, Amaury Nolasco, Christopher Atkins, Ed Lauter and Matthias Hues (whom he had a fight in the film). He worked on Children of Wax (2005), The Cutter (2005), opposite Chuck Norris and Joana Pacula, Ultimate Champion (2009) and Foodfight! (2009).
Bernhardt is married to Lisa Stothard. He became a father to his first daughter, with Lisa, on May 15, 2003, the night after the premiere of The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and said in a TV interview that it is no question what has been more important in his life: The birth of his daughter changed his attitude towards responsibility and love forever.- Actor
- Producer
- Composer
A blond-haired, fair-complexioned actor with a toothy grin and capable of an unsettling glint in his eyes, Gary Busey was born in Goose Creek, Texas, and was raised in Oklahoma. He is the son of Sadie Virginia (Arnett), a homemaker, and Delmar Lloyd Busey, a construction design manager. He has English, as well as Irish, Scottish, and German, ancestry. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1962 and for a while was a professional musician. A talented drummer, he played in several bands, including those of country-and-western legends Leon Russell, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson.
Busey's first film appearance was as a biker in the low-budget Angels Hard as They Come (1971) and, over the next few years, he landed several film roles generally as a country hick/redneck or surly, rebellious types. His real breakthrough came in the dynamic film The Buddy Holly Story (1978), with Busey taking the lead role as Buddy Holly, in addition to playing guitar and singing all the vocals! His stellar performance scored him a Best Actor nomination and the attention of Hollywood taking overcasting agents. Next up, he joined fellow young actors William Katt and Jan-Michael Vincent as surfing buddies growing up together in the cult surf film Big Wednesday (1978), directed by John Milius. However, a string of appearances in somewhat mediocre films took him out of the spotlight for several years, until he played the brutal assassin Mr. Joshua trying to kill Los Angeles cops Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the runaway mega-hit Lethal Weapon (1987). Further strong roles followed, including alongside Danny Glover once again in Predator 2 (1990). He was back on the beaches, this time tracking bank robbers with FBI agent Keanu Reeves, in Point Break (1991) and nearly stole the show as a psychotic Navy officer in league with terrorists led by Tommy Lee Jones taking over the USS Missouri in the highly popular Under Siege (1992).
The entertaining Busey has continued to remain busy in front of the cameras and has certainly developed a minor cult following among many film fans. Plus, he's also the proud father of accomplished young actor Jake Busey, whose looks make him almost a dead ringer for his famous father.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
With over 30 films and 200 hours of television experience, versatility, discipline and a solid work ethic have been the underpinnings of Adrian's very successful 30-year acting career. Internationally recognized for his role as Duncan Macleod, in Highlander-The Series", Adrian has also produced and directed both film and television projects.
Born and raised in London, England, Adrian arrived in the United States in 1984, working as a choreographer and a model. After a year of taking acting classes with acting coaches, Ivana Chubbuck and Roy London, his first series role came on the ABC television show, The Colbys. This led to a role in the Broadway play, "Bouncers", in 1987, a guest role on the television show, Beauty and the Beast (1987) and his first film role in the film Last Rites (1988), with Tom Berenger.
After a starring role in "Masque of the Red Death"(1989), he became a series regular in the second season of the television series "War of the Worlds"(1988), followed by four episode arc on the MGM, "Dark Shadows" series. Fast becoming known for his solid work ethic, CBS cast him as the lead in the television pilot, "The Owl" (1990). Although the series wasn't picked up, Adrian didn't stop working, guest starring on Angela Lansbury's "Murder She Wrote", and co starring opposite the up-and-coming Sandra Bullock in, "Love Potion Number 9". But it would be his next role that would bring him international recognition...that of "Duncan MacLeod" in the syndicated series, Highlander (1991-1997). During the 6 year run, Adrian directed four of the series' episodes, including the epic 100th episode, shot in Bordeaux France. Three of these episodes were voted in the top ten best of series for the 119 episode run.
Although he was in demand when the series ended in 1997, Paul wanted to go back to his acting roots. After studying with renowned acting coach Larry Moss, he worked on John Landis' romantic comedy, "Susan's Plan", the action thriller, "Dead Men Can't Dance", and helped found Actors in Process, a theater group, where actors could meet weekly to showcase current work and receive positive critique from their peers. After two years, a production of an original play, "Things Just Change", was showcased at the Odyssey theater in Los Angeles, with Paul in the lead role.
The success of the Highlander series however, was still current, leading Paul to be offered to star opposite Christopher Lambert in "Highlander : Endgame"(2000), to take over the franchise's lead position. Other films followed, including the now cult classic "The Breed" (2001), shot in Budapest, Hungary where Adrian met his future wife, Alexandra.
In 2001, Lionsgate signed Adrian to a 3 picture deal, as well as to star in and executive produce the Sci Fi action thriller, "Tracker" (created by Gil Grant) for Lionsgate Television. With the advent of so many new media outlets however, the syndicated series was not renewed for a second season. Adrian continued to work on films such as "Nemesis Game" (Lionsgate) and "Tides of War", along with the Spelling Television and Paramount Pictures' hit TV series, "Charmed". This was the first time in thirteen years that Adrian had actually filmed again on US soil.
In 2006 the Highlander Franchise was back again, this time filming in Lithuania, with Adrian starring in and Executive Producing, what would become his last sortie as Duncan Macleod, in "Highlander :The Source". After that came, "The Legend of Roanoke"(2007) and the Sci Fi Action Comedy "The Immortal Voyages of Captain Drake"(2009), a film in which Paul choreographed all the fight scenes.
Always looking for interesting roles, Adrian found himself in Hungary and Tunisia, filming the Seven Arts production, "Nine Miles Down"(2009), that he now considers one of his most emotionally challenging roles. Next, he was off to London, in an out of character role, as a Conservative member of Parliament in the thriller, "The Heavy "(2010), with Gary Stretch, Stephen Rea and Christopher Lee. Also in 2010, Adrian co-founded his first production company Filmblips Inc.
Since 2010, while working as an actor on several other films and TV movies, Adrian also wrote three screenplays, developed financial and artistic presentation packages for film and television, along with spearheading his charity, The Peace Fund, that he founded in 1997. Peace stands for Protect. Educate. Aid. Children. Everywhere. Over the past 17 years, Adrian has overseen the work of the fund in countries such as Romania, Bellarus, Niger, Hungary, Haiti, Cambodia, Thailand and the United States. In 2012, Adrian launched Peace Fund Radio that he co hosts with Ethan Dettanmaeir, with an estimated audience of between 1.8 and 2 million listeners a month. The innovative radio show, has been host to many celebrities with causes of their own and is the catalyst behind the Peace Fund's partnership and donation to bring computers into LAUSD schools. Through the radio shows influence the fund has also partnered with Kimberly Moore's," Adopt a Letter" program to fulfill children's wishes at Christmas, brought books for libraries and lights for homes in El Salvador, along with connecting like minded charities to fulfill their initiatives.
In 2015, Adrian helped launch his second production company, Radical Road, aimed at lower budget films, some of which Adrian is set to direct and act in. In 2016 Adrian has two movies, "The Secret of Emily Blair" and "Stormageddon", releasing and he is getting ready to direct his first feature, "Chemical Influence", a screenplay he wrote from an original script. Adrian also launched, "The Sword Experience" in 2016. Half day seminars of sword training, that include stage and real life combat and safety tips aimed at individuals, corporations, film, stage, re-enactment societies, martial artists and role playing groups.
He is still married to Alexandra and they have two children together, Angelisa and Royce.- Actor
- Stunts
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
- Stunts
- Writer
Robert Wall was born on 22 August 1939 in San Jose, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Enter the Dragon (1973), The Way of the Dragon (1972) and Game of Death (1978). He was married to Lillian Prescott. He died on 30 January 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Rick Yune was born on 22 August 1971 in Washington D.C., USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Fast and the Furious (2001), Die Another Day (2002) and Olympus Has Fallen (2013).- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Born in Hilo, Hawaii in 1940. Gerald started Martial Arts with Judo in 1953. He has practiced Kendo, Aikido, Taekwondo, and he is currently a 5th degree black belt in Kung Fu San Soo (his sensei was the late Jimmy H. Woo). Gerald is a designer of various types of weaponry that have been featured in dozens of movies and publications across the world. His favorite weapon is the Okamura Hook sword. A veteran actor with over 25 years in the entertainment industry, Gerald Okamura (www.geraldokamura.com)has played an assortment of characters ranging from Yakuza, to Vampires, to Elvis Impersonators. Gerald hosts an annual Celebrity event entitled DRAGONFEST (www.dragonfest.com)where his fellow Hollywood Celebrities, Martial Artists, and Sci Fi Stars donate their time each year, allowing access to the public to meet the stars in person, take photographs, and get autographs from their favorite celebrities.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Blue-eyed Vincent Cassel was born in Paris to a leading actor father, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and a journalist mother, Sabine Litique. Often labeled as a tough guy because of his roles, eclectic choices and talent have made of him a star of European cinema. First in La haine (1995), the young actor, actually coming from upper classes, succeeded to express the despair of a social class living in the suburbs of towns. This veracity in his play comes from the fact that he was in fact since years in connection with many hip-hop artists from the rising generation, (his own brother was leader of a legendary french rap group). Then the success of The Crimson Rivers (2000), where he plays a young French cop alongside Jean Reno, made of him "the man to count on." He never hid his taste for rap music, break dance, Capoeira, Brasil and his endless energy, but Vincent is also a family man, married to Monica Bellucci, his Italian co-star from The Apartment (1996) (aka The Apartment); and recently a father.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Forest Steven Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking 6' 2", 220 lb. frame. He won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland (2006), and has also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. He is the fourth African-American male to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, following in the footsteps of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Jamie Foxx.
Whitaker was born on July 15, 1961 in Longview, Texas, to Laura Francis (Smith), a special education teacher, and Forest Steven Whitaker, an insurance salesman. His family moved to South Central Los Angeles in 1965. The athletically-inclined Whitaker initially found his way into college via a football scholarship. Later, however, he transferred to USC where he set his concentration on music and earned two more scholarships training as an operatic tenor. This, in turn, led to another scholarship at Berkeley with a renewed focus on acting and the performing stage.
Whitaker made his film debut at the age of 21 in the raucous comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) wherein he played, quite naturally, a footballer. He went on to play another sports-oriented student, a wrestler, in his second film Vision Quest (1985). He gained experience on TV as well with featured spots on such varied shows as Diff'rent Strokes (1978) and Cagney & Lacey (1981), not to mention the TV-movie Civil War epic North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985) and its sequel. The movie that truly put him on the map was The Color of Money (1986). His one big scene as a naive-looking pool player who out-hustles Paul Newman's Fast Eddie Felson was pure electricity. This led to more visible roles in the "A" class films Platoon (1986), Stakeout (1987), and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), which culminated in his breakout lead portrayal of the tortured jazz icon 'Charlie "Bird" Parker' in Clint Eastwood's passion project Bird (1988), for which Whitaker won the Cannes Film Festival award for "best actor" and a Golden Globe nomination. Whitaker continued to work with a number of well-known directors throughout the 1990s.
While his "gentle giant" characters typically display innocence, indecision, and timidity along with a strong underlying humanity, he has certainly not shied away from the edgier, darker corners of life as his occasional hitmen and other menacing streetwise types can attest. Although in only the first section of the film, he was memorable as the IRA-captured British soldier whose bizarre relationship with a mysterious femme fatale serves as the catalyst for the critically-lauded drama The Crying Game (1992). Always a willing participant to push the envelope, he's gone on to enhance a number of lesser films. Among those was his plastic surgeon in Johnny Handsome (1989), gay clothing designer in Robert Altman's Ready to Wear (1994), alien hunter in Species (1995), absentee father confronted by his estranged son in Smoke (1995), and Mafia hitman who models himself after the samurai warrior in Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), among many others. As would be expected, he's also had his share of epic-sized bombs, notoriously the L. Ron Hubbard sci-fi disaster Battlefield Earth (2000). On the TV front, he was the consulting producer and host of a revamped Rod Serling's cult series classic The Twilight Zone (2002), which lasted a disappointing one season.
In the early 1990s, Whitaker widened his horizons to include producing/directing and has since gained respect behind the camera as well. He started things off co-producing the violent gangster film A Rage in Harlem (1991), in which he co-starred with Gregory Hines and Robin Givens, and then made his successful directorial debut with the soulful Waiting to Exhale (1995), showcasing a legion of distaff black stars. He also directed co-star Whitney Houston's music video of the movie's theme song ("Shoop Shoop"). He also helmed the fluffy romantic comedy First Daughter (2004) with Katie Holmes and Michael Keaton. Whitaker also served as an executive producer on First Daughter. He had previously executive produced several made-for-television movies, most notably the 2002 Emmy-award winning Door to Door, starring William H. Macy. He produced these projects through his production company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, which he shut down in 2005 to concentrate on his acting career.
In 2002, he co-starred in Joel Schumacher's thriller, Phone Booth, with Kiefer Sutherland and Colin Farrell. That year, he also co-starred with Jodie Foster in Panic Room.
Whitaker's greatest success to date is the 2006 film, The Last King of Scotland. His performance earned him the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, For that same role, he also received the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA Award, and many critical accolades. He has also received several other honors. In September 2006, the 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival presented him with its "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award," He was also honored at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2007, receiving the American Riviera Award. Previously, in 2005, the Deauville Festival of American Film paid tribute to him. In 2007, Forest Whitaker won the Cinema for Peace Award 2007.
In 2007, Whitaker co-starred in The Great Debaters with fellow Oscar winner Denzel Washington, and in 2008, Whitaker played opposite Keanu Reeves in Street Kings and Dennis Quaid in Vantage Point.
In 2009, Forest co-starred in the Warner Bros. film "Where the Wild Things Are," directed by Spike Jonze, which was a mix of live-action, animation and puppetry as an adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic children's book. Around the same time, he also starred n "Repossession Mambo", with Jude Law, "Hurricane Season", "Winged Creatures", and "Powder Blue". He appeared in the Olivier Dahan film "My Own Love Song", opposite Renée Zellweger, and was part of the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009, in Nigeria.
He is married to former model Keisha Whitaker and has three children by her. His younger brothers Kenn Whitaker and Damon Whitaker are both actors as well.
Forest was given a star on the Hollywood Walk in April of 2007. In November 2007, Whitaker was the creative mind behind DEWmocracy.com, a website that let people decide the next flavor of Mountain Dew in a "People's Dew" poll. He directed a short film and created the characters for the video game. Whitaker has done extensive humanitarian work, he has been involved with organizations like, Penny Lane, an organization that provides assistance to abused teenagers. PETA and Farm Sanctuary, organizations that protect animals' rights. Close friends with Neurosurgeon Dr. Keith Black, Forest has helped raise awareness and funds for Dr. Blacks research. During the last couple of years, he has become a spokesperson for Hope North Ugandan orphanage and Human Rights Watch. In the year 2001 Forest received a Humanitas Prize. He was recently honored by The City of Los Angeles with the Hope of Los Angeles Award. And his entire clan received the LA BEST Family Focus Award. Last year he joined forces with "Idol Gives Back" and "Malaria No More"; he has become a GQ Ambassador supporting and fundraising for Hope North. He was a Surrogate for Barack Obama's campaign supporting him across the United States.
Whitaker's multimedia company, Spirit Dance Entertainment, includes film, television and music production. He works closely with a number of charitable organizations, giving back to his community by serving as an Honorary Board Members for Penny Lane, an organization that provides assistance to abused teenagers, the Human Rights Watch and The Hope North organization.- Former Heavyweight boxing contender Randall "Tex" Cobb has had 3 highly colorful careers; kickboxer, pro boxer, and movie actor. Born in Bridge City, Texas on May 7, 1950, the 6'3", 225 pound Cobb excelled in high school football and martial arts. Enjoying "extreme" sports to the max, Cobb launched a professional kickboxing career and racked up 9 straight knockout victories.
Realizing the big money was in boxing, he switched sports and launched a professional boxing career. Known for a "cast-iron" chin, a sledge-hammer punch, and a "gift for gab", Cobb quickly established himself as one of the top heavyweight contenders in the world. Cobb's brutal, one-sided beating by heavyweight King Larry Holmes over 15 rounds (although Cobb was reportedly never off his feet) caused world-famous boxing announcer Howard Cosell to "swear-off" boxing for the rest of his life. Cobb took the beating with a grin and a wide smirk. His antics captured the Hollywood's attention and he was cast as Jon Voight's opponent in the remake of The Champ (1979).
Cobb went on to appear in action roles requiring muscles and physical heft in films and television. He later launched a highly successful ring comeback in the early 1990s stretching his winning streak to 20 straight. However, he retired unexpectedly with a 43-7 log with 36 knockouts, never to box again. He continues to act and has been the subject of a highly-controversial Sport's Illustrated article which resulted in numerous law-suits. - Built like the proverbial Patton tank, Professor Toru Tanaka was arguably the successor to Harold Sakata as the archetypal Asian henchman who possessed incredible strength, and clobbered those foolish enough to tangle with him. Born Charles Kalani, he was a successful wrestler and served for over ten years in the US Armed Forces attaining the rank of sergeant. Tanaka first appeared playing a Japanese sumo wrestler on the TV series Little House on the Prairie, however his first film role pitched him as an insidious villain in the chop socky An Eye for an Eye (1981) in which he faces down Chuck Norris before being kicked through a large table. In total, Tanaka appeared in only 23 films including appearing alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger twice in The Running Man (1987) and Last Action Hero (1993).
Appearing in The Perfect Weapon (1991) with 6th degree Kempo black belt, Jeff Speakman, Tanaka comes to a fiery end courtesy of an LPG tank!! In reality, Tanaka was far removed from his own screen persona, and was known to be a kind & generous man to all who knew him. He passed away in August, 2000 from heart failure. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
William Zabka was born on 20 October 1965 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Karate Kid (1984), Back to School (1986) and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010). He has been married to Stacie Lynn Doss since 2008. They have two children.- Stunts
- Actress
- Writer
Mimi Lesseos was born on 25 February 1964 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Double Duty (2009), Streets of Rage (1993) and Beyond Fear (1993).- Stunts
- Actress
Dana Hee is also a television color commentator (local, national, and int'l Taekwondo events). A master of ceremonies (U.S.O.C. Olympic Academy, Olympic Sports Festival, San Francisco-Seoul Sister City Fund raiser, National Educational seminars for CAPHERD and AAHPERD. A motivational speaker (over 86 engagements) IBM, Hewett Packard, United Way, Int'l Olympic Academy in Greece, United Airlines, SunRider Corp., Pros for Kids, No against Drugs, Community programs, Government Shelters, etc. A spokesperson for Olympic Sports festival, Power Foods Inc., Otomix, Pro-Spec, Alacer Corporation, Santa Clara Cherry Growers ASsoc., United States Taekwondo Union, etc.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
A Martial Arts World champion, from Argentina Hector Echavarria, brings to the Hollywood film industry a background of business success, acting experience, and martial arts expertise. In addition to producing and starring in his own films, Hector has become an industrial force- with his own clothing line, martial arts federation, real estate holdings, children's toys and action figures, and an entertainment production company. And now, with his multi-picture slate of action films in which he stars and produces, others are calling him the Tyler Perry of the Hispanic action market. From the beginning Hector Echavarria has exceeded all expectations. A sickly child, his mother enrolled him in martial arts school. As a teenager, he was winning fights against much bigger opponents in the mean alleys of Corrientes, Argentia and moved his skills into the ring, where became a legendary martial arts champion. For years he starred in an ultra-popular Latin American television series Brigada, based on the three-film series Los Exterminators, in which he made his acting debut. Even a comic-strip for children was created, following Hector's real-life exploits. His plan to capture the United States and world markets has been to hone his filmmaking expertise, starting with a multi-picture deal to produce and star in a series of action films distributed on Blue Ray and DVD by Lionsgate. These included Death Warrior, Unrivalled, Confessions of a Pit Fighter, also starring Armand Assante, Flavor Flav and Oscar nominated John Savage, Never Surrender (which he also directed), and the horror film Lake Dead (for After Dark Films). In 2013 Echavarria directed, wrote and starred in Chavez Cage of Glory with Danny Trejo, James Russo and Steven Bauer, which was produced and released theatrically by Destiny Entertainment Productions, In 2015 Hector filmed No Way Out, he co-star again with Danny Trejo and actress-supermodel Estella Warren. No Way Out was be released in 2018. In 2021 Echavarria raised a $400 million fund for his own Film studio Destiny Media Entertainment, and he aims to develop, produce and self-finance 15 feature films in the next five years- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Thomas Ian Griffith was born on March 18, 1962 in Hartford, Connecticut. His father was a college professor, his mother a dance teacher. Griffith trained as an opera singer in New York City with Metropolitan Opera star Delia Rigal. He attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, majoring in English literature and music. While still in school, he was cast in the Broadway show The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. He continued to work on Broadway and in regional theater until moving to Los Angeles to star in his first feature film, The Karate Kid Part III. After a successful acting career, Griffith segued into writing full time, including developing multiple pilots for NBC, Universal and Warner Brothers TV. He is married to actress/screenwriter Mary Page Keller. They have two sons, Conner and Eamon.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Born William Charles Jeffreys (III) on July 23, 1958 in Washington, D.C., Chuck Jeffreys found his interest in the martial arts at the age of 8 and started training in Western Boxing and Tae Kwon Do. He began training in Northern (Tien Shan Pai) Shaolin Kung fu in the early 70s. He was well known for his kung fu demonstrations in Jr. High School and High School.
In 1977, Chuck created a martial arts class known as LMA (Liberated Martial Arts) and established his own Wushu/LMA class in Camp Springs, Maryland at Andrews Air Force Base with expanded branch in Germany under Shifu Leroy Thomas.
In 1980, Chuck began training in Kali which is a Filipino style of martial arts and learned numerous other styles that include Long Fist, Nan Chuan, Indonesian Pentjak Silat, Chin-Na, Grappling and a variety of weapons.
He holds Black Belts/Sashes in several styles of martial arts such as a 8th-degree Black Sash in Shaolin Wushu under GM, Dennis Brown (promoted in 2014), and was an apprentice instructor of Jun Fan kickboxing & Kali (Filipino Martial Arts) in 1990 that was certified by the legendary Dan Inosanto.
In 1996, Chuck created the fighting fitness program, Combattitude, which is based on fight choreography and a whole new approach to martial arts training & fitness. He developed a career as a talented actor and stuntman that led him to playing roles in some of Hollywood's biggest blockbuster films. He also wrote comedy for the TV show, Pick up the Beat, which aired in the mid 80s on the ABC affiliate, WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. and was nominated for his work in 1988, 1990 and 1991. He won an Emmy in 1990 and was nominated in the other years.
He's performed stunts for numerous large, and small movies like Tears of the Sun, Dead Presidents, Twelve Monkeys, Boys, Shadow Conspiracy, Black Dog, Out of Sight, Summer of Sam, Gladiator, Hannibal, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Along Came a Spider and a list of others. He's also worked on the hit TV series, Oz and The Wire.
Skilled in martial arts and weapons, he had the opportunity to show his talents on screen with some of kung fu cinema's famous names such as legendary B-movie director "Godfrey" Ho Jeung-Keung (credited in most American films as Godfrey Hall) who directed over 50 Hong Kong cinema action films that includes Ninja Thunderbolt, Eagle vs. Silver Fox, Warriors of Kung Fu, Shaolin Drunk Monkey, The Dragon, The Hero and other classic kung fu films during the '70s and '80s. He was given the opportunity to work with legendary Hong Kong film producer Ng See-Yuen (Jackie Chan's Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master) in two independent action films, Superfights with Karate legend Keith Vitali (Revenge of the Ninja) and Bloodmoon with UK-born kickboxer Gary Daniels (Jackie Chan's 'City Hunter'). The two films were directed and action choreographed by Hong Kong stuntman/actor "Tony" Leung Siu-Hung (star of Five Superfighters and The 36 Crazy Fists) who is the younger brother of '70s kung fu star "Bruce" Leung Siu-Lung (Broken Oath, Little Superman, My Kung Fu 12 Kicks and Black Belt Karate).
In 1994, Jeffreys went to Kowloon, Hong Kong to work in a CD-ROM martial arts video game called Supreme Warrior, made by Digital Pictures. The game was filmed in the lot of the Shaw Brothers, the filmmakers responsible for creating cult classics like One-Armed Swordsman, Five Deadly Venoms, 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka Master Killer), Chinatown Kid and many more. The game featured fight choreography by veteran Hong Kong action director "Dion" Lam Dik-On (The Storm Riders, A Man Called Hero and Exit Wounds).
Jeffreys is also an experienced fight choreographer for movies. He trained actor and martial artist Wesley Snipes with the sword for Blade and help provide the fight sequences. He also choreographed fights for Noah, Black Mass, Spider-Man and Freddy vs. Jason, where he incorporated street fighting techniques and grappling moves performed by actors Robert Englund (Freddy Kruger) and Canadian stuntman Ken Kirzinger (Jason Vorhees). He's known to regularly work with Wesley Snipes on various projects.- 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
- Producer
- Director
Christopher Shannon Penn was born on October 10, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, the third son of actress Eileen Ryan (née Annucci) and director, actor, and writer Leo Penn. His siblings are musician Michael Penn and actor Sean Penn. His father was from a Lithuanian Jewish/Russian Jewish family, and his mother is of half-Italian and half-Irish descent.
Penn set out to follow in his parents' footsteps and started acting at age twelve in the Loft Studio. While in high school he and his brother Sean made several shorts with their classmates, which included such would-be stars as Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe. Penn made his onscreen debut in the Christopher Cain movie, Charlie and the Talking Buzzard (1979). After a few years Penn caught the eye of acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him in a supporting role in the teen drama Rumble Fish (1983). Although the film was a flop critically and commercially, Penn's career was well under way.
That same year he acted in All the Right Moves (1983), a high school drama film starring a young Tom Cruise. The next year Penn gave a performance in Footloose (1984), starring Kevin Bacon and dealing with a small town which bans rock & roll music. The movie was a smash hit, and remains a classic to this day. Penn followed this up with a villainous role in Clint Eastwood's Pale Rider (1985), and the crime movie At Close Range (1986), starring Christopher Walken.
Penn acted in a few smaller productions until he was cast as Travis Brickley in the sports drama Best of the Best (1989). Penn's character is a martial arts fighter who joins the other main characters when they enter a taekwondo tournament against the Korean team. The movie spawned several sequels, though Penn only appeared in the first and second films. A few more jobs followed until Penn landed what is known as his most famous movie: Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992). The indie crime film concerned a heist gone wrong, as the criminals search for a rat in their midst. Penn played the role of Nice Guy Eddie, the son of the old gangster that arranges the heist. The film continues to receive acclaim as a classic movie and as the start of Tarantino's directing career. Penn also acted in the Tarantino-scripted Tony Scott crime movie True Romance (1993), albeit in a much smaller role. Penn also took a supporting role in the ensemble film Short Cuts (1993) by Robert Altman.
After participating in these acclaimed films, Penn took on several smaller projects, including a role as the villain in the second "Beethoven" movie. In this period of time, Penn acted in such films as the crime film Mulholland Falls (1996), set in the 1950s. Penn then gave one of his greatest performances in the Abel Ferrara crime drama The Funeral (1996). The movie starred Christopher Walken, Penn, and Vincent Gallo as three brothers who are involved in the world of crime, even as it threatens to take them all down. Penn plays Chez, the middle brother, who has a very short temper. Penn also sang a song in the film as his character. While the film was well received critically and Penn received an award for Best Supporting Actor at the Venice Film Festival for his excellent performance, The Funeral (1996) went largely unseen. Penn followed up with the Canadian film The Boys Club (1996), the crime thriller One Tough Cop (1998), and a supporting role in the hit comedy Rush Hour (1998).
Following his latest success, Penn acted in the drama-comedy The Florentine (1999), the English comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001), and the crime thriller Murder by Numbers (2002). Penn was also one of the many stars that acted in the box office failure Masked and Anonymous (2003), starring Bob Dylan. The last few years of his career mainly featured supporting roles in such movies as After the Sunset (2004), Starsky & Hutch (2004), and the Canadian crime film King of Sorrow (2007), his last film appearance. Throughout his life Penn had had battles with heart disease and multiple drug use. He was found dead in his home on January 24, 2006. He was only forty years old.
Penn left behind a career that featured many roles in small, independent productions as well as several very well-known films. Penn worked with several esteemed directors and fellow actors, lending his talent to both television and film. Although he never received nearly as much attention or as many awards as his brother Sean, Chris Penn will always be remembered by those who watch movies and appreciate his work.- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
A multi-award-winning writer and actor, Bo Svenson was born in Sweden - the only child of a Jewish, Russian-born big band leader mother and a father who was the Swedish King's personal driver and bodyguard. At 17, he emigrated by himself to the US. After serving six years as a US Marine, he was pursuing a Ph.D. in MetaPhysics and paying the rent with odd acting gigs when he was hired to replace Paul Newman as Robert Redford's co-star in "The Great Waldo Pepper".
This led to a starring role in the CBS TV pilot "The Freebooters" - and his being cast as "Big Swede" on the TV series "Here Come the Brides".
His role as "The Creature" in the 3-hour TV movie "Mary Shelley's Original Frankenstein" brought him great acclaim - and was soon followed by other major starring film roles, including, but most notably, as: Sheriff Buford Pusser in "Walking Tall Part II", "Final Chapter: Walking Tall" and the "Walking Tall" TV series, as the fun-loving offensive lineman Joe Bob Priddy in "North Dallas Forty", as the heroic airline pilot in "The Delta Force", and as Clint Eastwood's rival in "Heartbreak Ridge".
During his fifty years in Hollywood, he has worked with over 100 Academy Award winners/nominees. Since appearing in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" and "Inglourious Basterds" (the latter being Tarantino's version of one of his favorite films of all time, "The Inglorious Bastards" in which Bo starred), Bo has focused on his first love - writing. His screenplays have won and/or been selected more than thirty times by major film festivals.
An accomplished athlete, he has competed in world championships in judo and in Olympic selections in yachting. A 5th degree black belt in judo and a black belt holder in karate as well as aikido, he is past Chairman of USA Judo Masters and has been inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame. He is active in community service causes and was Sports Commissioner at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games at his Alma Mater UCLA.
Since 1975, he has been President/CEO of MagicQuest Entertainment, a California motion picture development and production company that also provides consulting services to actors and script advice to writers.
He is also owner and CEO of the British Columbia film and television production company, CanAm Film Corp., and the Norwegian corporation, Den Norske Arv A/S. He was Chairman of the Board/CEO of Motion Picture Group of America (1984-2004).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Will Yun Lee was born in Arlington, Virginia, to Jung Ja Lee and Soo Won Lee, who had recently emigrated from Korea. He was raised by both immediate and extended family and moved often, exposed to life on the tough Bronx streets and idyllic Hawaiian beaches. By his teens he was living in the San Francisco area with his father, a Korean Tae Kwon Do Grandmaster. Lee also became an accomplished martial artist and won an athletic scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley.
While in school, Lee worked at the East Bay Asian Youth Centre teaching high-risk teens from ghetto neighborhoods not unlike those he had known as a child in the Bronx. It was there that his ongoing commitment to young people began, a commitment that continues to play an important role in his life.
It was also at this time that he became seriously interested in acting, and after landing a role in Nash Bridges he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career. Guest star roles in series such as "Profiler" and "Brimstone" led to a role in the TV movie The Disciples for UPN, and soon after to "What's Cooking" and TNT's "Witchblade".
In 2002 he was named by People as one of their "50 Most Beautiful People" which quickly lead to high profile roles in "Die Another Day", "Torque" and "Elektra". He has also acted on FX Network's television series "Thief", ABC Family's "Fallen" and was one of the main characters of NBC's science fiction television drama "Bionic Woman".
In November 2007, he was again recognized by People, this time as one of the members of their list of the 15 "Sexiest Men Alive". Most recently he appeared as Sang Min in the pilot of the hit CBS series "Hawaii Five O".
In August 2010, Will Yun Lee starred alongside Miguel Ferrer in the indie thriller "Far Away Eyes", which was shot entirely on location in Hong Kong.- Actress
- Soundtrack
On February 13th, 1968, a girl of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian ancestry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father, Herbert, was a salesman and her mother, Juanita, worked many odd jobs to help support the family. She has one older brother, Glenn. She is a former Miss Teen USA, and modeled in Japan and Italy for several months before deciding to relocate to L.A. and try her hand at show business. She received her break on TV's Growing Pains (1985) in 1987 and never looked back.- Actor
- Stunts
- Producer
Paul Logan, an accomplished martial artist, stuntman and actor may be one of the hidden jewels in the treasury of action cinema to not [yet] hit superstar status. Born in the state of New Jersey on October 15, 1973, Paul Logan attended SUNY Purchase (State University of New York) completing a degree study in bio-chemistry before moving to Los Angeles to study Chiropratic at the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. Logan's career in acting began after deciding to pursue it full-time. In 1996, Paul Logan embarked on his new career path. After a few small parts on a few early films and television episodes, Logan gained better screen time with the movie Killers (1997). He notched several other credits to his performing belt through the course of the 1990s and into the 21st century. In the mid 2000s, Paul Logan worked in several fantasy, Sci-Fi and/or creature films. The first of these was The Curse of the Komodo (2004) followed by the supernatural horror film Way of the Vampire (2005) in which he starred as Dracula. Next he appeared in the creature/horror film Komodo vs. Cobra (2005). From 2001-2005, Logan appeared on Days of Our Lives (1965) as a recurring character. Between 2009 and 2010, Logan worked with small-budget TV/direct-to-video production company The Asylum. His first project with that company was the 2009 disaster thriller MegaFault (2009) (starring the late Brittany Murphy ). Logan's second project that same year was in the Sci-Fi "man vs machine" film The Terminators (2009). His third film with The Asylum saw him in a leading role as the US commando sent to South America to stop mutating killer-fish in the SyFy original Mega Piranha (2010). His athletic background came in handy for the martial art-styled action film Ballistica (2009), again with a leading role as a top-notch CIA agent trained in the title art of Ballistica (hand-to-hand combat with firearms). As a highly-versatile athlete, Logan is experienced in most sports, including football, baseball, swimming and boxing. His martial art repertoire includes Karate, Kendo (sword-fighting), Aikido and Jiu Jitsu.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Acting came to Stephen Quadros almost by default. He originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a drummer, where he achieved local success and radio airplay in Los Angeles with the band SNOW, which featured Carlos Cavazo (Quiet Riot, Ratt) on guitar. Stephen was even flown to New York to audition for the group KISS.
But when repetitive hand injuries aborted his percussive pursuits, Quadros dove into acting, studying with a variety of respected teachers, including: John Ruskin, Cameron Watson, William Alderson, Stella Adler, Arthur Mendoza, Scott Bernstein, Michelle Danner and Mark Haining.
As an actor Quadros has starred, guest-starred or co-starred in over 100 films and television shows, working with such Hollywood luminaries as Bryan Cranston, Kathryn Bigelow, Miles Teller, Nicolas Winding Refn, John Hawkes, Cuba Gooding Jr., Peter Falk, David Caruso, Blair Underwood, Traci Lords and Angela Lansbury.
Stephen Quadros is also a martial arts expert, specializing in kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA), areas where he has been a practitioner, teacher and trainer for over 20 years.
Because of his combined talents, Stephen appeared in and served as fight technical advisor for "Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)", starring Jet Li, Mark Dacascos and DMX ("Cradle 2 The Grave" hit the theaters in February 2003 and went to #1). Additionally he choreographed one of the fight sequences in "Cradle".
Mister Quadros was also fight coordinator/choreographer and 2nd unit director for "Pit Fighter" (20th Century Fox) which was released in 2005. He was also fight technical advisor for "Exit Wounds" (2001) starring Steven Seagal, Michael Jai White and DMX, co-starred in "Sworn To Justice" with Black Belt hall of fame member Cynthia Rothrock and was the guest lead on a season premiere of the popular TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger", squaring off opposite martial arts icon Chuck Norris.
He was also one of the world's leading martial arts and combat sports journalists. In 1998 he became a columnist and contributing editor for Black Belt magazine, a position he held for over 3 years, where his monthly column, which he titled "FightSport", garnered him international attention. Black Belt felt strong enough about "Fightsport" (and Stephen) that they named an entire magazine after it and empowered him as editor. "Black Belt Presents: Fightsport, with Stephen Quadros" made it's debut nationally in February 2002. (Quadros participated in the first year of the publication to get the magazine launched and established, then exited to concentrate on film, television and sports broadcasting.)
Stephen Quadros is well known in martial arts circles around the globe for his role as host and/or television commentator for some of the largest and most successful fight shows in the world including Showtime Network's mixed martial art series: Strikeforce, as well as Pride Fighting Championships (pay per view), Glory Kickboxing (ESPN, CBS Sports). Mr. Quadros was given his nickname "The Fight Professor" while commentating on a show in Japan for K-1 in 1998.- Stunts
- Actor
- Producer
Alain Moussi is an international action star born on March 29, 1981 in Libreville, Gabon from a Lebanese father, Jean Moussi, and French-Canadian mother, Rita Moussi. Moussi began his martial arts training in the art of jujutsu under Canadian martial arts legend John Therien and also trained in kickboxing under legendary kickboxing champion Jean-Yves Theriault. He had trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Carlos Machado, eventually earning his black belt in the art. Moussi got his start as a stuntman and credits Jean Frenette, a former world martial arts champion turned stunt coordinator for films, with giving him his start. His first job was doubling Henry Cavill in the film Immortals. He has doubled for Travis Fimmel in Warcraft, Hugh Jackman in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Jai Courtney in Suicide Squad.
At the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, it was announced he would get his first lead role in a reboot of the 1989 film Kickboxer, which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme. In Kickboxer: Vengeance, Moussi played Kurt Sloane, a young martial artist who must refine his skills to avenge his brother's death. Van Damme himself replaced the departing Tony Jaa as Kurt's teacher, now named Master Durand. The film received mixed reviews but the confidence of the film resulted in two sequels, Kickboxer: Retaliation, released in 2017, and Kickboxer: Syndicate, which began production in February 2017. The sequels bring Moussi back as Kurt Sloane and in addition, Moussi and longtime friend Jean-Francois LaChappelle served as fight choreographers of Retaliation.
Moussi also played the role of Charlie Nash in the web series sequel Street Fighter: Resurrection.- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Geoff began as a stuntman working in the Universal Studios Hollywood Tour, where he worked in the "Wild West Stunt Show", "The Adventures of Conan", and "The Miami Vice Action Spectacular." Using that as a springboard, Geoff performed almost all of his own stunts as an actor, from going through glass windows, to highfalls, to car chases, to doing all of his own extensive fighting with stars such as Steven Seagal, Chuck Norris, and Mark Dacascos.
As a playwright, Geoff has had five original plays produced in Los Angeles. He directed four of them, and starred in all five.
After being severely injured on a TV movie in 2012, which turned into a workers comp lawsuit, Geoff "semi-retired" from acting, and opened his own fitness/martial arts studio in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, while loosely keeping his foot in the door in Hollywood. In November 2016, he returned to Los Angeles t pick up again, after a much needed break.- Actor
- Writer
- Stunts
Dan Southworth is an accomplished actor with wide experience in feature films, television shows, motion capture, voice over, and commercials. Power Ranger fans know him as Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger from Power Rangers Time Force. Mortal Kombat fans enjoyed his portrayal of Kenshi in the popular web series Mortal Kombat Legacy 2.
Dan's popularity among anime fans follows his voice and motion capture role as Vergil in the best-selling video game Devil May Cry 3. Devil May Cry 3.5 was later released so that fans could experience the game as Dan's character. Video gamers have continued to enjoy his work in the games Killzone -Shadow Fall, Battlefield 4, Ninja Gaiden 3, Dark Souls 2, and Resident Evil to name a few of the many motion capture projects he has performed in.
Dan helped design, execute, and perform action sequences for commercial clients Time Warner, Sony, Discover card and McDonald's among others and has extended this talent to feature films like The Scorpion King, The Rundown, and Terrance Malick's The New World. He also took part in James Cameron's early visualizations of Avatar, and developed action for Neill Blomkamp's Halo 3 Full Combat web sequences. For the role of Shiro in the film Hunted, Dan performs in some of the most innovative action design to date.
Aside from notable television roles in the shows Revolution, Martial Law, Charmed and V.I.P., Dan has also delivered well-received comedic performances in Film Antic's productions Sauce, Last Supper, the comedy series Sketchy, and as Vince Stallen, horrible boss, in Entry Level along with various comedic characters in Disney Channel's hit sitcom, Kickin' It.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa got his first big break as an actor when he was cast in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (1987). A US Army brat, he was born in Tokyo and lived in various cities while growing up. His father was in the army, stationed at Ft. Bragg (NC), Ft. Polk (LA) and Ft. Hood (TX). His mother was an actress from Tokyo. The family finally settled in Southern California, where Tagawa began acting in high school. He was an exchange student in Japan while studying at the University of Southern California. He has recently been involved off-screen in addressing student groups (at SFSU and Stanford). He has also been coaching the martial artist portraying Shang Tsung in the Mortal Kombat Live Tour, and in his free time developing his new form of martial arts, called "Chun Shin."- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Brian Earl Thompson was born on August 28, 1959 in Ellensburg, Washington. Raised on the Columbia River in Longview, he learned the value of academics and athletics, as the son of two teachers and the second of six siblings. His interest in acting was first sparked during his senior year of high school with the role of the Russian ballet instructor, Boris Kolenkhov, in the comedy "You Can't Take it With You". Under the pretense of attending Central Washington University to play football and study business management, he quietly auditioned for every available play, treading the boards for a dozen school productions, from musicals and operas to the more lighthearted fare of Neil Simon.
Earning a scholarship to the University of California-Irvine, he sailed through a three-year Master of Fine Arts program, learning from such theatrical luminaries as playwright Edward Albee, Robert Cohen and Jerzy Grotoswski, and supplementing his education through work with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. He began to audition theatrically before graduation, and by that time, he had his SAG card, an agent and five professional credits, including James Cameron's The Terminator (1984), where he and Bill Paxton's clothes were forcibly removed by a naked Arnold Schwarzenegger. About a year after Arnold took Brian's clothes, Sylvester Stallone wanted a hack at Brian as well. After seven auditions and a screen test, Brian earned the right to get impaled on a meat hook, then burned alive, Stallone's Cobra (1986). This began a string of credits that has left Thompson in and around some of Hollywood's biggest and most projects.
Brian has tackled two superhero roles as well: first, Conan the Librarian (1999), starring red in the title role, a PBS special to encourage kids to read. He also earned critical acclaim playing the larger-than-life role of Hercules in Jason and the Argonauts (2000). Probably the first role that demanded use of his classical background as well as his 6' 3" muscled frame. Brian says that no gym can claim him as a member, and that his physique is kept honed by years of windsurfing and kitesurfing. Taking a curiously "musical" approach to his craft, the actor continually seeks fresh rhythms for each new role. Brian verifies his well-rounded nature with a resume that lists such special skills as martial arts (black belt Hapkido), piano and sushi rolling. He currently resides at home with his son Jordan and daughter Daphne.- Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp born September 22, 1973] is an American professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former American football player best known for his career as a kick boxer and mixed martial artist. He is under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined fight record of 22-35-1, mostly fighting in Japan. He is well known in Japan, where he has appeared in numerous commercials, television programs, and various other media, and has released a music CD, It's Sapp Time. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO program Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He is working sporadically for various MMA promotions in the U.S., Japan, and Europe.
- Mickey Hardt was born in Switzerland and raised in Luxembourg by his Luxembourgish father, who was a professional soccer player and his Austrian mother who was a singer and theatre actor before becoming a psychologist.
At the age of eight, he began training martial arts, which became one of his lifetime passions such as playing guitar and piano. Later, studying at the university in Brussels, he started working part-time as a model and discovered a great interest in working in front of the camera. He enroled in acting classes, first in Paris, then he moved to Berlin, where, still being an acting student, he was discovered by Donnie Yen to play the lead role in Europe's first martial arts action series.
In 2001 he was awarded with the "Shooting Star" at the Berlin International Filmfestival. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Martin Kove was born on March 6, 1947 in Brooklyn, New York. Strong-featured, narrow-eyed actor who has portrayed a mixed bag of both good guys and bad guys. He first turned up on screen in several minor roles, and was noticed as the villainous Nero the Hero in the low-budget road race Death Race 2000 (1975), and then as Clem the sadistic rigger, breaking Jan-Michael Vincent's ribs in White Line Fever (1975). He cropped up on the television series Cagney & Lacey (1981) portraying honest Police Detective Isbecki, and then ended up on the wrong side of a rampaging Sylvester Stallone in Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).
Kove probably scored his greatest visibility to the public in the hugely successful The Karate Kid (1984) in which he played John Kreese, the head instructor of the Cobra Kai karate school. He reprised the role in the two sequels, The Karate Kid Part II (1986) and The Karate Kid Part III (1989). Kove has since kept consistently busy, primarily in the action-thriller film genre, and has notched up over 80 film appearances to date, as well as numerous television guest roles.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Louis Mandylor is most recognized for his leading credits in a variety of highly acclaimed, award-winning films and television series, including the Academy Award-nominated box office smash hit comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), and its sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016).
Additionally, he is known for his leading credits in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated series CSI: Miami (2002) and CSI: NY (2004), in Friends (1994) as "Joey's Twin," in the ALMA Award-winning drama sports film Price of Glory (2000), in the CBS hit show Martial Law (1998) with Sammo Kam-Bo Hung, and in Can't Hurry Love (1995) with Mariska Hargitay and Nancy McKeon; also, recently claiming some praise reviews for The Debt Collector (2018).
Louis Mandylor as Sue in The Debt Collector (2018): ". . . I thought Mandylor's monologue about why he drinks was one of the finest acting moments of his career and was genuinely moving. . . ." -Theactionelite.com
". . . Mandylor stands tall next to Adkins as French's grizzled and burnt out guide through this new shady world he finds himself in. The two have a genuine chemistry that makes every scene they play off each other feel fun and breezy. . . ." -Aintitcool.com
". . . Mandylor's grizzled veteran collector is the perfect foil to the fresh-faced Brit. . . ." -Cityonfire.com
Mandylor also just finished filming Doom: Annihilation (2019) for Universal.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Brenda Song was born in Carmichael, California. Her father is Hmong and her mother is Thai-American. Brenda, her parents, and her younger brothers Timmy and Nathan now live in a suburb of Los Angeles.
Brenda was named an All-American Scholar in ninth grade and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.
She stars as London Tipton, the hotel owner's spoiled daughter, in the Disney Channel's sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005). Having acted since age six, Brenda is already a familiar face to Disney Channel viewers. Before beginning production on the new series, she had a recurring role as the hip and trendy Tia on Phil of the Future (2004). She also starred in the top-rated Disney Channel Original Movies Stuck in the Suburbs (2004), the mystery Get a Clue (2002) with Lindsay Lohan, and The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) with Hallee Hirsh and Spencer Breslin.
Her other television credits include guest starring roles on That's So Raven (2003), George Lopez (2002), The Bernie Mac Show (2001), 7th Heaven (1996), One on One (2001), The Nightmare Room (2001), Judging Amy (1999), Popular (1999), Once and Again (1999), and as a panelist on Small Talk (1996). Brenda also had a starring role on the series 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd (1999).
On the big screen, she starred in Like Mike (2002) opposite Shad Moss and Jonathan Lipnicki, and appeared in Leave It to Beaver (1997) and Santa with Muscles (1996) starring Hulk Hogan.
A self-proclaimed total dork, she loves sampling international cuisine, shopping and studying. She is an avid Los Angeles Lakers fan.- "Oleg makes an impression." On his DVD commentary for "Righteous Kill" (2008), director Jon Avnet remarks that he needed a powerful actor to play Russian mob enforcer Yevgeny Mugalat, a character who survives six gunshots at close range. International star Oleg Taktarov, born in Sarov, Russia, proved uniquely capable of fulfilling Avnet's demanding expectations. When Oleg first appears on camera as Mugalat, the director states emphatically in the audio commentary that the actor "makes an impression." Long before "Righteous Kill," Oleg already left global audiences with memorable impressions as "The Russian Bear," a UFC champion who took unconventional paths up to the top of the world's most difficult professions: acting and fighting.
Today, Oleg ranks among Russia's three most popular movie stars and its highest paid actors. His frank autobiography, "Up To The Top," is a best seller in Russia where Oleg's series "The Guardian" was also a number one television show. In America, Oleg works with the A List of actors and directors in hit blockbusters. He will play one of the leads with Adrien Brody and Topher Grace in "Predators" (2010), produced and written by action film innovator Robert Rodriguez. Oleg's distinguished list of achievements began while he was only a child in Sarov, a home to some of Russia's most eminent scholars and scientists. By age twelve, he was a recognized martial arts expert throughout the country.
Before he came to America in 1994 to pursue his dream of acting in the movies, Oleg Taktarov was an established global hero with records as the World Sambo Champion, the Russian National Judo Champion, and a four-time European and Asian Jujitsu Champion. Just six months after his arrival in the United States, Oleg defeated David "Tank" Abbott in July 1995 and became the reigning UFC Champion. At his classic 1996 "Superbrawl" with Ken Shamrock in Buffalo, New York, Oleg's fans in the U.S. audience waved signs that declared, "Russian Bear becomes American Hero!"
With the momentum of his UFC success and an enthusiastic American fan base to support him, Oleg learned English and studied acting at the prestigious L.A. Playhouse. After minor roles in a handful of Hollywood movies including "Air Force One" (1997), Oleg beat a thousand actors competing in auditions for his first significant film part as one of the antagonists in John Herzfeld's "15 Minutes" (2001) starring Robert DeNiro.
Again, Oleg made an unforgettable impression in "15 Minutes" as an unrelenting baddie, who aspires to be a movie director and steals a camcorder to photograph the criminal mayhem he inflicts upon Manhattan. During the shoot, Robert DeNiro shared acting advice with Oleg who returned the favor with pointers for more realistic fight scenes. The two were reunited for Avnet's "Righteous Kill" (2008), also starring Al Pacino.
After "15 Minutes," Oleg played charismatic heroes in "Red Serpent" (2002) and in the remake of "Rollerball" (2002). Reflecting events in his own life as a fighter, Oleg's character in "Rollerball" incites wild cheering by the fans in a Kazakhstan arena when he resists the dictates of a greedy sports league owner played by Jean Reno. Oleg continued to build his impressive resume' in American movies and television series with performances in "Bad Boys II" (2003), "National Treasure" (2004), "Alias" ("The Two," 2003), and "Navy NCIS" ("Judgment Day," 2008). He returned to movies depicting the brutal street culture of New York City with his riveting performances in "Rockaway" (2007) and "We Own the Night" (2007) with Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix. James Gray, the director of "Night," compared Oleg to a "young Charles Bronson," another dynamic Hollywood actor of Russian heritage.
Oleg's dramatic leading work in American films has proven that he can deliver both big moments and subtle ones. In "Rockaway" (2007), he quietly recounts a brutal memory of his character's service in Afghanistan with harrowing pain. In "Montana" (2008), Oleg's sympathetic hero Nikolai escapes from his adversaries into the streets of Los Angeles where he is befriended and hidden by a single mother and her son. Before the final showdown, Nikolai symbolically mends the fences between the everyday people of the U.S. and Russia. Oleg's empathetic performance of a Russian seeking a new life in America enables the film to succeed on many levels as a personal drama, crime adventure and a plea for understanding. At the premiere of "Montana," Oleg said, "I already knew all about this hero."
During one of his triumphant nights as UFC Champion, Oleg exited the ring after a victory and stated to a reporter, "I can do anything." It was not an idle boast. The fans of Oleg Taktarov know that "Up To The Top" is only the first chapter in volumes of future achievements by the native son of Sarov. When "Rolling Stone" celebrated its fourth year of publication in Russia, the magazine sponsored an exhibit of its celebrity photographs in Moscow. Oleg's dramatic photograph was a highlight of the exhibit, proving that the "Russian Bear" has fought his way to the top and achieved rock star status. - Actor
- Producer
Dan "The Beast" Severn is a legend in amateur and professional wrestling and Martial Arts. Born in Coldwater, Michigan, on June 9, 1959, he excelled in wrestling in both high school and college. A winner of over 500 amateur victories and numerous titles, he was an alternate on the USA Olympic Wrestling team. Severn turned to professional Wrestling and captured the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title; a title which he held for 10 years. In the early 1990s, he entered the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He excelled, winning numerous world championships. Severn defeated such greats as Ken Shamrock, Conan Silvera, David Abbott, Oleg Taktarov, Anthony Macias, and Bart Vale. His mixed martial arts record is 77-11-7. He is a noted barnstormer and has been defeating opponents on a monthly basis for the past three years.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Sean Patrick Flanery was born in Lake Charles, La. and raised in a small town outside of Houston, Texas. While attending the University of St. Thomas in Houston, he saw a beautiful girl leaving a building on campus every Monday and decided to drop an English class and sign up for "whatever the hell they were teaching in that building". The building was the University's theater department, and the class was acting. Through his theater studies, he penned a piece of children's theater and decided afterwards to pack up his car and head to Los Angeles with the hopes of actually producing the play. Somewhere in the process, an agent approached him and requested to represent him commercially. His first paid role in Hollywood was a Kellog's Corn Pops commercial starring alongside none other than Paul Walker. Shortly after a string of national commercials, the same agent then began representing him for TV/film roles. He very quickly landed the title role in George Lucas' The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992) after shooting 2 films for the Mickey Mouse Club called Just Perfect (1990) and My Life as a Babysitter (1990). Since then, Flanery has been in numerous films and TV shows every year, including Powder (1995), The Dead Zone (2002), Saw 3D (2010), Suicide Kings (1997), and the runaway cult hit The Boondock Saints (1999), and most recently, the TV show "Powers" for Sony, which was scheduled to be released in early 2015.
Flanery is also noted for winning the Toyota celebrity race of Long Beach two years in a row, the first as an amateur, and the second after being invited back to compete as a pro. He won after qualifying on the pole both times.
Off camera, Flanery is a high ranking martial artist having earned his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the Renzo Gracie lineage on May 4th of 2008. He owns his own BJJ academy called Hollywood Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in West Hollywood, Ca. where he trains regularly when his film schedule allows.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Stunts
Born in Indiana, raised in Hawaii, Storm is a world class martial artist who has trained in various styles for over 19 years. Storm holds belts in Arashi-Ryu Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.
If you ask three time "Martial Art Masters Hall of Fame" inductee Storm how his action career started, you might not expect to hear that his Mother forced 8 year old Storm to take Karate because he was "hyperactive and clumsy". However, hardly anything about Storm is as it appears. Storm was born "Juan Ricardo Ojeda" to an African-American Father and Puerto Rican Mother and was then adopted by a Native American-Caucasian mother and Mexican-American father. Storm was brought up in the Asian/Polynesian culture of Honolulu, Hawaii. Storm truly is an "All American" - melting pot meets cultural mosaic - one that always had to check the box marked "other." In high school Storm was shy and started break-dancing as a way of trying to "fit in". This quickly became his passion and eventually led to Storm winning over 200 dance competitions in the genres of hip hop and break-dance. Storm received a dance scholarship, which paved the way for him moving to LA and dancing in music videos.
Although dancing was his passion, it only provided him with enough money for rent and a diet of ramen noodles and pop tarts with little left for anything else. Being devoted to the martial arts, Storm found himself stopping by and observing an outdoor Northern Shaolin class on his way home from work. Eventually Storm was approached by the teacher and asked to join, thus allowing him to broaden his knowledge of the martial arts. Wanting to further pursue his creative energies Storm began acting. He then graduated from the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Acting Academy. While playing the role of Bayu on the television series, Conan The Adventurer, Storm developed the unique style that he is known for. This brand of action is a combination of martial arts, acrobatic skill, comedic timing, and an almost balletic grace. Storm has since gone on to work with Jet Li, Samo Hung, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Kelly Hu, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Michelle Rodriquez, Neal McDonough and Kristanna Loken.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
This versatile, eclectic, rather wanderlust country crossover star known for his classic ballads ("Always On My Mind"), autobiographical road songs ("On the Road Again") and catchy rhythms ("Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys") started out life as Willie Hugh Nelson on April 30, 1933, in Depression-era Abbot, Texas. He is the son of Myrle Marie (Greenhaw) and Ira Doyle Nelson, a mechanic. After his parents got divorced, in which his mother moved to Oregon and his father remarried, he and sister Bobbie Lee were raised by their gospel-singing paternal grandparents, who introduced them to music. Working in the cotton fields, Willie was handed his first guitar at age six and within a short time was writing woeful country songs and playing in polka bands.
During his teenage years he played at high school dances and honky-tonks. He also worked for a local radio station and by graduation time he had become a DJ with his own radio show. Briefly serving a stint with the Air Force (discharged because of a bad back, which would plague him throughout his life), he sold his first song called "No Place For Me" while getting by with menial jobs as a janitor and door-to-door Bible salesman. Married in 1952 to a full-blooded Cherokee, he and first wife Martha had two children.
Willie initially came to be known in Nashville for selling his songs to well-established country artists such as Patsy Cline ("Crazy"), Faron Young ("Hello Walls") and Ray Price ("Night Life"). In 1962 he recorded a successful duet with singer Shirley Collie, whom he would later take as his second wife, but his career didn't progress despite joining the Grand 'Ol Opry. In the early 1970s, after extensive touring with his band (which included sister Bobbie on the piano) and experiencing a number of career downswings, he started performing and recording his own songs instead of selling them to others. Two of his albums, "Shotgun Willie" and "Phases and Stages", helped him gain some stature. In 1975 it all came together with the album "Red-Headed Stranger", which would become the top-selling country music album in history and propel him into the country music stratosphere. His offbeat phrasing, distinctive nasal tones and leathery, bewhiskered hippie-styled looks set a new standard for "outlaw" country music.
Around 1978 Willie showed himself to be a loose and natural presence in front of the camera, thus launching a film career. He had roles in several movies, his first opposite Robert Redford and Jane Fonda in The Electric Horseman (1979). His took to leading roles as a country music star in Honeysuckle Rose (1980), which would include a number of his songs on the soundtrack. He played opposite James Caan and Tuesday Weld in Thief (1981) and a legendary outlaw in the western Barbarosa (1982). In the movie Red Headed Stranger (1986), which was adapted from his hit 1975 album, he played a preacher, and he teamed up with pal Kris Kristofferson as a pair of country singers in Songwriter (1984).
Willie and pal Kristofferson went on to form The Highwaymen with the late Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings and he successfully recorded and toured with the group for a number of years. They also teamed up to remake the classic western Stagecoach (1939) as a TV movie (Stagecoach (1986)). As a unique song stylist, the bearded, braided-haired, bandanna-wearing non-conformist took a number of non-country standards and made them his own, including Elvis Presley's "You Were Always on My Mind" and Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind."
Broaching the millennium, Willie continued to be active with film credits that would include roles in the westerns Dust to Dust (1994) and The Journeyman (2001), in addition to roles in such non-westerns as the sci-fi drama Starlight (1996); the comedy capers Gone Fishin' (1997), The Big Bounce (2004) and The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) (an updated screen version of the popular TV show); the action thriller Fighting with Anger (2007); the comedy Surfer, Dude (2008); the family dramedy Angels Sing (2013); the music fantasy Paradox (2018) which starred Neil Young and his sons Lukas Nelson and Micah Nelson; the dramatic fantasy Waiting for the Miracle to Come (2018); and Willie and Me (2023), a comedy chronicling the misadventures of a young German girl coming to America to see her idol Willie.
Willie happily married fourth wife Ann-Marie in 1991 and has survived more hard times in recent years, including a $16.7-million debt to the IRS and the suicide of one of his sons, Billy. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, Nelson received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Former Oakland Raiders/Kansas City Chiefs football star who rose to prominence as one of the first African-American male action stars of the "blaxploitation" genre of the early 1970s, who has since gone on to a long and illustrious career as an actor, director, writer, and producer! Burly, yet handsome 6' 3" Williamson first came to attention in the TV series Julia (1968) playing love interest, Steve Bruce. However, his rugged, athletic physique made him a natural for energetic roles and he quickly established himself as a street wise, tough guy in films including That Man Bolt (1973), Black Caesar (1973), and Mean Johnny Barrows (1975). Talented Williamson established his own production company "Po 'Boy Productions" in 1974, which has produced over 40 movies to date. Like many young American stars of the 1960s and '70s, Williamson was noticed by Italian producers who cast him in a slew of B-grade action movies that occupied a lot of his work in the 1980s. From the late '80s onwards, much of his work has been of the "straight to video" fare (often playing police officers), but none could deny he has kept actively busy in movies and TV for over three decades, both in front of and behind the camera. More recently, indie director Robert Rodriguez cast him alongside FX guru Tom Savini as two vampire killing bikers, in his bloody action film From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), and he has most recently appeared on screen (displaying his wonderful comedy skills) playing grumpy Captain Dobey in Starsky & Hutch (2004).- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
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.- A familiar face to film and television audiences, Victor Webster is an established actor with an impressive list of credits. Most recently, he joined the cast of the Netflix/CBC comedy "Workin' Moms," playing Mike Bolinski for two seasons. He's also recently filmed a large recurring arc on the second season of the CW's military fantasy show "Motherland: Fort Salem." On the film side, Victor just starred alongside Bethany Joy Lenz in the romantic comedy "Five Star Christmas" which premiered on Hallmark last Thanksgiving during the networks "Countdown to Christmas" programming event.
Victor discovered his passion for acting when he made his television debut on the NBC daytime drama "Days of Our Lives." He then segued to the AMC network series "The Lot" and the number one syndicated series "Mutant X." His growing body of work brought him accolades and spots on various lists of Hollywood notables, including people magazine's "50 Most Eligible Bachelors." While it was a fun title, Webster chose to hone his craft and play characters that challenged his abilities.
Victor's commitment paid off with rolls opposite acclaimed talents in some of televisions most popular series, including "Sex and the City," "Castle," "Bones," "CSI," "Mom," "Charmed," "Criminal Minds," "Melrose Place," "Paradise Inc." and "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce," just to name a few. Webster costarred as Detective Carlos Fonegra in the acclaimed sci-fi series "Continuum," which ran for four seasons.
Webster is known to Hallmark channel fans for his roles in, "Homegrown Christmas," "Love Blossoms," "Summer Villa" and "A Harvest Wedding." Webster starred in hallmark movies and mysteries "Matchmaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement," as well as "Matchmaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance," and most recently "Matchmaker Mysteries: The Art of the kill," The first three installments of the new original franchise. Victor also starred in "Hearts of Winter," which premiered in January 2020 as part of Hallmark channels popular "Winterfest" programming event.
On the film side, Victor has built a career that spans genres, from romantic comedies to action thrillers. His credits include "Bringing Down the House ," "Must Love Dogs," "Surrogates," " Why did I Get Married Too?" as well as the leading role in the third and fourth installment of "The Scorpion King" franchise. Victor can also be seen starring in the action packed Chinese blockbuster "Wings Over Everest." An artist to his core, Webster pursues his passion for photography as well as martial arts, holding a black belt and an undefeated record in Tae Kwon Do and a black belt in Brazilian jujitsu for which he holds two bronze medals from the world championships. He is committed to his various charities, and life of giving through arts and travel. Although he calls California his home, he hails from Canada and will always be the Canadian cowboy. - Actor
- Producer
- Director
Brian White was born on 21 April 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ambitions (2019), Stomp the Yard (2007) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Paula Da Silva since 28 August 2010. They have one child.- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Cyril Raffaelli was born on 1 April 1974. He is an actor, known for District B13 (2004), District 13: Ultimatum (2009) and Live Free or Die Hard (2007).- Actor
- Producer
- Stunts
Silvio Simac, was born in Croatia. A dedicated martial artist, Silvio trained in Taekwondo and became a world champion during his competitive years. His film career began in 2001 on an episode of Lexx (1996). Silvio's martial arts background served him well for a part in the action film Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing (2006). He had the privilege of fighting Scott Adkins in the opening sequences of the film. Silvio also appeared as the fighter Leon from the video game-turned action film DOA: Dead or Alive (2006). His next notable film project was in the high-octane action feature Transporter 3 (2008). Outside of acting, Silvio enjoys training hard, traveling, cooking, and even shopping. Silvio also enjoys Italian food and is a constant adventurer.- Actress
- Stunts
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, she is a former undefeated kumite fighter and 1988 World Karate Champion. She participated in state, national, and international tournaments, receiving the Most Outstanding Competitor Award at the World Karate Championships in Japan. Her martial arts skills also include Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Grappling, Kung Fu (Wushu and Shaolin Eagle claw) and weapons (fencing, firearms, Chinese broad sword and whip chain). A member of the Hong Kong Stuntman's Association with special training in Hong Kong, Kim-Maree's expertise was showcased in action movies where she appeared and fought with many of the industry's top stars- Cynthia Khan, Simon Yam, Michelle Yeoh, Frankie Chan, Fan Siu Wong, Hwang Jang Lee, Jackie Chan, Lee Majors and Jean Claude Van damme.
Kim-Maree is the CEO of Signal 8 Security head quartered in Hong Kong. She is trained in Threat management, Protective driving, Electronic counter surveillance, IED search and recognition, Defense and restraint techniques, Unarmed combat and Tactical firearms. Her extensive experience in the security industry has led her to provide protection services from low to high risk security details with clients ranging from fortune 100s, dignitaries to high profile celebrities.- 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
- 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.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Antonio Sabato Jr. was born on 29 February 1972 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is an actor and producer, known for The Big Hit (1998), The Three Stooges (2012) and Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas (2009). He was previously married to Cheryl Moana Marie Nunes and Tully Jensen.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Australian actor Bren Foster started acting in high school. His mother was of Cypriot heritage and his father of English/Irish heritage. After High school Bren studied Film and Video production, but felt the need to move toward his artistic development as an actor. Bren then traveled to New York to study at "The Barrow Group Theater". Upon his return to Australia Bren auditioned for and was selected into one of Australia's leading Drama schools "The University of Western Sydney" AKA Theater Nepean. Furthermore he spent 2 years at the Sanford Meisner based acting school "The Actors Pulse". Early in Bren's career he worked on many Australian television Dramas but his breakout role came when he landed a role in the critically acclaimed and award winning Australian feature film Cedar Boys (2009) where he was praised as "a born star" by Empire Film magazine for his portrayal of "Jamal" a criminal behind bars desperately trying to guide his younger brother away from the criminal path. Bren has studied Martial Arts for many years and has worked in the United States for "The discovery Channel" filming Extreme Martial arts and for the National Geographic Channel where his martial arts skills were put to the test against science in the feature length documentary "Fight Science". Bren has firmly established a solid acting career in both international film and television, both in Australia and the United States.- Actor
- Stunts
- Art Department
Actor and stuntman and martial arts expert, Leo Lee has alternated his film career making these two trades; He has participated in over 40 films often action and martial arts in supporting roles, among which we can remember: Big Trouble in Little China (1986) with Kurt Russell, Kindergarten Cop (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Perfect Weapon (1991) with Jeff Speakman, Double Impact (1991) with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Martial Law II: Undercover (1991) with Jeff Wincott and Cynthia Rothrock, Bounty Tracker (1993) with Lorenzo Lamas and Matthias Hues, Rising Sun (1993) with Sean Connery, The Shadow (1994) with Alec Baldwin, Deadly Target (1994) with Gary Daniels, A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) with Keenen Ivory Wayans, Mortal Kombat (1995) with Linden Ashby and has also worked with Kurt Russell in Escape from L.A. (1996), Harvey Keitel in City of Industry (1997), Jodie Foster in Contact (1997), Chow Yun-Fat and Mira Sorvino in The Replacement Killers (1998), Swordfish (2001) with John Travolta, and True Blue (2001) with Tom Berenger; even today Leo Lee continues his career in Hollywood.- Stunts
- Actress
- Producer
Lauren Mary Kim is the faceless action hero who brings adrenaline to films, television and video games. As a child she trained in acrobatics and dance and originally moved to Los Angeles to become a dancer where she landed her first job as a Laker girl. Soon after, she trained in acting, martial arts and stunt work. She is best known for her work on The Mandalorian, Clone Wars Season 7, Furious 7, The Last of Us 2, Mortal Kombat 11 and doubled as Elektra on Netflix's hit series Daredevil and Defenders. She specializes in several fighting techniques including Taekwondo, Wushu, Silat, Filipino Martial Arts, Jeet Kune Do and Capoeira.- Actor
- Transportation Department
Charles David Liddell is an American former mixed martial artist who was the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Liddell had 23 fights in the UFC. He is widely credited with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. On July 10, 2009, he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Liddell was born in Santa Barbara, California, of partial Irish descent. He was raised by his single mother and maternal grandfather, who taught Liddell and his siblings boxing techniques from a very young age. Liddell began studying Koeikan karate at the age of 12; the tattoo on his scalp reads "Koei-Kan".- 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.- Actress
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jennifer Beals is an internationally renowned actress who has over 90 credits to her name, including critically acclaimed feature films and some of the highest rated television series to date. Beals is currently executive producing and returning as a lead cast member in the revival of her hit original series THE L WORD: GENERATION Q. The highly anticipated series will launch in December 2019 on Showtime. The ground-breaking lesbian-focused drama THE L WORD originally aired for six seasons. For her performance as Bette Porter, Beals received the prestigious GLAAD Golden Gate Award, as well as two NAACP Image Award nominations and a Satellite Award nomination. In 2012, Beals was presented with the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award for her support of the LGBT community. Additionally, Beals and The L Word's Ilene Chaiken are set to executive produce the Freeform series "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," an adaption for Taylor Jenkins Reid's acclaimed novel.
Beals and filmmaker Tom Jacobson created the concept for the new novel, The Hive. The book is a gripping thriller set in the near future that focuses on escalating mob violence that ensues from online shaming and internet bullying. Released in September 2019, the novel was named one of People Magazine's 'Best Books of Fall 2019.'
Throughout her accomplished film career, Beals has worked with many of the industry's most acclaimed filmmakers and talent. She co-starred alongside Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in the blockbuster THE BOOK OF ELI and starred opposite Garry Marshall, Faye Dunaway and Brendan Fraser in TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, for which she won a Golden Satellite Award. Beals was featured among an all-star cast including Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman and Rachel Weisz in the crime thriller RUNAWAY JURY. She also starred in THE MADONNA AND THE DRAGON from legendary film director Samuel Fuller. More recently, Beals co-starred in the feature film MANHATTAN NIGHT, opposite Adrien Brody and Campbell Scott, as well as AFTER, the film adaption of Anna Todd's series of bestselling young adult novels alongside Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
On the television side, Beals recurred in the Amazon series THE LAST TYCOON, receiving critical acclaim for her performance as Hollywood starlet Margo Taft. Los Angeles Magazine proclaimed "Beals stole every scene she's in as a ball-busting, piece-of-work Joan Crawford goddess with a very American secret" and Indiewire named her "the shows biggest stand out." Beals was also seen as the female lead in TAKEN, NBC's straight-to-series adaptation of the hit movie franchise, and co-starred in the Warner Bros TV/DC series SWAMP THING, released in May 2019. Beals starred in the TV movie A WIFE'S NIGHTMARE, for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination. Notable television credits include TNT's PROOF, NBC's medical drama THE NIGHT SHIFT and the FOX series THE CHICAGO CODE alongside Jason Clarke.
For her role in the iconic film FLASHDANCE, Beals earned a Golden Globe nomination and an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. Beals starred in A HOUSE DIVIDED, for which she was nominated for a Satellite Award. Some of her acclaimed independent film projects include IN THE SOUP opposite Steve Buscemi, which won The Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival, and CINEMANOVELS which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Beals extensive credits include films such as RODGER DODGER, MRS. PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE, FOUR ROOMS, BEFORE I FALL and DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, which earned her another NAACP Image Award nomination. Beals received the Maverick Tribute Award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival in 1999.
In addition to her work on-camera, the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group recently named Beals a 'C40 Goodwill Ambassador.' Beals' partnership with C40 will help raise awareness about the bold climate action underway in leading cities driving forward solutions to the climate crisis worldwide. Through her ambassador role, she will support and amplify the voices of inspiring young climate activists in raising awareness of the current climate emergency. Additionally, Beals will also play a leading role in C40's Women4Climate Initiative, helping to celebrate the incredible leadership being delivered by women around the world in climate action.
Originally from Chicago, Beals attended Yale University, where she graduated with honors.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Producer
Michael Dudikoff was born in Redondo Beach, California, USA. Michael is an actor and assistant director, known for Platoon Leader (1988), American Ninja (1985) and Bachelor Party (1984). Michael has been married to Belle since 18 September 2004. They have three children.- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
David Bradley was born in Plano, Texas on October 2, 1953. He is well known to the fans of low budget and martial arts films.
Prior to films, Bradley worked as a car salesman on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles and practiced such martial arts as Shotokan Karate, Chinese Kempo, Tai Chi and Aikido. Bradley started his career on films by being cast as the lead in the third sequel of cult the film "American Ninja" called American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt (1989). And from that moment he also starred in American Ninja 4: The Annihilation (1990) and American Ninja 5 (1993) (as a different character in the final one), thereby replacing Michael Dudikoff. Bradley also worked on television for a time.
He starred alongside Elizabeth Gracen in direct to video Lower Level (1991), in which Bradley gave more intense, dramatic performance. Similarly in the title, he also starred in American Samurai (1992), opposite Mark Dacascos, who played the villain. Also, some of other Bradley's well known roles were in Cyborg Cop (1993) opposite John Rhys Davies and Cyborg Cop 2 (1994) as detective Jack Ryan. Other roles include Hard Justice (1995), White Cargo (1996) and Total Reality (1997) opposite Thomas Kretschmann. Today he is usually focused on art and painting.- Actor
- Stunts
- Writer
Steve James was often cast in action movies as the hero's sidekick, despite usually being a better actor and fighter than the star. James was raised in New York City, attended C.W. Post College as an Arts and Film major, and upon graduating, became involved in stage work and TV commercials. He started in film as a stuntman, working in such New York productions as Ghostbusters, The Wiz, The Warriors, and The Wanderers. His first major film role was as Robert Ginty's sidekick in The Exterminator; he later played sidekick to such stars as Michael Dudikoff (3 times), David Carradine, and Chuck Norris. His last 2 films were the pilot for the TV series "M.A.N.T.I.S." which aired on the Fox network just a few weeks after his death at age 41 of pancreatic cancer and "Bloodfist V: Human Target" with Don "The Dragon" Wilson which premiered after Steve's death.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
John Cusack is, like most of his characters, an unconventional hero. Wary of fame and repelled by formulaic Hollywood fare, he has built a successful career playing underdogs and odd men out--all the while avoiding the media spotlight. John was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish-American family. With the exception of mom Nancy (née Carolan), a former math teacher, the Cusack clan is all show business: father Dick Cusack was an actor and filmmaker, and John's siblings Joan Cusack, Ann Cusack, Bill Cusack and Susie Cusack are all thespians by trade. Like his brother and sisters, John became a member of Chicago's Piven Theatre Workshop while he was still in elementary school. By age 12, he already had several stage productions, commercial voice overs and industrial films under his belt. He made his feature film debut at 17, acting alongside Rob Lowe and Andrew McCarthy in the romantic comedy Class (1983). His next role, as a member of Anthony Michael Hall's geek brigade in Sixteen Candles (1984), put him on track to becoming a teen-flick fixture. Cusack remained on the periphery of the Brat Pack, sidestepping the meteoric rise and fall of most of his contemporaries, but he stayed busy with leads in films like The Sure Thing (1985) and Better Off Dead (1985). Young Cusack is probably best remembered for what could be considered his last adolescent role: the stereo-blaring romantic Lloyd Dobler in Say Anything (1989). A year later, he hit theaters as a grown-up, playing a bush-league con man caught between his manipulative mother and headstrong girlfriend in The Grifters (1990).
The next few years were relatively quiet for the actor, but he filled in the gaps with off-screen projects. He directed and produced several shows for the Chicago-based theater group The New Criminals, which he founded in 1988 (modeling it after Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang in Los Angeles) to promote political and avant-garde stage work. Four years later, Cusack's high school friends Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis joined him in starting a sister company for film, New Crime Productions. New Crime's first feature was the sharply written comedy Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), which touched off a career renaissance for Cusack. In addition to co-scripting, he starred as a world-weary hit man who goes home for his ten-year high school reunion and tries to rekindle a romance with the girl he stood up on prom night (Minnie Driver). In an instance of life imitating art, Cusack actually did go home for his ten-year reunion (to honor a bet about the film's financing) and ended up in a real-life romance with Driver. Cusack's next appearance was as a federal agent (or, as he described it, "the first post-Heston, non-biblical action star in sandals") in Con Air (1997), a movie he chose because he felt it was time to make smart business decisions. He followed that with Clint Eastwood's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997), in which he played a Yankee reporter entangled in a Savannah murder case.
Cusack has always favored offbeat material, so it was no surprise when he turned up in the fiercely original Being John Malkovich (1999). Long-haired, bearded and bespectacled, he was almost unrecognizable in the role of a frustrated puppeteer who stumbles across a portal into the brain of actor John Malkovich. The convincing performance won him a Best Actor nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards. In 2000, Cusack was back to his clean-shaven self in High Fidelity (2000), another New Crime production. He worked with Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis to adapt Nick Hornby's popular novel (relocating the story to their native Chicago), then starred as the sarcastic record store owner who revisits his "Top 5" breakups to find out why he's so unlucky in love. The real Cusack has been romantically linked with several celebs, including Driver, Alison Eastwood, Claire Forlani and Neve Campbell. He's also something of a family man, acting frequently opposite sister Joan Cusack and pulling other Cusacks into his films on a regular basis. He seems pleased with the spate of projects on his horizon, but admits that he still hasn't reached his ultimate goal: to be involved in a "great piece of art".- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Moretz is best known for her work in the sci-fi thriller series The Peripheral, created by Scott B. Smith; the Mattson Tomlin-directed sci-fi thriller Mother/Android; Neil Jordan's thriller Greta; Roseanne Liang's Shadow in the Cloud, which claimed the Midnight Madness People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2020; The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won both critical acclaim and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2018; Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, which went on to claim the Independent Spirit Awards' Robert Altman Award after world premiering in Venice; MGM's The Amityville Horror; Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer; the Kick-Ass franchise; Matt Reeves' English-language remake of Let Me In; Martin Scorsese's Oscar winner Hugo; Warner Bros' If I Stay and Dark Shadows; Kimberly Peirce's remake of the Stephen King classic Carrie; and Sony's The Equalizer with Denzel Washington. She also exec produced the Snapchat Discover series Coming Out, which premiered in 2021.- 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
- Producer
- Writer
Christopher Ashton Kutcher was born on February 7, 1978 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to Diane (Finnegan), who was employed at Procter & Gamble, and Larry Kutcher, a factory worker. He has a fraternal twin brother, Michael, and a sister, Tausha. He is of Czech (father) and Irish, German, and Czech (mother) descent. He grew up in rural Homestead, Iowa, graduating from Clear Creek-Amana High School in Tiffin, Iowa. In 1997, Kutcher was a biochemical engineering student at the University of Iowa and was discovered by a local talent scout. In 2010, Kutcher was named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People. He created the Demi and Ashton Foundation, to eliminate child sex slavery worldwide. Kutcher is mostly known for playing Michael Kelso in That '70s Show (1998) and is co-founder of Katalyst, a studio for social media.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ed O'Neill is an American actor best known for playing Al Bundy on Married... with Children (1987), the most iconic working class character on television since Archie Bunker. Upon his debut on the world stage in Youngstown, Ohio on April 12, 1946, he was christened Edward Philip O'Neill, Jr. Both his father, Ed, Sr., a steelworker and truck driver, and his social worker mother, the former Ruth Ann Quinlan, were Irish-Americans.
A gifted athlete, the 6'1" O'Neill attended Ohio University on a football scholarship, but transferred after his sophomore year to Youngstown State University, where he played as a defensive lineman. In 1969, he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was cut in training camp. (Al Bundy was a former high-school football star constantly reminiscing about his glory days on the high school gridiron. Terry Bradshaw, the Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, twice appeared on "Married with Children".)
After being cut by the Steelers, O'Neill went back to YSU to join the new theater department. After graduating, he became a social studies teacher at his alma mater, Ursuline High School, before fully committing to acting. He was a member of the company at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the top regional theaters in America.
After numerous supporting parts in movies and television, he was cast as the New York City detective Popeye Doyle in the 1986 television movie that was a pilot for a proposed television series. "Popeye Doyle" was based on the classic police drama The French Connection (1971), with O'Neill playing the role originated by Gene Hackman). The television movie and O'Neill's performance got good reviews, but it was not picked up as a series.
A year later, O'Neill was cast as Al Bundy in the sitcom "Married with Children", which debuted on the then-new Fox Network in April 1987. It ran 10 years, until June 1997, and made O'Neill a star.
During the production of "Married with Children" and after its cancellation, O'Neill appeared in movies, guested on television shows, and made television commercials. The second iconic fictional policeman role that O'Neill took over was Sgt. Joe Friday in his 2003 remake of Jack Webb's classic crime series Dragnet (2003), which appeared on ABC. The network canceled the show during its second season. Since 2009, O'Neill has played Jay Pritchett on the ABC's sitcom Modern Family (2009), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011.
Since 1986, O'Neill has been married to actress Catherine Rusoff. They have two daughters, Claire and Sophia.- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Keanu Charles Reeves, whose first name means "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, was born September 2, 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon. He is the son of Patric Reeves, a showgirl and costume designer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves, a geologist. Keanu's father was born in Hawaii, of British, Portuguese, Native Hawaiian, and Chinese ancestry, and Keanu's mother is originally from Essex England. After his parents' marriage dissolved, Keanu moved with his mother and younger sister, Kim Reeves, to New York City, then Toronto. Stepfather #1 was Paul Aaron, a stage and film director - he and Patricia divorced within a year, after which she went on to marry (and divorce) rock promoter Robert Miller. Reeves never reconnected with his biological father. In high school, Reeves was lukewarm toward academics but took a keen interest in ice hockey (as team goalie, he earned the nickname "The Wall") and drama. He eventually dropped out of school to pursue an acting career.
After a few stage gigs and a handful of made-for-TV movies, he scored a supporting role in the Rob Lowe hockey flick Youngblood (1986), which was filmed in Canada. Shortly after the production wrapped, Reeves packed his bags and headed for Hollywood. Reeves popped up on critics' radar with his performance in the dark adolescent drama, River's Edge (1986), and landed a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated Dangerous Liaisons (1988) with director Stephen Frears.
His first popular success was the role of totally rad dude Ted "Theodore" Logan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989). The wacky time-travel movie became something of a cultural phenomenon, and audiences would forever confuse Reeves's real-life persona with that of his doofy on-screen counterpart. He then joined the casts of Ron Howard's comedy, Parenthood (1989) and Lawrence Kasdan's I Love You to Death (1990).
Over the next few years, Reeves tried to shake the Ted stigma with a series of highbrow projects. He played a slumming rich boy opposite River Phoenix's narcoleptic male hustler in My Own Private Idaho (1991), an unlucky lawyer who stumbles into the vampire's lair in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), and Shakespearean party-pooper Don John in Much Ado About Nothing (1993).
In 1994, the understated actor became a big-budget action star with the release of Speed (1994). Its success heralded an era of five years in which Reeves would alternate between small films, like Feeling Minnesota (1996) and The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997), and big films like A Walk in the Clouds (1995) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). (There were a couple misfires, too: Johnny Mnemonic (1995) and Chain Reaction (1996).) After all this, Reeves did the unthinkable and passed on the Speed sequel, but he struck box-office gold again a few years later with the Wachowski siblings' cyberadventure, The Matrix (1999).
Now a bonafide box-office star, Keanu would appear in a string of smaller films -- among them The Replacements (2000), The Watcher (2000), The Gift (2000), Sweet November (2001), and Hardball (2001) - before The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) were both released in 2003.
Since the end of The Matrix trilogy, Keanu has divided his time between mainstream and indie fare, landing hits with Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Lake House (2006), and Street Kings (2008). He's kept Matrix fans satiated with films such as Constantine (2005), A Scanner Darkly (2006), and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008). And he's waded back into art-house territory with Ellie Parker (2005), Thumbsucker (2005), The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009), and Henry's Crime (2010).
Most recently, as post-production on the samurai epic 47 Ronin (2013) waged on, Keanu appeared in front of the camera in Side by Side (2012), a documentary on celluloid and digital filmmaking, which he also produced. He also directed another Asian-influenced project, Man of Tai Chi (2013).
In 2014, Keanu played the title role in the action revenge film John Wick (2014), which became popular with critics and audiences alike. He reprised the role in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), taking the now-iconic character to a better opening weekend and even more enthusiastic reviews than the first go-around.- Actor
- Producer
- Executive
Hugh Michael Jackman is an Australian actor, singer, multi-instrumentalist, dancer and producer. Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as superhero, period, and romance characters. He is best known for his long-running role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series, as well as for his lead roles in the romantic-comedy fantasy Kate & Leopold (2001), the action-horror film Van Helsing (2004), the drama The Prestige and The Fountain (2006), the epic historical romantic drama Australia (2008), the film version of Les Misérables (2012), and the thriller Prisoners (2013). His work in Les Misérables earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his first Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy in 2013. In Broadway theatre, Jackman won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy from Oz. A four-time host of the Tony Awards themselves, he won an Emmy Award for one of these appearances. Jackman also hosted the 81st Academy Awards on 22 February 2009.
Jackman was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to Grace McNeil (Greenwood) and Christopher John Jackman, an accountant. He is the youngest of five children. His parents, both English, moved to Australia shortly before his birth. He also has Greek (from a great-grandfather) and Scottish (from a grandmother) ancestry.
Jackman has a communications degree with a journalism major from the University of Technology Sydney. After graduating, he pursued drama at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, immediately after which he was offered a starring role in the ABC-TV prison drama Correlli (1995), opposite his future wife Deborra-Lee Furness. Several TV guest roles followed, as an actor and variety compere. An accomplished singer, Jackman has starred as Gaston in the Australian production of "Beauty and the Beast." He appeared as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of "Sunset Boulevard." In 1998, he was cast as Curly in the Royal National Theatre's production of Trevor Nunn's Oklahoma. Jackman has made two feature films, the second of which, Erskineville Kings (1999), garnered him an Australian Film Institute nomination for Best Actor in 1999. Recently, he won the part of Logan/Wolverine in the Bryan Singer- directed comic-book movie X-Men (2000). In his spare time, Jackman plays piano, golf, and guitar, and likes to windsurf.