Not everyone might be aware of a complete movie sub-genre based on martial arts. And we have some of the most popular and respectable names who made it to the list. However, the list you see here doesn’t have merely professionals, but some artists turned into actors later on.
Some even passed away, and we would look back at the fond memories. It’s amazing that the skilled, trained, and authorized martial arts champions at one point in time established themselves as actors par excellence. But let’s not forget- the journey towards movies and TV wasn’t easy.
Wesley Snipes
In all these years, Snipes has done many tasks to perfection, and one such includes his performances in martial arts. Not the typical guy we meet daily, Snipes had to struggle through his formative years. Even before the prime of his career had set, and he had to deal with financial issues, he kept bettering himself in aesthetics. As a result, he was quite an adorable “onscreen talent” who could do anything!
There were acting chops for days at a stretch, and he dived in without losing his composure and more. The fact he has been a pro at athleticism is a major reason he could pick up choreography for martial arts in a few of his films, like Jungle Fever, Blade, and White Men Can’t Jump, to name a few. By the way, did you know he has black belts in Shokotan and Hapkido? Surely then, you wouldn’t be knowing either he was trained in a total of 6 disciplines.
Taylor Lautner
In terms of martial arts, Taylor is a black belt in karate and wonders in several demo competitions that won his multiple forms and weapons. The actor from the Twilight series who you only thought was good at romancing Taylor Swift prefers shifting gears! In recent times, The Ridiculous six by Adam Sandler was where he had acted in. Also, there’s the sitcom, Cuckoo. He is one of the stars who keep changing his looks to keep away from the “superstar status.”
Since talents are always recognized, his first appearance in the ESPN family of networks in few national competitions and not when he became Sharkboy, from Robert Rodriguez. Just in case you don’t seem to remember- he’s the same guy who offered a healthy dose of ‘martial arts retribution,’ in a comic mode always on the much famous Saturday Night Live.
Chuck Norris
Norris is one of the eight Americans who got the 8th-degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. Yes, there are only eight Americans with the honor. Norris’s focus was that he excelled in academics, took discipline a little more seriously, and continued with his studies with the same devotion as sports. A record-breaking six-time karate world champion, he always kept pushing his limits.
How many can boast of having several black belts in multiple arenas? This man can! When he fought with Bruce Lee (that was him first), the gift truly became legendary! We are still in awe of that fight that allowed the free flow of humor. But now that classes would begin in the next few minutes again, we will still recognize him as one of the best male artists.
Jackie Chan
Chan’s first movie was not even in the picture when success stories about him propelled him to form a part of the audience. Rumble in the Bronx is a movie whose filming was in North America, to be precise- in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was then that the Chinese sensation became popular to the rest of the world- Jackie Chan.
A product of Chinese cinema based on martial arts, he is an expert himself whose stunt work is one of the best in Hollywood and the world. He knows taekwondo, judo, karate, and hapkido also. At present, he has aged, no doubt but is still one of the finest martial artists, stunt coordinators, and choreographers that the industry would remember without plants.
It is quite natural for Hollywood actors to invest time and money in skills beyond acting. However, martial arts is something that they learn with passion. And they were in it not just to gain a competitive edge in their career. We can say that we cannot get over the way they inspire people worldwide.