Acting
James Lew
EN, RU, NL cinema · 132 credits
Born
6 September 1952
Died
23 August 2026 (aged 73)
Birthplace
Escalon, California, USA
Also known as James Jene Fae Lew
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
Filmography
Dominique
Fight Choreographer
Booba
Stunt Coordinator
Made in Chinatown
as Kane, Director, Co-Producer, Action Director
Mulan
Stunts
American Bistro
Stunt Coordinator
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
as Beat Cop
Escape Plan 2: Hades
Stunt Coordinator
Maximum Impact
Fight Choreographer, Second Unit Director
Mad Families
Stunt Coordinator
Breakout
as Cap Ruch
Mr. Right
Fight Choreographer
Black Salt
2015
Black Salt
as Abbot Xiao
Frankenstein
as Hotel Manager
Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser
Stunt Coordinator
The Martial Arts Kid
Fight Choreographer
Underdog Kids
Second Unit Director, Stunt Coordinator
Elwood
as Big O
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
as Chinese Leader
Extraction
Stunt Coordinator
Safe
as Underground Casino Guard (uncredited), Stunts
Hijacked
Stunt Coordinator
Battleship
Stunt Double
Let Lorenzo
2011
Let Lorenzo
as Interior Design Older Partner
Inception
Stunts
Killers
Fight Choreographer
Angel of Death
as Tommy
Star Trek
as Romulan (uncredited)
Ballistica
as Chinese Guard #1
Tropic Thunder
as Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited), Stunts
Superhero Movie
as Shaolin Monk (uncredited), Stunts
Get Smart
Fight Choreographer
Dark World
Stunt Coordinator
Rush Hour 3
as Triad Assassin (uncredited), Stunts
The Circuit III: Street Monk
as Spider Webb
18 Fingers of Death!
as Buford Lee, Stunt Coordinator, Writer, Director
No Rules
Stunts
LArceny
Stunts
Collateral
Stunts
Sin
as Leo Thamaree
Ultimate Fights from the Movies
as Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
The Real Deal
as Black Belt
Outside the Law
as Cho Sung, Fight Choreographer
Sting of the Black Scorpion
as Tong Leader
Rush Hour 2
as Triad Gangster (uncredited), Stunts
Impostor
Stunts
Instinct to Kill
Stunt Coordinator
Deep Core
as Lou Chang
Fatal Blade
as James
Traffic
as DEA Agent - CalTrans
Safe House
as Asian (uncredited)
Boogie Boy
as Jason
Rush Hour
as Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited), Stunts
Lethal Weapon 4
as Freighter's Captain
The Replacement Killers
as Bodyguard
High Voltage
as Harry
Double Tap
Stunts
Escape from L.A.
as Hershe Gang Member, Stunts
Night Hunter
as Tom Cutter
Robo Warriors
as Darius, Stunt Coordinator
Balance of Power
as Shinji Takamura
For Life or Death
as Kaan Woo
Assault on Dome 4
as Quaid, Windham Henchman
Kazaam
Stunts
Midnight Man
as Prince Samarki
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
as Mercenary (uncredited), Stunts
Ballistic
as Woo, Stunt Coordinator
Tough and Deadly
as Thug
Timecop
as Knife #1
Red Sun Rising
as Jaho
The Shadow
as Mongol
On Deadly Ground
as Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited), Stunts
Deadly Target
as Guard #2 (uncredited)
Ring of Steel
as Asian Fighter
Blue Tiger
Stunts
American Ninja 5
as Viper
Showdown
as Hit Man
Private Wars
as Obata
Hot Shots! Part Deux
as Kick Boxer Opponent
Undercover Blues
as Novacek's Man, Stunts
Ulterior Motives
as Yakuza #5
Dark Vengeance
Stunt Coordinator
Mission of Justice
as Akiro
Rapid Fire
as Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited), Stunts
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
as Black Dragon Henchman
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fight Choreographer
Do or Die
as Lew
The Perfect Weapon
as Crewcut
Night of the Warrior
as Hector Sabatei
Showdown in Little Tokyo
as Yoshida's Man (uncredited), Stunts
Martial Law II: Undercover
as Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited), Stunts
Double Impact
Stunt Coordinator, Martial Arts Choreographer, Stunts
Ring of Fire
Stunts
Aftershock
as Mr. James, Stunt Coordinator
Guns
as Ninja #1, Stunt Coordinator
Martial Law
as Tong Member
Why Me?
Stunts
Savage Beach
as Agent #1
Best of the Best
as Sae Jin Kwon
Ninja Academy
as Ninja Trainer, Stunt Coordinator
Action Jackson
as Martial Arts Instructor
They Live
Stunts
Big Trouble in Little China
as Chang Sing #1, Associate Producer, Martial Arts Choreographer
Killpoint
as Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Going Berserk
as Kung Fu Fighter
They Call Me Bruce?
Stunt Double
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)