
James Lew
Biography
James Jene Fae Lew (born September 6, 1952) is an American actor and martial artist. 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).
Acting (82 movies)

Escape from L.A.
1996

Angel of Death
2009

Night Hunter
1996

American Ninja 5
1993

Do or Die
1991

Robo Warriors
1996

Savage Beach
1989

Ultimate Fights from the Movies
2002

Safe House
1998

The Girl from the Naked Eye
2012

Los Angeles Streetfighter
1985

Showdown
1993

Private Wars
1993

Aftershock
1990

Midnight Man
1995

High Voltage
1997

Best of the Best
1989

The Circuit III: Street Monk
2006

Going Berserk
1983

Big Time
1977

The Real Deal
2002

Balance of Power
1996

Breakout
2016

The Perfect Weapon
1991

Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018

Deep Core
2000

Big Trouble in Little China
1986

Boogie Boy
1998

Night of the Warrior
1991

Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
2017

Gedo
2000

Tropic Thunder
2008

Excessive Force II: Force on Force
1995

Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994

Ninja Academy
1989

Killpoint
1984

Sin
2003

Zodiac America 2: Evil Destroyer
1988

Shira: The Vampire Samurai
2005

Rush Hour
1998

Timecop
1994

Made in Chinatown
2021

Cucuy: The Boogeyman
2018

Hot Shots! Part Deux
1993

Guns
1990

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013

Red Sun Rising
1994

Mission of Justice
1992

For Life or Death
1996

Frankenstein
2015

Lethal Weapon 4
1998

Assault on Dome 4
1996

Superhero Movie
2008

Outside the Law
2002

Enforcer from Death Row
1976

Star Trek
2009

Undercover Blues
1993

The Shadow
1994

Traffic
2000

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
1976

Ulterior Motives
1993

Deadly Target
1994

On Deadly Ground
1994

Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
1995

Rapid Fire
1992

Showdown in Little Tokyo
1991

18 Fingers of Death!
2006

Safe
2012

Martial Law
1990

Martial Law II: Undercover
1991

Ballistica
2009

Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
1992

Young Dragon
1979

The Replacement Killers
1998

Ballistic
1995

Rush Hour 2
2001

Rush Hour 3
2007

Action Jackson
1988

Elwood
2014

Tough and Deadly
1995

Ring of Steel
1994

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
2010
Directing (2 movies)
| Title | Year | Job | 
|---|---|---|
| 18 Fingers of Death! | 2006 | Writer |