1952-09-06 Escalon, California, USA
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).
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Made in Chinatown | Lew | 2021-05-10 |
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Cucuy: The Boogeyman | Beat Cop | 2018-10-13 |
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Henchman: The Al Leong Story | Self | 2018-12-15 |
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Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine | Sinjin | 2017-05-08 |
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Breakout | Cap Ruch | 2016-06-09 |
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Frankenstein | Hotel Manager | 2015-08-29 |
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Black Salt | Abbot Xiao | 2015-12-31 |
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Elwood | Big O | 2014-06-01 |
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G.I. Joe: Retaliation | Chinese Leader | 2013-03-27 |
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Safe | Underground Casino Guard (uncredited) | 2012-04-16 |
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The Girl from the Naked Eye | Eddie | 2012-06-15 |
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Mortal Kombat: Rebirth | Shang Tsung (uncredited) | 2010-06-08 |
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Star Trek | Romulan (uncredited) | 2009-05-06 |
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Angel of Death | Tommy | 2009-07-07 |
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Ballistica | Chinese Guard #1 | 2009-12-18 |
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Superhero Movie | Shaolin Monk (uncredited) | 2008-03-28 |
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Tropic Thunder | Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited) | 2008-08-09 |
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Rush Hour 3 | Triad Assassin (uncredited) | 2007-08-08 |
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The Circuit III: Street Monk | Spider Webb | 2006-10-31 |
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18 Fingers of Death! | Buford Lee | 2006-04-11 |
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Shira: The Vampire Samurai | Xu | 2005-01-01 |
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Sin | Leo Thamaree | 2003-01-01 |
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The Real Deal | Black Belt | 2002-11-27 |
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Outside the Law | Cho Sung | 2002-06-25 |
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Ultimate Fights from the Movies | Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage) | 2002-04-16 |
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Rush Hour 2 | Triad Gangster (uncredited) | 2001-08-03 |
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Gedo | James | 2000-04-04 |
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Traffic | DEA Agent - CalTrans | 2000-12-27 |
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Deep Core | Lou Chang | 2000-10-21 |
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Safe House | Asian (uncredited) | 1998-07-01 |
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Rush Hour | Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited) | 1998-09-18 |
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Lethal Weapon 4 | Freighter's Captain | 1998-07-10 |
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The Replacement Killers | Bodyguard | 1998-02-06 |
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Boogie Boy | Jason | 1998-02-12 |
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High Voltage | Harry | 1997-11-01 |
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For Life or Death | Kaan Woo | 1996-01-23 |
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Assault on Dome 4 | Quaid, Windham Henchman | 1996-10-08 |
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Night Hunter | Tom Cutter | 1996-04-01 |
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Balance of Power | Shinji Takamura | 1996-06-25 |
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Robo Warriors | Darius | 1996-10-01 |
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Escape from L.A. | Hershe Gang Member | 1996-08-09 |
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Tough and Deadly | Thug | 1995-02-14 |
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Ballistic | Woo | 1995-02-28 |
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Excessive Force II: Force on Force | Lee | 1995-08-29 |
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Under Siege 2: Dark Territory | Mercenary (uncredited) | 1995-07-13 |
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Midnight Man | Prince Samarki | 1995-05-09 |
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Deadly Target | Guard #2 (uncredited) | 1994-01-01 |
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Ring of Steel | Asian Fighter | 1994-03-30 |
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The Shadow | Mongol | 1994-07-01 |
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On Deadly Ground | Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited) | 1994-02-18 |
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Timecop | Knife #1 | 1994-09-15 |
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Red Sun Rising | Jaho | 1994-09-01 |
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Cage II | Chin | 1994-12-14 |
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Private Wars | Obata | 1993-10-13 |
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Ulterior Motives | Yakuza #5 | 1993-01-06 |
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Showdown | Hit Man | 1993-09-16 |
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Undercover Blues | Novacek's Man | 1993-09-10 |
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Hot Shots! Part Deux | Kick Boxer Opponent | 1993-05-21 |
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American Ninja 5 | Viper | 1993-04-02 |
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Rapid Fire | Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited) | 1992-08-21 |
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Raven: Return of the Black Dragons | Black Dragon Henchman | 1992-06-19 |
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Mission of Justice | Akiro | 1992-12-02 |
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Showdown in Little Tokyo | Yoshida's Man (uncredited) | 1991-08-23 |
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Martial Law II: Undercover | Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited) | 1991-10-01 |
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Do or Die | Lew | 1991-06-28 |
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The Perfect Weapon | Crewcut | 1991-03-15 |
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Night of the Warrior | Hector Sabatei | 1991-06-01 |
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Aftershock | Mr. James | 1990-10-05 |
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Martial Law | Tong Member | 1990-10-01 |
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Guns | Ninja #1 | 1990-11-09 |
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Ninja Academy | Ninja Trainer | 1989-08-17 |
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Savage Beach | Agent #1 | 1989-10-01 |
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Best of the Best | Sae Jin Kwon | 1989-11-10 |
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Evil Destroyer | 1988-03-31 | |
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勇者無懼 | 1988-01-01 | |
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Action Jackson | Martial Arts Instructor | 1988-02-12 |
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Big Trouble in Little China | Chang Sing #1 | 1986-05-30 |
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Los Angeles Streetfighter | Chan | 1985-03-23 |
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Killpoint | Nighthawk's Gunman #1 | 1984-03-01 |
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Going Berserk | Kung Fu Fighter | 1983-09-30 |
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Young Dragon | Shao Lung | 1979-08-01 |
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Big Time | Karate Instructor | 1977-07-31 |
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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie | Guard (uncredited) | 1976-02-15 |
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Enforcer from Death Row | Karate Fighter | 1976-07-09 |
