Bruce Lee remains the greatest icon of martial arts cinema, and a key figure of modern popular culture. Had it not been for the amazing Bruce Lee and his incredible movies in the early 1970s, it’s arguable whether or not the martial arts film genre would have ever penetrated and influenced mainstream western cinema & audiences the way it has over the past four decades. The influence of Asian martial arts cinema can be seen today in so many other film genres including comedies, action, drama, science fiction, horror and animation…..and they all have their roots in the phenomenon that was Bruce Lee.
BruEnter The Dragon final fightA
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Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE[2] (born Chan Kong-sang, 陳港生; 7 April 1954) is a Hong Kong[3] actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer,martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts. Jackie Chan has been acting since the 1960s and has appeared in over 100 films.
Chan has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a cultural icon, Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, cartoons, and video games. An operatically trained vocalist, Chan is also a Cantopop and Mandopop star, having released a number of albums and sung many of the theme songs for the films in which he has starred.
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This is a picture of Jackie Chan working as a stuntman in the 1971 Bruce Lee film Enter the Dragon. Bruce Lee (left) is "snapping" Jackie Chan's neck.
Jackie Chan Wax Figure Madame Tussauds Hollywood PicturesAction star Jackie Chan attended the unveiling of his wax figure at Madame Tussauds Hollywood in Los Angeles on Monday. The unveiling came just days after the Rush Hour star revealed that he would like to write a musical based on his life.
“I love The Sound Of Music,” Chan explained. “When I was young, I didn’t know English and I saw the whole movie. I’m planning to do I Am Jackie Chan: The Musical. I’ve got a very interesting background. I will talk about how I got into the film business… and how I’ve come to be today. It’s a very interesting, classical musical.
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English: January 19, 2011 Jackie Chan join Obama for the welcome Chinese President Hu Jintao's White House state dinner.
Jet Li 3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Li Lianjie ([lì ljǎntɕjɛ̌]; born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a film actor, film producer, Chinese martial artist, wushuchampion, and international star who was born in Beijing and took up Singaporean citizenship in 2009.
After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from wushu at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the Once Upon A Time In China series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung.
Li's first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), but his first Hollywood film leading role was in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, most known were Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed. he recently co-starring in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan, The Expendables (2010) with Sylvester Stallone, and as the title character villain in The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser. He also appeared in the Hong Kong film Ocean Heaven (2010), directed and written by Xue Xiaolu.
| Jet Li | |
|---|---|
 Jet Li at the premiere of Fearless in 2006. | |
| Chinese name | 李連杰 (Traditional) |
| Chinese name | 李连杰 (Simplified) |
| Pinyin | Lǐ Liánjié (Mandarin) |
| Jyutping | Lei5 Lin4 Git6 (Cantonese) |
| Ancestry | Beijing, China |
| Born | April 26, 1963 Beijing, China |
| Other name(s) | Lee Yeung Chung / Li Yangzhong 李陽中 (Traditional) 李阳中 (Simplified) Lǐ Yángzhōng (Mandarin) Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 (Cantonese) (Chinese producer pseudonym) |
| Occupation | Actor Martial artist Film producer |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Spouse(s) | Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990) Nina Li Chi (1999–present) |
| Official Website | www.jetli.com |
Sammo Hung (born Hung Kam Po, 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema. He has been a fight choreographer for, amongst others, Jackie Chan, King Hu, and John Woo.
Hung is one of the pivotal figures who spearheaded the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s, helped reinvent the martial arts genre and started the vampire-like Jiang Shi genre. He is widely credited with assisting many of his compatriots, giving them their starts in the Hong Kong film industry, by casting them in the films he produced, or giving them roles in the production crew.
In East Asia, it is common for people to address their elders or influential people with familial nouns as a sign of familiarity and respect. Jackie Chan, for example, is often addressed as "Dai Goh" (Chinese: 大哥; pinyin: dà gē), meaning Big Brother. Hung was also known as "Dai Goh", until the filming ofProject A, which featured both actors. As Hung was the eldest of the kung fu "brothers", and the first to make a mark on the industry, he was given the nickname "Dai Goh Dai" (Chinese: 大哥大; Mandarin Pinyin: dà gē dà; Jyutping: daai6 go1 daai6), meaning, Big, Big Brother or Biggest Big Brother.[
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Donnie Yen Ji-Dan (born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushutournament medalist.[1] Apart from being a well-known film and television actor in Hong Kong, Yen has also gained international recognition for appearing in many films together with other prominent and internationally-known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.
Yen is widely credited by many[2][3][4] as the person responsible for popularizing the traditional martial arts style known as Wing Chun. He played the role of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the 2008 film Ip Man, which was a box office success. This has led to an increase in the number of people taking up Wing Chun, leading to hundreds of new Wing Chun schools to be opened up in mainland China and other parts of Asia.[5] Ip Chun, the eldest son of Ip Man, even mentioned that he is grateful to Yen for making his family art popular and allowing his father's legacy to be remembered.[6]
Yen is considered to be Hong Kong's top action star; director Peter Chan mentioned that he "is the 'it' action person right now" and "has built himself into a bona fide leading man, who happens to be an action star."[7] Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream of Chinese culture, by choreographing MMA in many of his recent films. Yen has displayed notable skills in MMA, being well-versed in boxing, kickboxing,taekwondo, Muay Thai, wrestling, karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Seen as one of the most popular film stars in Asia in recent years, Yen is currently one of the most highly paid actors in the whole of Asia.[8]
Sylvester Stallone 7
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (pronounced /stəˈloʊn/; born July 6, 1946), commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone,[2] is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter.[3] Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed include boxer Rocky Balboa and soldier John Rambo. The Rocky and Rambo franchises, along with several other films, strengthened his reputation as an actor and his box office earnings.
Stallone's film Rocky was inducted into the National Film Registry as well as having its film props placed in the Smithsonian Museum. Stallone's use of the front entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the Rocky series led the area to be nicknamed the Rocky Steps. Philadelphia has a statue of his Rocky character placed permanently near the museum, on the right side before the steps. It was announced on December 7, 2010 that Stallone was voted into boxing's Hall of Fame.[4]
8
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (
/ˈʃwɔrtsənɛɡər/; German: [ˈaɐnɔlt ˈalɔʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənˌʔɛɡɐ]; born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.
/ˈʃwɔrtsənɛɡər/; German: [ˈaɐnɔlt ˈalɔʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənˌʔɛɡɐ]; born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.Schwarzenegger began to weight train at the age of 15 years old. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympiacontest seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent presence in the sport of bodybuilding and he has written several books and numerous articles on the sport. Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon. He was nicknamed the "Austrian Oak" and the "StyrianOak" in his bodybuilding days, "Arnie" during his acting career and more recently the "Governator" (a portmanteau of "Governor" and "Terminator").[1]
As a Republican, he was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis's term. Schwarzenegger was then re-elected on November 7, 2006, in California's 2006 gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor, defeating Democrat Phil Angelides, who was California State Treasurer at the time. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for his second term on January 5, 2007.[2]
Schwarzenegger was married to Maria Shriver for over 25 years and the couple had four children together. In 2011, it was revealed that Schwarzenegger had engaged in an adulterous affair and fathered a son with an employee of his, Mildred Baena, 14 years earlier. This subsequently led to Schwarzenegger and Shriver separating[3] and Shriver filing for divorce.[4]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o1TbnG_Tl8&feature=related
T-800 Terminator The cyborg assassin was portrayed in human guise by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the low-budget 1984 movie The Terminator, which spawned a series of sequels and still shapes how people think about robots today.
Such is the sway of science fiction like the Terminator series that some roboticists are studying how fictional depictions of robots influence opinions of the real thing to help improve their designs.
David Carradine in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). Photograph: PR
David Carradine, the star of the 1970s TV series Kung Fu and the Kill Bill films, has been found dead in a Bangkok hotel room.
The 72-year-old was in Thailand filming his latest film Stretch, according to his personal manager, Chuck Binder.
Police have told the BBC that Carradine was found in a hotel wardrobe with a cord around his neck and other parts of his body. This supportsinitial claims in the Thai press that Carradine had hanged himself.
His agent said the news was "shocking", according to the BBC, adding: "He was full of life, always wanting to work... a great person."
A spokesman for the US embassy has confirmed the death of the 72-year-old actor, according to AP. He said Carradine died either late on Wednesday or early today, but he could not provide further details "out of consideration for his family", AP reported.
During his career Carradine appeared in more than 100 films and TV dramas.
He is best remembered for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s US TV series Kung Fu and more recently starred as Uma Thurman's nemesis, Bill, in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill feature films. Tarantino was a fan of Carradine.
As well as his role in Kung Fu, the spin-off movies and TV sequels in the 1980s and 1990s, other notable parts included starring role as folk singer Woody Guthrie in the Oscar-nominated Bound for Glory in 1976 and as a railroad union organiser in Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha in 1972. Scorsese then cast Carradine as a drunk who is shot while urinating in a bar in Mean Streets in 1973.
Born John Arthur Carradine, the eldest son of actor John Carradine, he was also known for producing and starring in several exercise videos teaching the martial arts of tai chi and qigong, in which he became interested after starring in Kung Fu.
He is survived by his two daughters, Calista and Kansas, his son, Tom, and his fifth wife, Annie Bierman, and her children.
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Bill's Superman speech in Kill Bill
10
| The Rock | |
|---|---|
 Johnson at the Tribeca Film Festival, April 25, 2009. | |
| Ring name(s) | Flex Kavana[1] Rocky Maivia[1] The Rock[1] Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 275 lb (125 kg)[4] |
| Born | May 2, 1972 [5] Hayward, California |
| Resides | Los Angeles[citation needed] |
| Billed from | Miami, Florida[3] |
| Trained by | Rocky Johnson[6] Pat Patterson[6] |
| Debut | 1996[6] |
Dwayne Douglas Johnson[7] (born May 2, 1972),[5] also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler who is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand.[8][9] He is often credited as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[3]
Johnson was a college football player. In 1991, he was part of the University of Miami's national championship team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two months into the 1995 season.[10] This led to his decision to become a professional wrestler like his grandfather, Peter Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. He gained mainstream fame as a wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment(WWE), originally known as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), from 1996 to 2004, and was the first third-generation superstar in the company's history. Johnson was quickly given a push as a heroic character in the WWF, originally billed as "Rocky Maivia", and then as "The Rock". He would subsequently turn into a villain as a member of the Nation of Domination in 1997. Two years after he joined the WWF, Johnson won the WWF Championship, and became one of the most popular wrestlers within the company's history for his engaging interviews and promos. Johnson is regarded by many as one of the greatest talkers in professional wrestling history, and was ranked third on the official WWE fan poll of greatest microphone talkers behind Stone Cold Steve Austin and Roddy Piper.[11][12]
Johnson is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[13][14] He won a total of 16 championships in WWF/E. This included nine World Heavyweight Championships (the WWF/E Championship seven times and the WCW/World Championship twice), two WWF Intercontinental Championships, and five times as co-holder of the WWF Tag Team Championships. He was the sixth WWF/E Triple Crown Champion, and the winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble.
Johnson's autobiography co-written with Joe Layden, The Rock Says..., was released in 2000. It debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, and remained on the list for several weeks. Johnson's first leading role as an actor was in The Scorpion King in 2002. For this film, he received the highest salary for an actor in his first starring role, earning $5.5 million.[15] He has since appeared in several blockbuster movies such as The Rundown, Be Cool, Walking Tall, Gridiron Gang, The Game Plan, Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, Doom, The Other Guys,Faster, and most recently Fast Five starring opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.
Power outtage in the gym. Already 80+ degrees. #BringItLikeAMotherf****r!
At dinner w my boys @JonMChu and the legendary bad ass "Snake Eyes" @RAYPARKACT
Team Bring It - 1,000,000 strong on Twitter! We're just gettin' started... #ProudToBringIt
Shh... Sun's comin' up, but I still ain't done killin' bad guys. #GIJoe
LoggedQuote from: Dwayne Johnson
Kung Fu Panda
K
u Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by John Wayne Stevenson and Mark Osborne and produced by Melissa Cobb, and stars the voice of Jack Black along withDustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Randall Duk Kim, James Hong, Dan Fogler, andMichael Clarke Duncan. Set in a version of old China populated by anthropomorphic talking animals, the plot revolves around a bumbling panda named Po who aspires to be a kung fu master. When an evil kung fu warrior is foretold to escape from prison, Po is unwittingly named the chosen one destined to bring peace to the land, much to the chagrin of the resident kung fu warriors.[1]
Although the concept of a "kung fu panda" has been around since at least 1993, work on the film did not begin until 2004.[2] The idea for the film was conceived by Michael Lachance,[3] a DreamWorks Animation executive. The film was originally intended to be a parody, but director Stevenson decided instead to shoot an action comedy Wuxia film that incorporates the hero's journey narrative archetype for the lead character. The computer animation in the film was more complex than anything DreamWorks had done before. As with most DreamWorks animated films, Hans Zimmer (collaborating withJohn Powell this time) scored Kung Fu Panda. He visited China to absorb the culture and get to know the China National Symphony Orchestra as part of his preparation. A sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2, was released on May 26, 2011.
Kung Fu Panda premiered in the United States on June 6, 2008, and has since received very favorable reviews from critics and most of the movie-going public, including Chinese audiences who were impressed with the film's faithfulness to their culture. The film currently garners an 88% "Certified Fresh" approval rating from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Kung Fu Panda opened in 4,114 theaters, grossing $20.3 million on its opening day and $60.2 million on its opening weekend, resulting in the number one position at the box office. The film became DreamWorks's biggest opening for a non-sequel film, the highest grossing animated film of the year worldwide, and also had the fourth-largest opening weekend for a DreamWorks animated film at the American and Canadian box office, behind Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After.[4]
