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James Lew
Acting
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 Russe…
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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).
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BODY OF WORK
James Lew's Filmography
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Made in Chinatown
as Kane
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
as Self
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
as Beat Cop
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
as Sinjin
Breakout
as Cap Ruch
No Poster
Black Salt
as Abbot Xiao
Frankenstein
as Hotel Manager
Elwood
as Big O
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
as Chinese Leader
The Girl from the Naked Eye
as Eddie
Safe
as Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
No Poster
Let Lorenzo
as Interior Design Older Partner
Ballistica
as Chinese Guard #1
Angel of Death
as Tommy
Star Trek
as Romulan (uncredited)
Tropic Thunder
as Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Superhero Movie
as Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
Rush Hour 3
as Triad Assassin (uncredited)
The Circuit III: Street Monk
as Spider Webb
18 Fingers of Death!
as Buford Lee
Shira: The Vampire Samurai
as Xu
Sin
as Leo Thamaree
The Real Deal
as Black Belt
Sting of the Black Scorpion
as Tong Leader
Outside the Law
as Cho Sung
Ultimate Fights from the Movies
as Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
Rush Hour 2
as Triad Gangster (uncredited)
Traffic
as DEA Agent - CalTrans
Deep Core
as Lou Chang
Fatal Blade
as James
Rush Hour
as Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
Lethal Weapon 4
as Freighter's Captain
Safe House
as Asian (uncredited)
Boogie Boy
as Jason
The Replacement Killers
as Bodyguard
High Voltage
as Harry
Assault on Dome 4
as Quaid, Windham Henchman
Robo Warriors
as Darius
Escape from L.A.
as Hershe Gang Member
Balance of Power
as Shinji Takamura
Night Hunter
as Tom Cutter
For Life or Death
as Kaan Woo
Excessive Force II: Force on Force
as Lee
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
as Mercenary (uncredited)
Midnight Man
as Prince Samarki
Ballistic
as Woo
Tough and Deadly
as Thug
Cage II: The Arena of Death
as Chin
Timecop
as Knife #1
Red Sun Rising
as Jaho
The Shadow
as Mongol
Ring of Steel
as Asian Fighter
On Deadly Ground
as Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
Deadly Target
as Guard #2 (uncredited)
Private Wars
as Obata
Showdown
as Hit Man
Undercover Blues
as Novacek's Man
Hot Shots! Part Deux
as Kick Boxer Opponent
American Ninja 5
as Viper
Ulterior Motives
as Yakuza #5
Mission of Justice
as Akiro
Rapid Fire
as Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
as Black Dragon Henchman
Martial Law II: Undercover
as Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
Showdown in Little Tokyo
as Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
Do or Die
as Lew
Night of the Warrior
as Hector Sabatei
The Perfect Weapon
as Crewcut
Guns
as Ninja #1
Aftershock
as Mr. James
Martial Law
as Tong Member
Best of the Best
as Sae Jin Kwon
Savage Beach
as Agent #1
Ninja Academy
as Ninja Trainer
No Poster
Evil Destroyer
Action Jackson
as Martial Arts Instructor
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer
Big Trouble in Little China
as Chang Sing #1
Los Angeles Streetfighter
as Chan
Killpoint
as Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Going Berserk
as Kung Fu Fighter
Young Dragon
as Shao Lung
Big Time
as Karate Instructor
Enforcer from Death Row
as Karate Fighter
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
as Guard (uncredited)