James Lew
James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. Raised in South Central Los Angeles, James Lew's destiny was to answer a cattle call in Hollywood for the hugely popular Kung Fu (1972) television series. He went on to star in the now collectible Hong Kong film, Young Dragon (1976). He made the move to big budget studio films in 1984. John Carpenter handpicked him as the Martial Arts Choreographer for 20th Century Fox's now cult film, Big Trouble in Little China (1986).
Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, David Carradine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Madonna, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathleen Turner, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Lee, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on.
James was voted "Favorite Action Star" by fans of Inside Martial Arts magazine. Internet fans voted him into the Hall of Fame in the Martial Arts History Museum. Inside Kung Fu Magazine inducted him as one of the "Martial Arts Greats" alongside legends as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and his longtime friend Jackie Chan.
Hit Parader Magazine dubbed him "the king of big-screen martial arts villains." From the deadly killer in Red Sun Rising (1994) to the deadly fighter in the comedy spoof Hot Shots 2 (1993), Lew has proven his chops in both drama and comedy. As a stunt/fight coordinator his creative talents shone in the television series The Crow to recent work on the hit video game, The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005). He handpicked elite members for his company, "Hong Kong Wire Action Team," to bring state of the art action to movies. His formula for longevity in the film industry is diversity, hard work and having a whole lot of fun.
Most recently, James Lew wrote, directed and starred in a movie inspired by his personal experiences in the business titled 18 Fingers of Death! (2006). The story follows Buford Lee (James Lew), the most famous unknown "B"-minus, low-budget, martial-arts movie star and Ronald Mack (Maurice Patton), a young black kid from the hood. Together they laugh and bond together on their quest to finally make Buford's break out movie, 18 Fingers of Death! (2006).
Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, David Carradine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Madonna, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathleen Turner, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Lee, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on.
James was voted "Favorite Action Star" by fans of Inside Martial Arts magazine. Internet fans voted him into the Hall of Fame in the Martial Arts History Museum. Inside Kung Fu Magazine inducted him as one of the "Martial Arts Greats" alongside legends as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and his longtime friend Jackie Chan.
Hit Parader Magazine dubbed him "the king of big-screen martial arts villains." From the deadly killer in Red Sun Rising (1994) to the deadly fighter in the comedy spoof Hot Shots 2 (1993), Lew has proven his chops in both drama and comedy. As a stunt/fight coordinator his creative talents shone in the television series The Crow to recent work on the hit video game, The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005). He handpicked elite members for his company, "Hong Kong Wire Action Team," to bring state of the art action to movies. His formula for longevity in the film industry is diversity, hard work and having a whole lot of fun.
Most recently, James Lew wrote, directed and starred in a movie inspired by his personal experiences in the business titled 18 Fingers of Death! (2006). The story follows Buford Lee (James Lew), the most famous unknown "B"-minus, low-budget, martial-arts movie star and Ronald Mack (Maurice Patton), a young black kid from the hood. Together they laugh and bond together on their quest to finally make Buford's break out movie, 18 Fingers of Death! (2006).
Known for
Made in Chinatown
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
Maximum Impact
I'm Dying Up Here
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
Westworld
Breakout
Frankenstein
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Hijacked
The Girl from the Naked Eye
Safe
Death Valley
Mortal Kombat: Legacy
Inception
Killers
Ballistica
Angel of Death
Star Trek
Childrens Hospital
Tropic Thunder
Get Smart
Superhero Movie
Chuck
Rush Hour 3
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
The Circuit III: Final Flight
18 Fingers of Death!
Entourage
Sin
The Real Deal
CSI: Miami
She Spies
Outside the Law
Ultimate Fights from the Movies
Alias
Rush Hour 2
Planet of the Apes
Traffic
Deep Core
Strong Medicine
Gedo
Rush Hour
Lethal Weapon 4
Safe House
Boogie Boy
The Replacement Killers
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
Robo Warriors
High Voltage
Assault on Dome 4
Escape from L.A.
Balance of Power
Night Hunter
For Life or Death
Excessive Force II: Force on Force
Nowhere Man
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Midnight Man
Ballistic
Star Trek: Voyager
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Timecop
Red Sun Rising
The Shadow
Blue Tiger
Weird Science
On Deadly Ground
Babylon 5
Deadly Target
Private Wars
Frasier
Undercover Blues
Power Rangers
Hot Shots! Part Deux
Walker, Texas Ranger
American Ninja 5
Ulterior Motives
Mission of Justice
Rapid Fire
Ring of Fire
Martial Law II: Undercover
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Double Impact
Do or Die
Night of the Warrior
The Perfect Weapon
Guns
Aftershock
Martial Law
Best of the Best
Savage Beach
Family Matters
Nasty Boys
Ninja Academy
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
They Live
Roseanne
Action Jackson
Zodiac America 2: Evil Destroyer
Beauty and the Beast
Big Trouble in Little China
MacGyver
Growing Pains
Los Angeles Streetfighter
Killpoint
Going Berserk
T. J. Hooker
Young Dragon
The Fantastic Seven
Big Time
Enforcer from Death Row
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie