Rush Hour1998
As Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
TMDb 7.1 / 10
James Lew
Born
James Jene Fae Lew (September 6, 1952 – August 23, 2026) was an American martial artist, stuntman and actor. 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 (86)
Star Trek2009
As Romulan (uncredited)
TMDb 7.4 / 10
Tropic Thunder2008
As Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Rush Hour 32007
As Triad Assassin (uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Lethal Weapon 41998
As Freighter's Captain
TMDb 6.6 / 10
Rush Hour 22001
As Triad Gangster (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Superhero Movie2008
As Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
TMDb 5.3 / 10
G.I. Joe: Retaliation2013
As Chinese Leader
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Traffic2000
As DEA Agent - CalTrans
TMDb 7.1 / 10
Hot Shots! Part Deux1993
As Kick Boxer Opponent
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Escape from L.A.1996
As Hershe Gang Member
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Safe2012
As Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Timecop1994
As Knife #1
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Big Trouble in Little China1986
As Chang Sing #1
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory1995
As Mercenary (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Best of the Best1989
As Sae Jin Kwon
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Showdown in Little Tokyo1991
As Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
On Deadly Ground1994
As Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
TMDb 5.2 / 10
The Shadow1994
As Mongol
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Rapid Fire1992
As Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Action Jackson1988
As Martial Arts Instructor
TMDb 5.5 / 10
The Replacement Killers1998
As Bodyguard
TMDb 6.3 / 10
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976
As Guard (uncredited)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Do or Die1991
As Lew
TMDb 4.3 / 10
Martial Law II: Undercover1991
As Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
TMDb 6.1 / 10
The Perfect Weapon1991
As Crewcut
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Undercover Blues1993
As Novacek's Man
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Deep Core2000
As Lou Chang
TMDb 4.0 / 10
Going Berserk1983
As Kung Fu Fighter
TMDb 5.1 / 10
Showdown1993
As Hit Man
TMDb 6.2 / 10
American Ninja 51993
As Viper
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Fatal Blade2000
As James
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Savage Beach1989
As Agent #1
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Sin2003
As Leo Thamaree
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Martial Law1990
As Tong Member
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Guns1990
As Ninja #1
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Red Sun Rising1994
As Jaho
TMDb 4.9 / 10
Mission of Justice1992
As Akiro
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Frankenstein2015
As Hotel Manager
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Angel of Death2009
As Tommy
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Night Hunter1996
As Tom Cutter
TMDb 4.6 / 10
High Voltage1997
As Harry
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Deadly Target1994
As Guard #2 (uncredited)
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Sting of the Black Scorpion2002
As Tong Leader
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Boogie Boy1998
As Jason
TMDb 4.4 / 10
Ultimate Fights from the Movies2002
As Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Girl from the Naked Eye2012
As Eddie
TMDb 4.4 / 10
For Life or Death1996
As Kaan Woo
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Excessive Force II: Force on Force1995
As Lee
TMDb 3.7 / 10
18 Fingers of Death!2006
As Buford Lee
TMDb 3.5 / 10
Robo Warriors1996
As Darius
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Cucuy: The Boogeyman2018
As Beat Cop
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine2017
As Sinjin
TMDb 3.8 / 10
Night of the Warrior1991
As Hector Sabatei
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Cage II: The Arena of Death1994
As Chin
TMDb 3.2 / 10
Safe House1998
As Asian (uncredited)
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Tough and Deadly1995
As Thug
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Assault on Dome 41996
As Quaid, Windham Henchman
TMDb 3.7 / 10
Ulterior Motives1993
As Yakuza #5
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Made in Chinatown2021
As Kane
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Aftershock1990
As Mr. James
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Ninja Academy1989
As Ninja Trainer
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Let Lorenzo
Let Lorenzo2011
As Interior Design Older Partner
TMDb 2.0 / 10
Midnight Man1995
As Prince Samarki
TMDb 5.2 / 10
Ring of Steel1994
As Asian Fighter
TMDb 4.9 / 10
Outside the Law2002
As Cho Sung
TMDb 4.3 / 10
Ballistic1995
As Woo
TMDb 3.5 / 10
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth2010
As Shang Tsung (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
The Real Deal2002
As Black Belt
TMDb 3.9 / 10
Ballistica2009
As Chinese Guard #1
TMDb 3.2 / 10
Private Wars1993
As Obata
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons1992
As Black Dragon Henchman
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Henchman: The Al Leong Story2018
As Self
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Killpoint1984
As Nighthawk's Gunman #1
TMDb 5.2 / 10
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer1988
TMDb 2.0 / 10
Evil Destroyer
Evil Destroyer1988
TMDb 2.0 / 10
Breakout2016
As Cap Ruch
TMDb 2.0 / 10
Shira: The Vampire Samurai2005
As Xu
TMDb 3.9 / 10
Big Time1977
As Karate Instructor
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Elwood2014
As Big O
TMDb 2.3 / 10
Los Angeles Streetfighter1985
As Chan
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Enforcer from Death Row1976
As Karate Fighter
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Balance of Power1996
As Shinji Takamura
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Young Dragon1979
As Shao Lung
TMDb 5.5 / 10
The Circuit III: Street Monk2006
As Spider Webb
TMDb 7.3 / 10
Black Salt
Black Salt2015
As Abbot Xiao
TMDb 2.0 / 10
Filmography and biography: TMDb