Top 5 Most Popular Martial Arts Actors Born in the UK Or USA

Top 5 Most Popular Martial Arts Actors Born in the UK Or USA

Whenever there is action, that means that there are not only car chases, explosions, shootings and guns but also fists, punches and roundkicks. Many of the martial arts actors in the Funny Action Movie genre master a huge collection of deadly techniques, which they use in close combat scenes.

In fact, most of these martial arts actors used to compete in official tournaments at the very dawn of their acting careers and then they used the fame gained to establish themselves in the cinema industry. More or less (in most cases more) the martial arts are taking a huge part in their lives.

What a better way to become an action star when there is a real, heart pounding action in your life, right?

Here is a list of the top five martial arts actors a.k.a. killing machines, who can terminate you with their bare hands. These machos have a proven record in the real life fighting world and they based their movie careers on the martial arts knowledge.

1.Bruce Lee (1940-1973)

A lot of things were said and written about probably the most influential figure in the martial arts movie industry. Where exactly the fiction meets reality can sometimes be difficult to determine but one thing leaves no doubt- Bruce Lee had kung fu in his blood. The man was breathing martial arts.

Many people don't know that Lee Jun Fan (as his real name was) was an accomplished cha-cha dancer and championship winner. Officially, he had only five years of formal martial arts training under the guidance of another legend- "Sifu Yip Man".

Yip Man taught Bruce the art of wing chun kung fu- a self defense technique from close range combat. By the way, if you haven't seen the three Yip Man movies starring Donnie Yen, you definitely might want to check them out. Believe me it is well worth your time.

Because of his hot temper and the police issues he had in Hong Kong, his parents suggested him to try his luck in the United States where he was initially born.

While he was living in America, Lee opened a kung fu school and eventually became associated with many key figures in the U.S. martial arts scene. Soon he was noticed by famous Hollywood producers. The rest is a history.

His genuine talent and unbelievable speed has established him as a leading authority in the mixed martial arts and cinema scenes.

Among the most memorable movies, revealing his magical martial arts techniques are "Enter the Dragon", "The Way of the Dragon" and "Fists of Fury". And yes, those are great funny action movies.

2.Michael Jai White (1967)

3rd dan Black Belt in Shotokan Karate, 3rd dan Black Belt in Goju Ryu,3rd degree Black Belt in Kyokushin, 2nd degree Black Belt in Taekwondo, 1st degree Black Belt in Tang Soo Do. Do you still wonder why Michael Jai White takes part in this prestigious martial arts actors list?

If you still do, then let me tell you that the muscular build international box office sensation has eight black belts in eight different martial arts forms. Pretty impressive, isn't it? The man is no joke at all.

Honored with the title Man of the Year by the popular "Black Belt" magazine in 2014 and inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, Michael Jai White is allegedly the most accomplished, highly trained action star in America.

Michael also often does comedy and drama movies which makes him a pretty versatile artist.

I strongly suggest that you check out Blood and Bone, Never Back Down: No Surrender, and Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing.

3. Chuck Norris (1940)

Don't worry, he is in the list, don't rush to kill me, please.

By the way, did you know that Chuck Norris has already been to Mars and that is why there are no signs of life?

OK let's get serious here.

It is just impossible not to include in the list the first ever Westerner in the history of the Tae Kwon Do, honored with the rank of 8th degree Black Belt Grand Master title.

During his impressive martial arts career, Carlos Ray Norris has won numerous tournaments. His name is also in the Martial Arts History Museum's Hall of Fame. He was several times on the cover of the Black Belt magazine and in 2000, Chuck Norris has been given the Golden Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame.

He also has a rich and successful military career with many different medals and honorary awards.

In his movies, he is rarely even wounded and he kicks tough asses for breakfast.

In case you have missed to watch the legendary on screen fight between Chuck and Bruce Lee in the funny action movie called "Way of the dragon", please watch it. It is superb.

Another legendary actioners (the list is huge) starring Chuck Norris are "The Delta Force", "Missing in Action" and lately "Expendables 2".

4. Steven Seagal (1952)

You surely remember how brightly The Master of Aikido shines in "Under Siege" and "Above the Law". Steven can easily break your arms like if they are toothpicks.

Lord Steven, as one of his nickname is, holds a 7th degree black belt in Aikido- a Japanese martial art which teaches how to harmonize your moves to your opponent's body motions (or attacks). The idea of this martial art form is to defend yourself without hurting your attacker.

Well, at least in his movies, Steven Seagal doesn't follow this rule because all of his opponents die painfully.

What is interesting about this iconic actor is the fact that he is the first ever foreigner to open a dojo in Japan where he is a respected Aikido instructor.

Steven is also a well-known musician who travels the world with his band and some time ago he was a Reserve Deputy Chief in Louisiana Sheriff's office.

5. Scott Adkins (1976)

The most complete fighter in the world "Yuri Boyka", a.k.a. Scott Adkins was born in the United Kingdom in 1976.

He holds a black belt in kickboxing, which he achieved when he was only 19 years old. His spectacular martial arts skills come from knowing ninjutsu, judo, Karate, jujutsu, wushu, Krav Maga, capoeira and Jeet Kun Do. I don't know about you but I'm pretty impressed!

Scott Adkins is mostly known for his stunningly beautiful and complex fight choreography in the smashing hit "Undisputed 2: Last man standing" and the followed sequel" Undisputed 3: Redemption".

The fans are impatiently waiting the fourth installment of the franchise and the third with Scott starring in it. The direct-to-video movie is coming on 17th January 2017 in the U.S.A. ("Boyka: Undisputed IV"). All of the four movies were shot in Bulgaria.

Scott's heart stopping martial arts skills have gained him mainstream success and roles in various mainstream blockbusters like "Expendables 2", "Doctor Strange", "The Bourne Ultimatum" and many others.

So here it was the list of the TOP FIVE American or United Kingdom born martial arts actors. Stay healthy by not messing around with these tough nice guys.

The Decline and Fall of Martial Arts Films and the Rise of the Action Blockbuster Movie

Comparing martial arts films of the 1970s to the action blockbusters of 2009/10

Red Cliff, Ip Man and True Legend are already iconic of the early 21st century "martial arts films"-although many can argue they are more action spectacle than true "kung fu" films. The 1970s, on the other hand, didn't rely on eye-candy effects and were defined more by the true grit of its martial arts actors: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, the Five Venoms, Tomisaburo Wakayama, Jimmy Wong, and other real fighters trained in genuine kung fu, karate and other arts.

Martial Arts Becomes Mainstream But Evolves Into Spectacle

Cult classics such as Enter the Dragon helped change Hollywood. Its growing popularity forced filmmakers to adopt martial arts into the formula of the "action flick." Through the eighties and nineties, spectacle thrillers were expected to deliver "the fight moves", even if it was only a few basic moves supported by some stuntmen and wires. Action movies became spectacles that required equal blends of story, drama, pace, "kung fu", special effects and improbable plot twists.

In the 21st century, this became less "equal" with films relying first on special effects, then improbably plot twists (surprise is important, right?), followed by pace, martial arts skills, drama and-last and possibly least today-story. This trend extended even to the hot movies of the last few years, including Kung Fu Panda, Forbidden Kingdom, G.I. Joe and even the Transformers.

Asian Film Industry Threatens to Out-Spectacle Hollywood

With the full support and weight of China's cultural industries, Asian film has blossomed into mainstream spectacles in high demand, led by CGI treats such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers and other instant classics. Arguably, Asian film long ago surpassed Hollywood for imagination, with the western producers buying rights to several hugely successful Asian films. With the largest population demographic in the world, there can be no doubt that Chinese films are set to dominate the film industry in years to come.

Red Cliff and Ip Man are perhaps the best known of these new hit-classics, but the rumor mills and fansites are buzzing with all the latest "coming soon" gossip. The big buz movies in 2010 is True Legend (Su Qi Er), starring Zhao Wen-Zho as the historical Begger Su, the originator of drunken kung fu. Donnie Yen returns in both part 2 of the Ip Man saga and in the much anticipated 14 Blades. Chow Yun-Fat breaks the mold and surprises everyone in his role as Confucius.

Both Hollywood and Asia Rely on CGI and Special Effects

The growing spectacle and importance of the "action film" is both enjoyable to the escapist and annoying for the aficionado of the true martial arts. While the actors in many of the films-in particular Asian films-are genuine martial artists (for example, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Chow Yun-Fat)-the over-dependence on CGI and elaborate choreography turns the adventure into comic book. With notable exceptions, such as Ip Man and Tony Jaa in Ong Bak (and to a lesser extent Ong Bak 2 and 3), most action films rely on the "wow" factor of dazzling camera angles and computer-aided "enhancements."

Ninja Assassin and the Cross-Over

There are, to be sure, cross-over films such as Ninja Assassin, where actor Rain trained 14 hours a day for months to perfect real martial arts moves (albeit only a handful of repeated moves), blended together with rather Matrix-like special effects. To some, the beauty of the realistic CGI takes away from the pleasure of watching well-choreographed real martial arts.

Ong Bak, on the other hand, led by genuine martial arts expert Tony Jaa, got by on solid martial arts and good choreography. No stuntmen, thank you. Tony Jaa was hailed as the "next Bruce Lee" for this reason, with much buzz and excitement in the martial arts community, and martial arts film fansites.

There's No Escaping Escapism

Action films are, by design, escapist entertainment. They have become somewhat comic-book (pardon me, graphic novel), but that's what most audiences do want. We want to forget reality.

Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2 probably came closest to the ideal mix for both the escapist fan and the martial arts practitioner-fan. While it wasn't "real" by any means, and contained a brilliant and zesty blend of satire, comic-book, spoof, and choreography, it never-the-less nostalgically hearkened back to the wondrous days of Enter the Dragon and the classic Japanese Samarai films of the 70s.

Japanese Film Stays True to Martial Arts Traditions?

Perhaps the film industry most aligned with the older traditions of martial arts film making is Japan. Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman, was a low-budget film, that became an instant cult classic. Zatoichi took movie audiences back to the classic real-sword skills of the old Samarai films of the earlier decades, and spawned video games and an entire industry.

Less is More? Where is the Real Martial Arts Skill?

Genuine martial arts actors still abound-led by superstars such as Donnie Yen and Jet Li-and most Chinese martial arts actors are proficient. In Hollywood, the film-makers opt for four-move choreography (two kicks, a block and a punch), multiple camera angles (particularly close ups when the skills of the martial artist are not genuine), pounding music, FX, and stuntmen. With the old hopefuls gone from the Hollywood big screen-Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme and the other promising real martial artists-there's now a world of difference between Asian film actors-who work in frigid cold, fourteen hours a day in often primitive conditions, hammering out genuinely complex martial arts moves for relatively paltry paychecks-and Hollywood films that now rely on computer and actor stand-ins.

Batman Now Does Kung Fu

Batman now does kung fu, and so does G.I. Joe, and even Hellboy. They're fun, but the martial artist fan misses the great luminaries of martial arts films who built their careers on the "real thing": Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, David Chiang, Sonny Chiba, Chen Kuan-tai, Tomisaburo Wkayama, Jimmy Wong Yu, Ti Lung and the Liu brothers.

Derek Armstrong is a journalist contributor to several TV news shows, magazines and newspapers. He has appeared as a reporter on HNN's Nancy Grace, the Larry King Show, MSNBC News, FOX News, Inside Edition, NBC's Dateline and the Dr. Phil Show. Armstrong is currently chief crime correspondent for Crime Report USA, and contributes to Films & Books Magazine, Advance Magazine, Canadian Money Magazine, Secure Net News, LINK World News Magazine, and EDI Weekly. Derek Armstrong is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ).

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