Biography
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).
Filmography
all 115
Movies 93
TV Shows 22
Director 2
self 1
Producer 1
Made in Chinatown (2021)
Henchman: The Al Leong Story (2018)
Cucuy: The Boogeyman (2018)
Maximum Impact (2017)
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine (2017)
Westworld (2016)
Black Salt (2015)
Frankenstein (2015)
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser (2015)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Hijacked (2012)
The Girl from the Naked Eye (2012)
Safe (2012)
Death Valley (2011)
Killers (2010)
Ballistica (2009)
Angel of Death (2009)
Star Trek (2009)
Childrens Hospital (2008)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Get Smart (2008)
Superhero Movie (2008)
Fight Science (2008)
Chuck (2007)
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Fight Science (2007)
The Circuit III: Final Flight (2006)
18 Fingers of Death! (2006)
Shira: The Vampire Samurai (2005)
Entourage (2004)
LArceny (2004)
Sin (2003)
The Real Deal (2002)
CSI: Miami (2002)
She Spies (2002)
Outside the Law (2002)
Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)
Alias (2001)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Traffic (2000)
Deep Core (2000)
Gedo (2000)
Rush Hour (1998)
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Safe House (1998)
Boogie Boy (1998)
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons (1997)
Robo Warriors (1997)
High Voltage (1997)
Assault on Dome 4 (1996)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Balance of Power (1996)
Night Hunter (1996)
For Life or Death (1996)
Excessive Force II: Force on Force (1995)
Nowhere Man (1995)
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
Midnight Man (1995)
Ballistic (1995)
Star Trek: Voyager (1995)
Cage II: The Arena of Death (1994)
Timecop (1994)
Red Sun Rising (1994)
The Shadow (1994)
Blue Tiger (1994)
Weird Science (1994)
On Deadly Ground (1994)
Babylon 5 (1994)
Deadly Target (1994)
Private Wars (1993)
Frasier (1993)
Showdown (1993)
Undercover Blues (1993)
Power Rangers (1993)
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
American Ninja 5 (1993)
Ulterior Motives (1993)
Mission of Justice (1992)
Rapid Fire (1992)
Ring of Fire (1991)
Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
Double Impact (1991)
Do or Die (1991)
Night of the Warrior (1991)
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Guns (1990)
Aftershock (1990)
Martial Law (1990)
Best of the Best (1989)
Savage Beach (1989)
Family Matters (1989)
Nasty Boys (1989)
Ninja Academy (1989)
Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects (1989)
They Live (1988)
Roseanne (1988)
Action Jackson (1988)
Zodiac America 2: Evil Destroyer (1988)
Beauty and the Beast (1987)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Growing Pains (1985)
Los Angeles Streetfighter (1985)
Killpoint (1984)
Going Berserk (1983)
T. J. Hooker (1982)
Young Dragon (1979)
The Fantastic Seven (1979)
Big Time (1977)
Enforcer from Death Row (1976)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1952-09-06 (71 years old)
Birth PlaceEscalon, United States of America
RelationshipsPamela Gidley (2005-01-01 - 2008-01-01)
SpouseJordanna Potter
ChildrenRyan Potter
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsJames Jene Fae Lew
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
- James Lew
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