When thinking of inspiring martial artists in film and television, the names of many well-established actors come to mind, but there are several recent stars that any fan of the genre would benefit from paying attention to. The 1970s and 1980s propelled now-legendarymartial arts actors like Bruce Leeand Jackie Chan into a previously unseen level of fame.
They’re some of the influential martial artists from this era that helped change the landscape of the genre, laying the path for upcoming martial artists that followed in their footsteps. Recent stars like Andrew Koji and Rayna Vallandingham have already proven to be exciting martial artists on screen and are worthy of keeping an eye on as their careers take off.
10Jacob Bertrand
Best known as Hawk in Cobra Kai
Netflix’sCobra Kaiis a follow-up to the popularThe Karate Kidfilms and stars a handful of actors with martial arts backgrounds, including Jacob Bertrand. Joining the main cast in season 2 as Hawk,Bertrand brings his martial arts experience to the screen, adding a greater sense of credibility toCobra Kai’s fight scenes.
For four years before being cast inCobra Kai,Bertrand learned taekwondo and eventually earned a purple belt. Alongside his cast, Bertrand went through extensive training with stunt coordinator and taekwondo expert Simon Rhee to tune his martial arts skills. While Bertrand’s taekwondo experience isn’t as vast as other recent martial arts stars, he’s still worth paying attention to.
9Saori Izawa
Best known as Mahiro Fukugawa in Baby Assassins
Havingworked as a stunt performer in films and TV series likeJohn Wick: Chapter 4andAlice in Borderland, it’s Saori Izawa’s work as an actor that’s most exciting. With quite a few stunt credits to her name, it’s no surprise that Izawa has proven herself to be a captivating martial arts lead.
Throughout the years,Izawa has led theBaby Assassinsfilm series alongside Akari Takaishi, which follows their assassin characters as they readjust to society and attempt to move past their violent ways. Izawa is a well-rounded star, as she’s not only a dynamic performer in the movies' fight sequences, but she also manages to entertain audiences with her comedic timing.
8Olivia Liang
Best known as Nicky Shen in Kung Fu
Watching Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen in The CW’sKung Fu, one might not have guessed the actor had no prior martial arts experience before production began on the series.Liang has been open about her initial hesitation to learn martial arts, as she felt “it was such a typecast for Asian performers” (viaE! News).
Liang’s real-life training aligns with her character Nicky’s transformation throughout the show, making the turn from ordinary college student to the protector of her hometown after it’s overrun by corruption. Despite her inexperience beforeKung Fu, Liang’s growth as a martial artist makes her an exciting star to follow, as her talent and dedication to the craft are evident.
7Max Huang
Best known as Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat
The biggest titles in Max Huang’s filmography see the Jackie Chan Stunt Team member as a stunt double and coordinator. However, Huang is slowly but surely becoming an outstanding martial arts actor as well.At 11 years old, Huang began learning Wing Chun before joining a national teamand winning a gold medal at the 2009 German Nationals.
Huang has done stunt work in films likeKingsman: The Secret ServiceandThe Foreigner, but was introduced on a wider scale to action fans in 2021 asKung Lao inMortal Kombat. The movie is packed with brutal action sequences, and Huang is a powerful figure who adds to the film’s intensity.
WithMortal Kombat 2set to release later this year, it’ll be worthwhile to keep up with Huang to see where he goes next in his career.
6Justin Chien
Best known as Charles Sun in The Brothers Sun
Starring in mostly shorts at the beginning of his career,Justin Chien’s breakout role came last year with Netflix’sThe Brothers Sun. Co-starring alongside Michelle Yeoh, Chien portrayed the Sun family’s eldest child, Charles.
Though it was short-lived,The Brothers Sunpacked quite the punch with its action sequences. For these scenes, Chien trained with stunt coordinator Justin Yu. However,it’s Chien’s previous experience in Muay Thai boxing and his blue belt in jiujitsu that helped ground his character’s fighting stylein some of the series' more chaotic fight scenes.
What’s highlighted of Chien’s abilities inThe Brothers Sunis reason enough to follow the trajectory of his career. Chien has a few projects coming up, namely shorts, as well asAvatar: The Last Airbenderseason 2.
5JuJu Chan
Best known as Zan Hui in Fistful of Vengeance
Since she was 10 years old, JuJu Chan has trained in various martial arts styles, including judo, wushu, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun. As an actor, Chan made her film debut in 2008, though she’s only begun acting in mainstream films and television series within the past decade.
As seen with several of the other action stars mentioned,Chan’s background in martial arts played a big part in shaping her onscreen martial arts persona.Wu AssassinsandFistful of Vengeance, which is perhaps Chan’s best-known work, sees the martial artist take full command of the screen with every scene she’s in.
The martial arts series and its follow-up film are lauded for their creative filmmaking and intricate, action-packed plots, andChan effortlessly holds her own in shared scenes with fellow martial artists like Iko Uwais.
4Rayna Vallandingham
Best known as Zara Malik in Cobra Kai
Just like herCobra Kaico-star Jacob Bertrand,Rayna Vallandingham had some prior martial arts experience before joining the series' cast.Vallandingham became a standout character inCobra Kaiseason 6, partially due to her impressive martial arts skills that helped bring authenticity to her fight scenes. At a young age, Vallandingham became the youngest American Taekwondo Association world champion.
With a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo,Vallandingham is a remarkable 13-time world champion at just 22 years old. Though she has a limited number of acting credits to her name, Vallandingham is undoubtedly one of the more refreshing up-and-coming martial arts stars, and it’ll be fascinating to see what her acting career brings about.
3Lewis Tan
Best known as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat
The introduction of Lewis Tan’sCole Young inMortal Kombatearned a mixed reception from audiences, as the character hadn’t appeared in the video games the film is based on. Still, Tan was an exhilarating force on screen and proved to be a strong martial artist. Tan has since become a notable star, with roles in films likeFistful of Vengeance.
Lewis Tan’s father, Philip Tan, is a martial artist and actor as well, and he began training Lewis at a young age.
Tan’s TV projects see him in more significant roles, such as Gaius Chau inInto the Badlands, Lu Xin Lee inWu Assassins, and Sensei Wolf inCobra Kai.Despite earning his first acting credits in 2006, Tan’s career as a martial arts actor is just getting started, and it’ll be rewarding to follow along and see where he goes next.
2Joe Taslim
Best known as Sergeant Jaka in The Raid
Just like a few other martial arts stars mentioned, Joe Taslim has been working as an actor and martial artist for a while now, making his film debut in 2008’sKarma. However,it’s only in recent years that Taslim has been recognized on a wider scale for his work as a martial artist, and rightfully so.
For 12 years, Taslim was a member of Indonesia’s national judo team, winning bronze, silver, and gold medals in competitions during this time. Taslim’s most notable role is as Jaka in one ofthe best action films of the 2010s,The Raid.
Yet, it’s Taslim’s recent roles — Gurutai inThe Swordsman, Ito inThe Night Comes for Us, and Li Yong inWarrior— that truly highlight the extent of his skills as a martial artist.Earning more leading roles within the past decade, Taslim shows no sign of slowing down, making following his career a lot more fun.
1Andrew Koji
Best known as Ah Sahm in Warrior
As is the case with many martial artists, Andrew Koji began his film career with minor supporting roles and working as a stunt performer.Koji’s big break came with the lead role of Ah Sahmin the martial arts TV seriesWarrior. It was through the series that Koji got to shine as a multifaceted performer.
Koji is a captivating presence whenever he’s on the screen, and his career is worth following. Having grown upstudying taekwondo and Shaolin kung fu, Koji was more than equipped to tackle the series' elaborate martial artssequences with ease. Koji, too, is a strong dramatic actor, fitting withinWarrior’s balance of electrifying fight scenes and a tense plot with rival syndicates.
