James Lew
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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).
Known for
Credits
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
as Triad Gangster (uncredited)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
as Chinese Leader
Star Trek (2009)
as Romulan (uncredited)
Rush Hour (1998)
as Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
as Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Safe (2012)
as Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
as Triad Assassin (uncredited)
Traffic (2000)
as DEA Agent - CalTrans
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
as Chang Sing #1
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
as Kick Boxer Opponent
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
as Freighter's Captain
Superhero Movie (2008)
as Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
as Hershe Gang Member
Timecop (1994)
as Knife #1
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
as Mercenary (uncredited)
The Shadow (1994)
as Mongol
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
as Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
Best of the Best (1989)
as Sae Jin Kwon
The Replacement Killers (1998)
as Bodyguard
On Deadly Ground (1994)
as Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
Deep Core (2000)
as Lou Chang
Rapid Fire (1992)
as Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
Fatal Blade (2000)
as James
Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
as Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
Boogie Boy (1998)
as Jason
Action Jackson (1988)
as Martial Arts Instructor
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
as Guard (uncredited)
Savage Beach (1989)
as Agent #1
Sin (2003)
as Leo Thamaree
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
as Crewcut
Night of the Warrior (1991)
as Hector Sabatei
Undercover Blues (1993)
as Novacek's Man
Cage II: The Arena of Death (1994)
as Chin
Martial Law (1990)
as Tong Member
18 Fingers of Death! (2006)
as Buford Lee
For Life or Death (1996)
as Kaan Woo
Do or Die (1991)
as Lew
Mission of Justice (1992)
as Akiro
Guns (1990)
as Ninja #1
Frankenstein (2015)
as Hotel Manager
Deadly Target (1994)
as Guard #2 (uncredited)
Showdown (1993)
as Hit Man
Going Berserk (1983)
as Kung Fu Fighter
American Ninja 5 (1993)
as Viper
High Voltage (1997)
as Harry
Safe House (1998)
as Asian (uncredited)
The Girl from the Naked Eye (2012)
as Eddie
Night Hunter (1996)
as Tom Cutter
Red Sun Rising (1994)
as Jaho
Let Lorenzo (2011)
as Interior Design Older Partner
Sting of the Black Scorpion (2002)
as Tong Leader
Ninja Academy (1989)
as Ninja Trainer
Angel of Death (2009)
as Tommy
Excessive Force II: Force on Force (1995)
as Lee
Robo Warriors (1996)
as Darius
Assault on Dome 4 (1996)
as Quaid, Windham Henchman
Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)
as Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine (2017)
as Sinjin
Ulterior Motives (1993)
as Yakuza #5
Cucuy: The Boogeyman (2018)
as Beat Cop
Private Wars (1993)
as Obata
Outside the Law (2002)
as Cho Sung
Aftershock (1990)
as Mr. James
Ballistica (2009)
as Chinese Guard #1
Tough and Deadly (1995)
as Thug
The Real Deal (2002)
as Black Belt
Shira: The Vampire Samurai (2005)
as Xu
Made in Chinatown (2021)
as Kane
Ballistic (1995)
as Woo
The Circuit III: Street Monk (2006)
as Spider Webb
Enforcer from Death Row (1976)
as Karate Fighter
Balance of Power (1996)
as Shinji Takamura
Henchman: The Al Leong Story (2018)
as Self
Ring of Steel (1994)
as Asian Fighter
Midnight Man (1995)
as Prince Samarki
Los Angeles Streetfighter (1985)
as Chan
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons (1992)
as Black Dragon Henchman
Elwood (2014)
as Big O
Black Salt (2015)
as Abbot Xiao
Breakout (2016)
as Cap Ruch
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer (1988)
Actor
Killpoint (1984)
as Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Big Time (1977)
as Karate Instructor
Evil Destroyer (1988)
Actor
Young Dragon (1979)
as Shao Lung