James Lew
Photoplayd Industry Rating
Not enough rated films yet to compute a weighted score.
Roles are weighted by involvement: director 1.0, screenwriter 0.7, lead 0.8, supporting 0.4, crew 0.1.
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
Credits
Star Trek (2009)
as Romulan (uncredited)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
as Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Rush Hour (1998)
as Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
as Chinese Leader
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
as Freighter's Captain
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
as Triad Gangster (uncredited)
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
as Triad Assassin (uncredited)
Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)
as Kick Boxer Opponent
Traffic (2000)
as DEA Agent - CalTrans
Safe (2012)
as Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
Superhero Movie (2008)
as Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
as Chang Sing #1
Escape from L.A. (1996)
as Hershe Gang Member
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995)
as Mercenary (uncredited)
Best of the Best (1989)
as Sae Jin Kwon
The Replacement Killers (1998)
as Bodyguard
Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
as Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
Timecop (1994)
as Knife #1
The Shadow (1994)
as Mongol
Martial Law II: Undercover (1991)
as Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
Action Jackson (1988)
as Martial Arts Instructor
On Deadly Ground (1994)
as Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
Undercover Blues (1993)
as Novacek's Man
The Perfect Weapon (1991)
as Crewcut
Rapid Fire (1992)
as Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
as Guard (uncredited)
Mission of Justice (1992)
as Akiro
Do or Die (1991)
as Lew
18 Fingers of Death! (2006)
as Buford Lee
Going Berserk (1983)
as Kung Fu Fighter
Savage Beach (1989)
as Agent #1
Ultimate Fights from the Movies (2002)
as Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
High Voltage (1997)
as Harry
Red Sun Rising (1994)
as Jaho
Excessive Force II: Force on Force (1995)
as Lee
Martial Law (1990)
as Tong Member
Sin (2003)
as Leo Thamaree
Deep Core (2000)
as Lou Chang
Guns (1990)
as Ninja #1
Made in Chinatown (2021)
as Kane
The Girl from the Naked Eye (2012)
as Eddie
Sting of the Black Scorpion (2002)
as Tong Leader
Assault on Dome 4 (1996)
as Quaid, Windham Henchman
Boogie Boy (1998)
as Jason
Night of the Warrior (1991)
as Hector Sabatei
Fatal Blade (2000)
as James
Cucuy: The Boogeyman (2018)
as Beat Cop
Let Lorenzo (2011)
as Interior Design Older Partner
Outside the Law (2002)
as Cho Sung
Robo Warriors (1996)
as Darius
Frankenstein (2015)
as Hotel Manager
Angel of Death (2009)
as Tommy
Tough and Deadly (1995)
as Thug
Ballistica (2009)
as Chinese Guard #1
For Life or Death (1996)
as Kaan Woo
American Ninja 5 (1993)
as Viper
Night Hunter (1996)
as Tom Cutter
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons (1992)
as Black Dragon Henchman
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine (2017)
as Sinjin
Deadly Target (1994)
as Guard #2 (uncredited)
Ring of Steel (1994)
as Asian Fighter
Cage II: The Arena of Death (1994)
as Chin
Midnight Man (1995)
as Prince Samarki
Ninja Academy (1989)
as Ninja Trainer
Breakout (2016)
as Cap Ruch
Henchman: The Al Leong Story (2018)
as Self
Safe House (1998)
as Asian (uncredited)
Showdown (1993)
as Hit Man
The Circuit III: Street Monk (2006)
as Spider Webb
Aftershock (1990)
as Mr. James
The Real Deal (2002)
as Black Belt
Shira: The Vampire Samurai (2005)
as Xu
Ulterior Motives (1993)
as Yakuza #5
Ballistic (1995)
as Woo
Evil Destroyer (1988)
Actor
Killpoint (1984)
as Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Elwood (2014)
as Big O
Balance of Power (1996)
as Shinji Takamura
Enforcer from Death Row (1976)
as Karate Fighter
Private Wars (1993)
as Obata
Los Angeles Streetfighter (1985)
as Chan
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer (1988)
Actor
Big Time (1977)
as Karate Instructor
Young Dragon (1979)
as Shao Lung
Black Salt (2015)
as Abbot Xiao