Martial arts film stars can be classified into two types: genuine martial artists who pursued a film career, versus regular actors without martial arts skills who performed in martial arts film under the directions of action choreographers.
Asian martial arts film stars
Chin Tsi-ang became the first martial arts film star at age 16 in 1925, having begun training at age 8. Sammo Hung is her grandson.
Kwan Tak-Hing was the original celluloid Wong Fei-Hung, starring as the Hung Gar master in roughly 100 films from the late 1940s to the 1960s, possibly the most prolific movie series ever.[citation needed] Kwan himself was a master of Tibetan White Crane rather than Hung Gar and specialized in the use of the whip.
Yu So Chow is probably the best known female martial arts actress of the 1950s and '60s.[citation needed] She starred in over 170 martial arts films, still a record among all actresses.
Connie Chan Po-chu, a Cantonese screen idol who grew up starring in wuxia films during the 1960s and was famous for her male roles.
Ti Lung was one of the most prolific martial arts stars of Shaw Brothers films, appearing in over 100 films and winning 2 Golden Horse awards for Best Actor, for Blood Brothers (1973) and A Better Tomorrow (1986). He was often paired with David Chiang, and was an expert in long pole techniques.
David Chiang was an early star of martial arts films. He has been in over 100 films, over a third with Shaw Brothers, and won a Golden Horse award for Best Actor for his role in Vengeance (1970). Together with Ti Lung, he was part of the best-known duo of kung fu films.
Bruce Lee was one of the most influential martial artists of the 20th century. His movie, Enter the Dragon (1973), was one of the films that brought the genre into mainstream Western acceptance. His fame also helped popularize Wing Chun, the martial art that he originally trained in, and Jeet Kune Do, the martial art that he later created based on one's own personal preferences, applying modified techniques from various styles.
Bolo Yeung practiced martial arts from childhood, and also became a professional bodybuilder. He also starred in Enter the Dragon. His favorite martial art is Tai Chi.
Jackie Chan continued this crossover during the 80s and 90s, finally conquering the US market with Rumble in the Bronx (1995) and the three Rush Hour films. He is renowned for his blend of martial arts and slapstick comedy, but has directed, action directed and starred in over 50 films of almost all conceivable genres. Despite intensive martial arts training from a Chinese opera school, he often tells people that he is an actor, not a martial artist.
Sammo Hung was a fellow opera school student of Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. He has directed, action directed and starred in numerous Hong Kong films, as well as playing the leading role in the American TV series Martial Law.
Leung Kar Yan : had no formal martial arts training but was skilled at mimicking moves given to him by the action choreographer.
Lam Ching Ying learned Peking Opera at the Spring and Autumn Drama School in Hong Kong.
Jet Li won the Chinese national wushu championships five times in a row before becoming a movie star, starting with the 1982 film Shaolin Temple. His role in Lethal Weapon 4 was the first film to gain him notoriety in the US market.
Donnie Yen learned wushu and tai chi from a young age and trained in Beijing.
Michelle Yeoh : A dancer turned actress. No formal martial arts training.
Zhang Ziyi : Another dancer/gymnast turned actress. No formal martial arts training.
Stephen Chow is primarily a comedian, though he has starred in many martial arts-themed films. He admits he has received very little training in kung fu, though he did learn various forms of Wing Chun by watching instructional videos on television.
Chuck Norris learned Tang Soo Do (tangsudo), a martial art similar to taekwondo, while in Korea as well as his 8th Dan Black Belt in taekwondo. Norris also trained with Bruce Lee. Chuck Norris created the mixed martial art, Chun Kuk Do.
David Carradine : knew nothing about martial arts until winning the lead role in the Kung Fu television series, after which he developed an interest and has become an avid practitioner.
Mark Dacascos won many karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 9 and 18.[1] He gained international recognition for his role in Brotherhood of the Wolf (which became the second-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States in the last two decades[2]) .
Darren Shahlavi is from England he has worked in Hong Kong films such as Yuen Woo Ping's Tai Chi Boxer and Bloodmoon, he now works in American films such as I Spy opposite Eddie Murphy, his martial arts background is in Judo, Karate and Kickboxing.
Jeff Speakman Trained with Kenpo Ed Parker, Larry Tatum and others, receiving his black belt in 1984. He has subsequently obtained a sixth-degree rank in kenpo, and also currently holds a 7th-degree black belt in the Goju-Ryu Karate style which he began to study under Lou Angel starting in 1978. He heads the AKKS (American Kenpo Karate System) organization. He starred in The Perfect Weapon which is the best depiction of Kenpo techniques on film.
