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Moon Lee was born on 14 February 1965 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Fighting Madam (1987), Fatal Termination (1990) and Mission of Justice (1992).- Actress
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Daughter of a Chinese woman, who spent her childhood in Nishi Ku (Fukuoka City). When she was in elementary school, her parents divorced and she went to live with her mother, who ran a little restaurant. Being a child she practiced karate in junior high school, represented Kyushu in several competitions and finally won the woman national karate championship. During her attendance in the Nippon College of Health and Physical Education for women, where she studied physical education, she saw the film "Young Master" (1980), directed and starring Sing Lung, and decided enrolling JAC (Japan Action Club) to become a stuntwoman. She finally changed her name to "Oshima" and debuted in the TV series "Super Electron Bio-Man" in 1984. At that time one part of JAC, "Asia Action", became independent and based in Hong Kong and Yukari decided to leave Japan. Chinese director Hung Kam-Bo gave her a bit part in the martial arts film "Shanghai Express" in 1986 and thus she began a career in Hong Kong until 1994, when after more than 20 Chinese films and a divorce from star Cheng Ho-Nam she established herself in the Philippines and changed her name for the second time to "Cynthia Luster" (Sincere Raster). Here she would participate in more than 20 films.- After studying Chinese and jazz dance from elementary school, at 17 years old, she won a national contest to find new talents, organized by Taiwanese TV, and shortly after she made several appearances on TV, and also got cast in a bit part in the Taiwanese film "Taipei Story" (1985), directed by Edward Yang. In 1987 she signed a contract with Hong Kong film studio D & B to replace Malaysian action star Michelle Yeoh and from then she starred in more than 20 martial arts films. From 1994 she combined her appearances in movies with TV series, making more than ten TV productions in only 5 years.
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Cynthia Rothrock is a martial arts expert and athlete, who went on to become a film actress, starring in a number of highly successful martial arts action movies. She first made a name as an action actress in Hong Kong before going on to wow audiences in her home turf. At the time of her popularity, she was well-known as the "Queen of Martial Arts films".
Cynthia Rothrock is the World Champion in martial arts Forms and Weapons (1981-1985). Her goal was to be undefeated and retire after five years. With over 100 competitions, she holds the undefeated worldwide record in martial arts Forms competition. In weapons competition, Cynthia is the first and only woman to win number one in North America against the men-at that time, women had to compete with the men. She holds five Black Belts with a rank of 8th Dan Grandmaster.
Upon completing her goal of being undefeated in competition, she began her martial arts acting career starring in movies produced and filmed in Hong Kong. Her first movie, Yes, Madam alongside Michelle Yeoh, broke box office records making her a massive star in Hong Kong. After three years of living in Hong Kong, finishing seven films, she returned to the United States to continue her acting career. Today she has starred in over 60 movies.
Rothrock has been a role model for women in martial arts and film. She made history by becoming the inaugural woman to grace the cover of Karate Illustrated (August 1981) and holds the distinction of being the first woman featured on the cover three times in the magazine's history.
In March 2024, Black Belt Magazine named Rothrock number one in its list of "The Most Influential Women Martial Artists on the Planet.". Rothrock is a proud inductee into the prestigious Black Belt Hall of Fame, along with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. In 2016 she was the first martial artist (male or female) to be inducted into the prestigious International Sports Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman.- Actor
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Philip Kwok began his career as a circus acrobat and worked in the Peking Opera, unlike many others, he had not aspired to work in the film industry. He began working as a stuntman and eventually worked his way into leading roles. His performance in Boxer Rebellion caught Director Chang Cheh's attention and he cast him in Marco Polo as Chung Fung. In 1976 Philip Kwok went to work for Shaw Brothers as an actor. In 1978 he made The Five Venoms as the leading man, and even though he didn't have leading man looks, he did have Charles Bronson tough guy charisma, and this launched him into other Shaw ventures as the male lead and the action choreographer. These films included The Rebel Intruders, The Flag Of Iron, The Sword Stained With Royal Blood and Ode To Gallantry. In 1981, Philip Kwok went back to Taiwan with the support of Chang. There he founded a film company with his Taiwanese colleagues Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng. One of their productions was Ruthless Tactics, in which he starred and directed. Peacock King, Hard Boiled, A Chinese Ghost Story and The Touch were a few of the films where he was Action Director.
In the 1980's the Kung Fu genre became less popular and, like so many Kung Fu actors, Philip Kwok's career eventually slowed down as well. During this period of time he work in the television industry as both an actor and as an action choreographer.
Philip Kwok is a very versatile action actor. He plays comedic as well as straight roles as well as leading man and villain. Some of his best work can be seen in Magnificent Ruffians, Masked Avengers and Hard Boiled, where he played the eye patch wearing Mad Dog.- Stunts
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Jeremy Marinas is known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), The Wolverine (2013) and The LXD: The Uprising Begins (2010).- Actor
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Jet Li born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China. He started training at the Beijing wushu academy (wushu is China's national sport, largely a performance version of various martial art styles) at age eight. He won five gold medals in the Chinese championships, his first when he was only 11. In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20 he had starred in his first movie: The Shaolin Temple (1982), which started the 1980s Kung-Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung-Fu boom. His first directorial effort was Born to Defense (1988).- Actor
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Sonny Chiba was born as Sadao Maeda in Fukuoka, Japan on January 22, 1939. His father was a military test pilot. During his youth, he had an interest in both theater & gymnastics. He was talented enough to make the Japanese Olympic Team until a chronic back injury ended his career. However, he took a strong interest in karate under the guidance of the Mas Oyama during college & soon earned his first black belt. However, his life changed again when he was discovered during a talent search by Toei Studios in 1960. He soon began his screen career under the name Shinichi Chiba, appearing as the space chief in Uchu Kaisoku-ken. Over the next decade, he busied himself w/ appearances in Japanese crime thrillers, steadily building a reputation for playing hard men of few words & direct actions.
With his proficiency in karate, judo & kenpo, he took advantage of the early 1970s martial arts boom sparked by Bruce Lee. He starred in The Street Fighter (1974), playing a mercenary style street thug who would do anything for a price & take on anyone, even the yakuza. The approach of the film was quite different from the Bruce Lee films in that Lee only eliminated his enemies when he was defending his friends or his honor. Instead, he was only aiming for a fistful of dollars for his deadly services & would engage in mortal combat for the highest bidder, although this often clouded his judgement to his own detriment. The only person the Street Fighter respects is his martial arts teacher, karate master Masaoko who manages to easily out smart & out fight him. Upon its release, the film was criticized for its excessive violence.
A sequel quickly followed w/ him back in Return of the Street Fighter (1974), which was then followed by a third Street Fighter movie starring Etsuko Shihomi in the gritty Sister Street Fighter (1974). There was a fourth & final film in the series Gyakushu Satsujin ken.
He had firmly established himself as a key anti-hero of Asian martial arts cinema who said little & used his fists to sort out his troubles. With the demand high from fans, he remained busy on screen for the next 20 years, starring in numerous Japanese film & TV productions w/ an emphasis on bruising fights, samurai swords, yakuza gangsters & beautiful girls in trouble.
Outside of Japan, the Street Fighter film series has achieved enduring popularity through many midnight cult screenings. Their style heavily influenced Quentin Tarantino. He has used strong references & imagery from the Street Fighter movies in several of his films including True Romance (1993) and Pulp Fiction (1994). When he came around to casting for Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), he was eager to have Chiba accept the key role of the hot headed & sometimes humorous Okinawan sword maker Hanzo Hattori. He continued to be a major figure & influence in the world-wide passion in martial arts movies for over 3 decades, contributing to the genre by encouraging & training young hopefuls seeking to make their mark on screen.
He passed away on August 19, 2021.- Actress
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Qiu Yuen apprenticed Chinese martial arts and Beijing-opera skills with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung as well as Kam-Bo under the same master, Yu Jim-yuen, whilst at the Beijing Opera School (part of the Chinese Drama Academy).
Early in her career, Cheung Cheun Nam (aka Qiu Yuen) worked briefly as a female stunt artist and as a night club performer during the late 60s 'til the early 70s.
Feeling the future for female stunt artists was not promising, she took a hiatus from her career, and got married.
In 1974 at the age of 24 Qiu Yuen had a small role in her (at the time) one and only international production, in the James Bond film, "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974). She portrayed a student who rescues Roger Moore
Having been away from Hong Kong's film business for more than 28 years, she again starred in the international smash hit, Kung Fu Hustle (2004), just by chance. Qiu Yuen was only accompanying a junior woman fellow (of China Drama Academy) to the audition, but Stephen Chow, the director and star, soon noticed Yuen Qiu. Reports note Stephen Chow got her to agree to appear after much persuasion.
Her first grandchild was born in 2004.- Actor
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Born in Indonesia to Cantonese parents, Lo migrated to Hong Kong in his teens, where he attended acting school and in 1962 joined the Shaw Bros. film company. By 1969 he had become the first kungfu superstar, preceding the legendary Bruce Lee. He acted in more than 100 films, usually cast as villains, then turned to directing in the 1980s. For over a decade ending in 1999, Lo was involved in television work in Hong Kong, until failing health forced him into semi-retirement.- Actor
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Hsiao Hou was born in Henan China in 1958 and was schooled in the Chinese Opera by the famous Fan Kuk-Fa in Bejing as a very young child. He was discovered by Lar Kar-Leung (Liu Chia-Liang) in 1978 and later became a disciple of the martial artist/director for a number of years. His astonishing acrobatics and martial artistry also earned Hsiao a contract with Shaw Brothers, the leading HK movie studio at the time. He has appeared in 23 movies.
Hsiao Hou is most famous for Mad Monkey Kung Fu (1979), the revenge tale of compassionate street urchin Monkey, who becomes the apprentice of a crippled Kung Fu master (Liu Chia Liang also known as Lau Kar Leung). A few years later, Hsiao would later take the lead role in the cult hit My Young Auntie playing the spoiled westernized teen of a traditional father (Liu Chia-Liang) and young aunt (Kara Hui). Hsiao Hou would take roles in the Kung Fu comedies Cat Vs. Rat (directed by Lau Kar Leung) and the lead in Fake Ghost Catchers, directed by Lau Kar Wing. His final role as a leading actor for Shaw Brothers was his fearless portrayal of Chinese legend Fong Sai Yok in the movie Disciples of the 36th Chamber, the third entry in the 36 Chamber movies. In later years, Hou would become action director for the movie Shaolin Avengers (1994).
In 1980 Hou became a disciple of Lau Kar Leung (who had only taken less than 10 disciples in his lifetime). Often, Hsiao Hou would complete many scenes in Lau Kar Leung movies as a stunt man due to the high degree of difficulty. He was described by Lau Kar Leung as "the most enjoyable action star in his class". Hou became his assistant martial arts director for several of Lau Kar Leung's movies in the early 80s. Along with action stars Kara Hui, Gordon Liu, and Alexander Fu Sheng, Lau Kar Leung's students were thought to be the brightest of the time, with projected future success.
However, in the mid-eighties, Shaw Brothers moved into TV producing and many of its actors took small roles in other movies, eventually fading into obscurity. Lau Kar Leung stopped making movies and eventually, Hsaio Hou defected to Sammo Hung's Ban which was described as somewhat "overbearing".
Hsiao Hou would later take the role of "disfigured swordsman" in Iron Monkey (1993) and a role as a crime lord in What'a Hero! He has actively worked as a stunt coordinator and stunt actor into the late 1990s. His last movie as an action coordinator was 1994's Kung Fu Kid (also known as Shaolin Avengers).
Bey Logan, noted HK movie expert had a brief encounter with Hsiao on the set of Iron Monkey and said Hsiao has a habit of making "Monkey faces" but learned to control them while filming movies. Little is known about Hsiao to date, but he is long admired as being one of the best most underrated HK action stars in the history of HK cinema and maintains a cult following because of his skills. He was last seen in the movie One Night in Mongkok (2004), appearing briefly in the first ten minutes of the film.- Actor
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Billy Chong was born on 10 February 1957 in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. He is an actor and director, known for Duel: The Last Choice (2014), Dust in the Machine (1995) and Kung Fu Zombie (1981). He was previously married to Betharia Sonata.- Actor
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Japanom Yeerum was born on February 5, 1976, in the northeastern province of Surin, Thailand. His parents were elephant herders. Jaa watched martial arts films as a young kid and began to emulate some of his idols, from Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Li. Jaa studied martial arts at the local temple school and later under a scholarship at the Physical Education College in Khon Kaen, Thailand where he continued to study Muay Boran, Muay Thai, Wushu, Judo and Tae-Kwan-Do. Jaa later did some stunt for in a film for 'Panna Rittikrai', This resulted in Jaa being seen and getting work, doubling for Robin Shou and James Remar in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), and when his demo reel was seen by director Prachya Pinkaew, the film Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003) was created for Jaa. He adopted the English name Tony Jaa. In 2013, after ending his association with Sahamongkol Film, Jaa was contracted by Universal Studio's for a role in Fast and Furious 7. Jaa now has starring roles in several international films being filmed in 2014 and is concentrating his efforts more towards international audiences.- Actor
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Hiroyuki Sanada was born on October 12, 1960 in Tokyo. He made his film debut when he was 5 in Rokyoku komori-uta (1965) (Shin'ichi Chiba played the lead role.) His father died when he was 11. He joined Japan Action Club, organized & run by Sonny Chiba, when he was 12. He 1st became famous as an action star for his role in Yagyu Clan Conspiracy (1978) but is now known as one of the most talented actors in Japan. From 1999-2000, he played the fool in an English-language production of "King Lear" w/ members of the Royal Shakespeare Co as the 1st Japanese actor to act w/ the RSC. He received an honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) for this work. He & Satomi Tezuka split after 7 years in 1997.- Stunts
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Mike Möller grew up in a small village in East Germany. Since his childhood days he was very interested in various kind of sports and was always a huge movie fan. Especially martial arts and action films influenced and motivated him the most.
At the beginning he started to train martial arts on his own and creating his own workouts for strength and conditioning. Because there was no gym or martial arts school in his area. Later when he left his village because of learning a trade he started to train in a real gym and joined a Taekwondo club.
He also took every opportunity to shoot with his friends on his own little martial arts films.
Mike began his professional career when he was hired as a stuntman in 2000 with the great Donnie Yen. After that film, he worked with several national and international directors and stunt coordinators.
In 2003 he was nominated for the Taurus World Stunt Award in the Best Fight category for the movie "Half Past Dead".
In 2012, Mike released his first own independent martial arts movie "Urban Fighter" (aka "Street Gangs"). The film won the award for Best Action Picture at the Movieville International Film Festival.
In the same year he was casted in the lead role for the international action film "Atomic Eden", co-starring with Fred Williamson and Lorenzo Lamas.
And up to the present day things have not changed. He still spends a lot of time to improve all his martial arts skills and trains with different Martial Artists from Judo, Karate, Boxing and Wrestling. Also his love for movies hasn't faded away.- Actor
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Siu-Wong Fan was born in Hong Kong in 1973, the son of 1970s kung fu film actor Mei-Sheng Fan. At the age of 14, Siu-Wong traveled to Xushou on the request of his father to take up martial arts because he was virtually a toothpick. There, Siu-Wong studied gymnastics, kung fu, and taekwondo. Fan made his film debut as a teen in Zhi fa xian feng (1986), aka Righting Wrongs, alongside Biao Yuen, Cynthia Rothrock, and Corey Yuen. However, his breakout role came in 1991 when he starred as the titled character in Lik wong (1991), aka The Story of Ricky. By then, Siu-Wong has emerged into a true action star with the muscles to match. He continues to work in films today, although they are not exactly the big Hong Kong blockbusters everyone goes out to see.- Actor
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Johnny Tri Nguyen was born in Vietnam into a family with a rich martial arts tradition. At the age of 9, he immigrated to America. Throughout the 90s, Nguyen's talent in martial arts led him to compete and won many award in various championships as well as representing the US in the national Wushu team. His career in Hollywood started when he was recruited to be a stuntman for Mortal Kombat series (1998). He went on to double spiderman in Spiderman 2 (2004). Nguyen shifted his career toward acting when he played opposite Tony Jaa in The Protector (2005). Johnny Tri Nguyen quickly rose to stardom in Vietnam after The Rebel (2007), a film in which he also wrote and produced. Clash (2009) cemented Johnny Tri Nguyen as the premiere action star of South East Asia. In Thailand, Nguyen joined Force of Five (2009), then in 2011 he starred in one of South India's biggest blockbusters, 7aum Arivu. Johnny Tri Nguyen is the marquee in numerous Vietnamese hit movies of different genres, showcasing his range as an actor. His latest work was with Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods (2020).- Actor
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Jimmy Wang Yu was born on 28 March 1943 in Shanghai, China. He was an actor and producer, known for Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976), Dragon (2011) and Soul (2013). He was married to Jeanette Lin Tsui. He died on 5 April 2022 in Taipei, Taiwan.- Chintya Candranaya is known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Operation Dagon (2024) and VII XII (2023).
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D.Y.'s martial arts experience and talent allowed him to transition to the Hollywood film industry as a stuntman and martial arts expert coaching lead actor Simu Liu for Marvel's Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), while sharpening his acting skills in a number of projects including a lead role in Fast Vengeance (2021) with DMX and Bai Ling, a starring role in the awarding winning film How War Ends (2012) and acting among legends such as Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh in Everything, Everywhere All at Once (2022).
*History* Born in Battambang, Cambodia and raised in Long Beach, California, D.Y.'s martial arts journey began by imitating the works of Bruce Lee and Donnie Yen on his dinky living room carpet. He went on to absorb an array of styles from American Kickboxing and Cambodian Bokator to Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese Traditional weaponry. In 2003, D.Y. both graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and made the U.S. National Wushu Kung Fu Team representing America at World Games Macau, China. Thereafter, a stream of martial arts and film opportunities came his way from meeting Jet Li and Jackie Chan to becoming a disciple of the world-famous Shaolin Temple.- Actor
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Shane Kosugi was born on 25 May 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Seek (2023), The Last Samurai (2003) and Five by Five.- Actor
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Marko Zaror is a Chilean martial arts action star and fight choreographer, currently residing in Los Angeles, California. His career began as a young boy with a passion for martial arts and fighting, his mother, a Black belt in Karate took him to the gym when he was just a baby. Inspired by Bruce Lee, at the age of six he started training himself, and by the age of 18 Marko had become an exceptional martial artist. Marko moved to Mexico and quickly found success in modeling by doing fashion shows until he receive a study grant in Televisa. After acting on local movies, Despite this success, he never lost his passion for martial arts and decided to move to Los Angeles. Zaror's first break into the Hollywood industry was by doing Dawne " The Rock " Johnson stunt double on the movie "The Rundown" where he won a World Stunt award.
Zaror then gained international notoriety as lead and producer of indie action cult Kitro, Mirageman, Mandrill and Redeemer, all premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas where they achieved international and domestic distribution. In his first American film, he was nominated for best villain with his performance of "Dolor" in Isaac Florentine's "Undisputed 3", where he earned worldwide fans for his physical skills and acting.
His big break was when Robert Rodriguez discovered and wrote him a role in Machete Kills. Since then, Marko has developed a promising career with several performances in series and movies that include the series From Dusk Till Dawn with the epic character of "Zolo" and now Hollywood most anticipated Action saga of 2023 John Wick 4 as "Chidi" one of Wick's main pursuers in the film.
Zaror latest film Fist of The Condor, which recently had its world premiere at the 2023 Rotterdam Film Festival in Germany, has been selected for the Alamo Drafthouse Fantastic Fest Presents series.- Actor
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Born in Philadelphia, Michael came from a line of German sailors on one side and American Delaware Indians on the other. As a 10 year old Michael directed his first film entitle The Tire. It was shot with a super-8 camera his mother bought him. He continued making short films into his late teens. During his early teens, Michael had a few small parts in film and television. Living with his dog in a truck for six months in Los Angeles to save money, he worked odd jobs and construction work, taking whatever small parts he could as he climbed the Hollywood ladder. His first lead came with the film Final Impact (1992) for which Variety deemed him "a promising newcomer." He worked in a series of low-budget films before landing a part in the TV series Acapulco H.E.A.T. (1993). He had a close call with greater fame from being second choice for the role of Robin in Batman Forever (1995). Michael wrote and directed the independent Killing Cupid (2005) which gained him a Best Director nomination at the Action On Film Film Festival in 2005 as well as winning Best Fiction Film at the Hollywood Fiction Film and Video Festival in 2006. He wrote and recently completed appearing the psychological thriller/western Dual (2008) which won Best Independent Action Film. His second directorial work is the drama God's Ears (2008).- Actor
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John Liu was born on 20 May 1944 in Taiwan. He is an actor and director, known for The Invincible Armour (1977), Sha shou ying (1981) and New York Ninja (2021).