James Lew
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- September 6, 1952
- Died
- August 23, 2026 (aged 73)
- Birthplace
- Escalon, California, USA
Biography
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
Filmography
Made in Chinatown
Movie · as Kane
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
Movie · as Self
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
Movie · as Beat Cop
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
Movie · as Sinjin
I'm Dying Up Here
TV · as Sensei Phil · 1 ep
Breakout
Movie · as Cap Ruch
Black Salt
Movie · as Abbot Xiao
Frankenstein
Movie · as Hotel Manager
Elwood
Movie · as Big O
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Movie · as Chinese Leader
The Girl from the Naked Eye
Movie · as Eddie
Safe
Movie · as Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
Let Lorenzo
Movie · as Interior Design Older Partner
Death Valley
TV · as Man on street (uncredited) · 1 ep
Angel of Death
Movie · as Tommy
Star Trek
Movie · as Romulan (uncredited)
Ballistica
Movie · as Chinese Guard #1
Tropic Thunder
Movie · as Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Superhero Movie
Movie · as Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
Childrens Hospital
TV · as Mosura · 1 ep
Rush Hour 3
Movie · as Triad Assassin (uncredited)
Chuck
TV · as Anad Chenerad · 1 ep
The Circuit III: Street Monk
Movie · as Spider Webb
18 Fingers of Death!
Movie · as Buford Lee
Shira: The Vampire Samurai
Movie · as Xu
Entourage
TV · 1 ep
Sin
Movie · as Leo Thamaree
Eve
TV · 1 ep
Ultimate Fights from the Movies
Movie · as Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
The Real Deal
Movie · as Black Belt
Outside the Law
Movie · as Cho Sung
Sting of the Black Scorpion
Movie · as Tong Leader
CSI: Miami
TV · as ND Man #1 · 1 ep
Rush Hour 2
Movie · as Triad Gangster (uncredited)
Alias
TV · as Quan Li · 1 ep
Deep Core
Movie · as Lou Chang
Fatal Blade
Movie · as James
Traffic
Movie · as DEA Agent - CalTrans
Strong Medicine
TV · as Cop · 1 ep
Safe House
Movie · as Asian (uncredited)
Boogie Boy
Movie · as Jason
Rush Hour
Movie · as Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
Lethal Weapon 4
Movie · as Freighter's Captain
The Replacement Killers
Movie · as Bodyguard
High Voltage
Movie · as Harry
Escape from L.A.
Movie · as Hershe Gang Member
Night Hunter
Movie · as Tom Cutter
Robo Warriors
Movie · as Darius
Balance of Power
Movie · as Shinji Takamura
For Life or Death
Movie · as Kaan Woo
Assault on Dome 4
Movie · as Quaid, Windham Henchman
Midnight Man
Movie · as Prince Samarki
Excessive Force II: Force on Force
Movie · as Lee
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
Movie · as Mercenary (uncredited)
Ballistic
Movie · as Woo
Tough and Deadly
Movie · as Thug
Nowhere Man
TV · as Thug with Knife · 1 ep
Marker
TV · 1 ep
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Movie · as Chin
Timecop
Movie · as Knife #1
Red Sun Rising
Movie · as Jaho
The Shadow
Movie · as Mongol
Deadly Target
Movie · as Guard #2 (uncredited)
On Deadly Ground
Movie · as Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
Ring of Steel
Movie · as Asian Fighter
Weird Science
TV · 1 ep
Babylon 5
TV · as Bloodhound Teep · 1 ep
American Ninja 5
Movie · as Viper
Showdown
Movie · as Hit Man
Private Wars
Movie · as Obata
Hot Shots! Part Deux
Movie · as Kick Boxer Opponent
Undercover Blues
Movie · as Novacek's Man
Ulterior Motives
Movie · as Yakuza #5
Walker, Texas Ranger
TV · as Tiger · 1 ep
Frasier
TV · as Security Guard · 1 ep
Power Rangers
TV · as Warrior · 1 ep
Mission of Justice
Movie · as Akiro
Rapid Fire
Movie · as Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
Movie · as Black Dragon Henchman
Do or Die
Movie · as Lew
The Perfect Weapon
Movie · as Crewcut
Night of the Warrior
Movie · as Hector Sabatei
Showdown in Little Tokyo
Movie · as Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
Martial Law II: Undercover
Movie · as Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
Aftershock
Movie · as Mr. James
Guns
Movie · as Ninja #1
Martial Law
Movie · as Tong Member
Nasty Boys
TV · as Fighter / Karate class fighter (uncredited) · 1 ep
Savage Beach
Movie · as Agent #1
Best of the Best
Movie · as Sae Jin Kwon
Ninja Academy
Movie · as Ninja Trainer
Family Matters
TV · as Man in Bar · 1 ep
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer
Movie
Action Jackson
Movie · as Martial Arts Instructor
Evil Destroyer
Movie
Roseanne
TV · 1 ep
Big Trouble in Little China
Movie · as Chang Sing #1
Los Angeles Streetfighter
Movie · as Chan
Growing Pains
TV · as Movie Villain #2 · 1 ep
MacGyver
TV · as Asian Thug · 1 ep
Killpoint
Movie · as Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Murder, She Wrote
TV · as Cambodian · 1 ep
Going Berserk
Movie · as Kung Fu Fighter
T. J. Hooker
TV · as Asian Thug, Ton Li · 1 ep
Young Dragon
Movie · as Shao Lung
Big Time
Movie · as Karate Instructor
Enforcer from Death Row
Movie · as Karate Fighter
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Movie · as Guard (uncredited)