Loading…
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.
The roles that explain the career.
56 credits across 5 departments.
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Made in Chinatown | Lew | Film |
| 2021 | Made in Chinatown | Director | Film |
| 2021 | Made in Chinatown | Co-Producer | Film |
| 2012 | The Girl from the Naked Eye | Eddie | Film |
| 2011 | Let Lorenzo | Interior Design Older Partner | Film |
| 2010 | Mortal Kombat: Rebirth | Shang Tsung (uncredited) | Film |
| 2009 | Angel of Death | Tommy | Film |
| 2009 | Ballistica | Chinese Guard #1 | Film |
| 2006 | 18 Fingers of Death! | Buford Lee | Film |
| 2006 | 18 Fingers of Death! | Director | Film |
| 2006 | 18 Fingers of Death! | Writer | Film |
| 2003 | Sin | Leo Thamaree | Film |
| 2002 | Ultimate Fights from the Movies | Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage) | Film |
| 2002 | Sting of the Black Scorpion | Tong Leader | Film |
| 2002 | The Real Deal | Black Belt | Film |
| 2002 | Outside the Law | Cho Sung | Film |
| 2000 | Deep Core | Lou Chang | Film |
| 2000 | Fatal Blade | James | Film |
| 1998 | Safe House | Asian (uncredited) | Film |
| 1998 | The Replacement Killers | Bodyguard | Film |
| 1998 | Boogie Boy | Jason | Film |
| 1997 | High Voltage | Harry | Film |
| 1996 | Night Hunter | Tom Cutter | Film |
| 1996 | Assault on Dome 4 | Quaid, Windham Henchman | Film |
| 1996 | Balance of Power | Shinji Takamura | Film |
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. | Hershe Gang Member | Film |
| 1996 | For Life or Death | Kaan Woo | Film |
| 1996 | Robo Warriors | Darius | Film |
| 1995 | Ballistic | Woo | Film |
| 1995 | Tough and Deadly | Thug | Film |
| 1995 | Excessive Force II: Force on Force | Lee | Film |
| 1995 | Midnight Man | Prince Samarki | Film |
| 1994 | Ring of Steel | Asian Fighter | Film |
| 1994 | Cage II: The Arena of Death | Chin | Film |
| 1994 | Red Sun Rising | Jaho | Film |
| 1993 | Private Wars | Obata | Film |
| 1993 | Hot Shots! Part Deux | Kick Boxer Opponent | Film |
| 1993 | American Ninja 5 | Viper | Film |
| 1993 | Ulterior Motives | Yakuza #5 | Film |
| 1993 | Showdown | Hit Man | Film |
| 1991 | Martial Law II: Undercover | Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited) | Film |
| 1991 | Do or Die | Lew | Film |
| 1991 | The Perfect Weapon | Crewcut | Film |
| 1991 | Night of the Warrior | Hector Sabatei | Film |
| 1990 | Martial Law | Tong Member | Film |
| 1990 | Aftershock | Mr. James | Film |
| 1990 | Guns | Ninja #1 | Film |
| 1989 | Best of the Best | Sae Jin Kwon | Film |
| 1989 | Savage Beach | Agent #1 | Film |
| 1988 | Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer | Film | |
| 1988 | Action Jackson | Martial Arts Instructor | Film |
| 1986 | Big Trouble in Little China | Chang Sing #1 | Film |
| 1986 | Big Trouble in Little China | Associate Producer | Film |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Streetfighter | Chan | Film |
| 1984 | Killpoint | Nighthawk's Gunman #1 | Film |
| 1976 | Enforcer from Death Row | Karate Fighter | Film |
This page is community-maintained. Know something we don't?
← All person · Wikidata Q6138026