Top 10 Martial Artist Actors of All Time
10. Scott Adkins
Scott Edward Adkins was born in a town in Birmingham, England on 17 June 1976. His first interest in martial arts was in judo at the age of 10 when he visited a small judo academy with his father and his elder brother. His interest in martial arts grew even more. He began to practice Taekwondo from this same year. At the age of 16, he started practicing Kickboxing. Eventually, he became a kickboxing instructor. Scott Adkins also trained in Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, Ninjutsu, Krav Maga, Karate, Capoeira, Wushu, and Acrobatic Gymnastics. Scott Adkins started his career in acting in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Dei Seung Chui Keung (2001) also known as Extreme Challenge. He had an opportunity to work with Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung, and Jackie Chan. Then he was offered a guest role in the BBC’s Doctors (2000). Scott Adkins’s portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces (2003) and Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006) were the films that broke him into the mainstream.
9.Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray “Chuck” Norris commonly called as Chuck Norris was born in Ryan, Oklahoma on March 10, 1940. Chuck Norris worked as an American martial artist, actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was an officer in the US Air Force. Norris was dispatched from the U.S. Air Force in August 1962. He opened a martial arts academy. Norris won many martial arts championships and later founded his own style, Chun Kuk Do. Chuck Norris holds black belts in Tang Soo Do, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Judo. Norris trained celebrities of Hollywood in martial arts. Chuck Norris firstly appeared in minor roles in movies. Then Bruce Lee invited him to play one of the main villains in Way of the Dragon (1972). Chuck Norris is a writer and has written books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy, western novels, and biography.
8.Tony Jaa
Tatchakorn Yeerum internationally known as Tony Jaa was born in Surin, Thailand on 5 February 1976. Tony Jaa’s inspirations were Bruce Lee, Jackie chan, and Jet li. Jaa began training for Muay Thai at the local temple from age 10 and at age 15 he requested to become a student of stuntman and action film director Panna Rittikrai. At first Tony worked as a stuntman for 14 years for muay Thai stunts. After doing roles in movies he doubled for Sammo Hung when the actor was making a commercial advertisement. He is famous for his films which include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003), Tom-Yum-Goong (2005), Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008), Furious 7 (2015), SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015), and Paradox (2017).
7. Iko Uwais
Iko Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia on 12 February 1983. Iko Uwais worked as an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist. Uwais’s grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat. Silat is an Indonesian traditional martial art. Uwais started learning silat from the age of 10. Uwais became National Champion in 2005 in the Silat Demonstration category. Gareth Evans,Welsh film Director discovered Uwais’s talent as a martial arts actor when he visited Uwais’s silat academy in 2007. He is best known for his roles in the action films Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), The Raid 2 (2014), Headshot (2016), Mile 22 (2018), The Night Comes for Us (2018), Stuber (2019) and the Netflix series Wu Assassins (2019–present).
6.Michael Jai White
Michael Richard Jai White was born in Brooklyn, New York on 10 November 1967. Michael Jai White worked as an American actor and martial artist. Michael Jai White is a martial artist who holds a black belt in eight different styles which are Shōtōkan, Taekwondo, Kobudō, Goju-Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wushu, and Kyokushin, with a specific interest in Kyokushin Karate. At the age of 7, White started training for Jiu-Jitsu. Then white learned Shotokan and moved on to other styles. White’s first major starring role and breakout performance were in the 1995 HBO film Tyson, where he played the character of Mike Tyson. White Trained often with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
5.Jean Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg professionally known as Jean Claude Van Damme was born in Brussels, Belgium on 18 October 1960. Van Damme worked as a Belgian actor and martial artist. Van Damme is a black belt in karate and he is also trained as a kickboxer and also Mr. Belgium for bodybuilding. Van Damme began training for martial arts at the age of ten in a Shōtōkan karate academy. Van Damme joined the national center of karate, Belgium and after training, for four years he was selected in the Belgian Karate Team. When the Belgium Karate Team won the European Karate Championship on 26 December 1979 Van Damme was a member of this team when he was 12. He is popular for his films which include Bloodsport (1988), Cyborg (1989), Kickboxer (1989), Lionheart (1990), Death Warrant (1990), Double Impact (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), Nowhere to Run (1993), Hard Target (1993), Timecop (1994), Street Fighter (1994), Sudden Death (1995), The Quest (1996), Maximum Risk (1996), JCVD (2008), Jean-Claude van Johnson (2016–2017 series), and The Bouncer (2018).
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