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Meiko Kaji was born on March 24, 1947 in the Kanda area of Tokyo, Japan. Following graduation from the Yakumo Academy High School in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan in 1965, Kaji first began acting in films in the mid-1960's under her real name of Masako Ôta. She was given the stage name Meiko Kaji by director Masahiro Makino. Meiko achieved her greatest enduring cult cinema popularity with her fierce portrayals of various tough outlaw characters which include young rebellious delinquents in the Stray Cat Rock series, the lethal Sasori from the Female Prisoner Scorpion pictures, and, most famously, the ruthless and driven titular assassin in the Lady Snowblood films. Kaji won a plethora of awards for her stand-out performance in Double Suicide of Sonezaki (1978). In the 1980's Meiko started acting more on television. Moreover, Kaji has also eked out a career as a singer: She not only sang the haunting theme song "Flower of Carnage (Shura No Hana)" for Lady Snowblood (1973) and the theme song "Urami-Bushi" for Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion (1972), but also has recorded and released several albums and singles. ("Flower of Carnage (Shura No Hana)" and "Urami-Bushi" were both featured on the soundtracks to Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), respectively.) In addition, Meiko has turned down offers to act in Hollywood movies because she believes she can't give a good performance in a language other than Japanese.- Angela Mao was born as Mao Ching Ying in 1950 as the third of eight children to a family of entertainers for the Peking Opera House. She had a successful career as a Chinesa Opera actress, where her flexibility and martial arts first developed. She was discovered by film producer Raymond Chow who made her a star. Then, she trained in hapkido, and felt attracted to the new kung fu style, on demand by Hong Kong producers. Her career, if not long, was impressive, as she was one of the first women to make that sort of break-through in the film industry, until then reserving the fights and acrobatics to men. She played Bruce Lee's sister in Enter the Dragon (1973), and she also worked with Jackie Chan several times when he was a newcomer. In 1974, she fell in love and married Kelly Lai Chen. Their daughter Hsi Pui Sze was born in 1976. However, the couple divorced. She retired from films in 1983 and moved to America with her second husband when her son George King was born. She moved to Queens, New York in 1993 and eventually opened several Chinese restaurants that she runs with her son and daughter-in-law: Mama King, Nan Bei Ho, New Mei Hua, Guo Ba Inc. She usually declines interviews, because she wanted to lower her profile for the sake of her marriage. In 2008, she visited China to attend the wedding of her daughter, who had been raised by her first husband. In 2016, she gave a reluctant interview to the "New York Times" while feeding her baby granddaughter in one of her restaurants, with her son and daughter-in-law acting as her translators. She said that she still has fans who show up to her restaurants just to see her, but that fame was never as important as taking care of her family.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Writer
One of the best-loved and respected members of the Hong Kong film community, for her long acting career, her stable family life and her devotion to charities, Siao successfully managed successive transitions from child star (she made her film debut at age 7) to leading lady, and then to distinguished character actress. In 1968 she took time out from acting to begin study at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, graduating with an honors degree in Communications in 1973. After returning to Hong Kong, she was involved in TV production work and once more took on film acting roles, although complications from her hearing disability limited the number of movies she was able to make. In the early 1980s, Siao married a Hong Kong media executive, with whom she has two daughters. In addition to raising a family and her film work, Siao also earned a Master's degree in Child Psychology in 1998 from Regis University in Denver, and in 1999 fulfilled her long-time dream of founding the End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation, an organization she now heads.- Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan was born on 10 October 1949 in Pin-Tong, Taiwan. She is an actress, known for Ma lu xiao ying xiong (1973), Bons baisers de Hong-Kong (1975) and Wu lin long hu dou (1970).
- Brigitte Lin is a Taiwanese actress. She is regarded as an icon of Chinese language cinema for her extensive and varied roles in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films. Lin was born in Chiayi, Taiwan. She was scouted in 1972 on the streets of Taipei by a film producer after she finished women's high school and was preparing for university.
- Actress
- Stunts
- Soundtrack
Shihomi Etsuko was born in the western city of Okayama in Japan. Her father worked at Japan's Mint responsible for manufacturing money. She has a younger brother. She is athletic since childhood and at junior high school was part of the track and field club. She was second in her prefecture in the Hurdle. Growing up she enjoyed the TV serial Kii Hantâ (featuring Chiba Shin'ichi) and aspired to similar feats. She would appear in several action and fantasy movies as a participant in Chiba Shinichi's Japan Action Enterprise agency alongside said actor. She had joined the club in 1972. She debuted in 1973. Her first main role came in the serial Onna Hissatsu Ken ('Sister Street Fighter') in 1974, which made her popular in her home country. She was also a singer in the seventies and eighties and the subject of several books and multiple magazine articles. She became an agent in 1985 by establishing a company called Hundred. She met Japanese singer-songwriter, and human rights' activist, Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi on the set of the comedy Tora-san's Bluebird Fantasy (1986). He married her a year later. This lead her to retire so she can take care of the house and her family. Their daughter is actress Nagabuchi Ayane who was born in 1988. She has a son who is a rapper and another son who is a racing driver. Her husband was arrested for drug possession in 1995. Beginning 2001 she began participating in marathons and began writing about it a year later. She is often credited as being the first Japanese actress who performed dangerous stunts and actions in a movie.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, Malaysia. She's the daughter of Janet Yeoh & Kian Teik Yeoh. She's of Hokkien descent, speaking English and Malay before Chinese. A ballet dancer since 4, she moved to London to study at the Royal Academy as a teen. After a brief dance career, she won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant title in and the Miss Moomba beauty pageant title in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. Her first on camera work was a 1984 commercial with martial arts star Jackie Chan. In 1985, she began making action movies with D&B Films of Hong Kong. She was first billed as Michelle Khan, then Michelle Yeoh. Never a trained martial artist, she relied on her dance discipline and on-set trainers to prepare for martial arts action scenes.
She uses many dance moves in her films and does most of her own stunts. In 1988, she married wealthy D&B Films executive Dickson Poon & retired from acting. Even though they divorced in 1992, she's close to Poon's second wife and a godmother to his daughter. When she returned to acting, she became very popular w/ Chinese audiences. She later became known to Western audiences through role in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). She turned down a role in a sequel to The Matrix (1999).
She has her own production company, Mythical Films. She trained with the Shen Yang Acrobatic team for her role in The Touch (2002), an English-language film she both starred in and produced. She hopes to use her company to discover and nurture new film-making talent. She also aspires to act in roles that combine both action and deeper spiritual themes.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
With a career that began in her early childhood, Anita Mui is the queen of Hong Kong's pop-music industry. After she won a singing contest in 1982, her life in the limelight began. In the early stages of her career her image was a little bit tomboy-ish and sexy (which was the reason she was called the "Madonna of Hong Kong"), and some of her songs were considered too risqué, with one of them, "Bad Girl", actually being banned from airplay due to its suggestive content. She started her acting career at about the same time, often starring with Anthony Chan, including Huai nu hai (1986) and One Husband Too Many (1988). Other acting partners included Jackie Chan and Leslie Cheung. Both her singing and acting careers were a success. She won an enormous number of "Best Female Singer" and "Most Popular Female Singer" awards in the 1980s, and her acting career's climax was winning "Best Actress" awards (Golden Horse Award and the inaugural Golden Dragon Awards in Taiwan, Hong Kong Film Award, and the Pan-Asia Pacific Film Festival) in 1987 for Stanley Kwan's "Rouge" Rouge (1987). In the early 1990s she announced her "half" retirement from the singing industry. However, by popular demand, she continued to record albums and to act in movies, and by 1994, she engineered a full comeback to great critical and popular acclaim.
She passed away from cervical cancer on December 30th, 2003. Many of her friends were with her in her last hours.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Maggie Cheung was born on September 20, 1964, in Hong Kong, and moved at the age of eight with her family to England. After finishing secondary school, she returned to Hong Kong, where she began modeling and appearing in commercials. In 1983 she participated in the Ms. Hong Kong pageant, winning first runner-up, which proved not to be a detriment since she went on to become a star of both Hong Kong television and film.- After studying Chinese and jazz dance from elementary school, at 17 years old, she won a national contest to find new talents, organized by Taiwanese TV, and shortly after she made several appearances on TV, and also got cast in a bit part in the Taiwanese film "Taipei Story" (1985), directed by Edward Yang. In 1987 she signed a contract with Hong Kong film studio D & B to replace Malaysian action star Michelle Yeoh and from then she starred in more than 20 martial arts films. From 1994 she combined her appearances in movies with TV series, making more than ten TV productions in only 5 years.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Moon Lee was born on 14 February 1965 in Hong Kong. She is an actress, known for Fighting Madam (1987), Fatal Termination (1990) and Mission of Justice (1992).- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Shannon Emery Lee (born April 19, 1969) is an American actress, martial artist and businesswoman. She is the daughter of late martial arts film star Bruce Lee and retired martial arts teacher Linda Lee Cadwell, the granddaughter of Cantonese opera singer Lee Hoi-Chuen, and the younger sister of Brandon Lee.
She was born on April 19, 1969, in Los Angeles, to martial arts film star Bruce Lee and Linda Emery. In her youth she studied Jeet Kune Do, the martial art created by her father, under Richard Bustillo, one of her father's students. However, her serious studies did not begin until the late 1990s. To train for parts in action movies, she studied Jeet Kune Do with Ted Wong.
She studied Taekwondo under Dung Doa Liang and Wushu under Eric Chen. She also studied under the tutelage of the director of Enter the Eagles, Yuen De, Jackie Chan's Chinese opera brother. Because the film Enter the Eagles required her to fight Benny Urquidez, Urquidez himself taught her in kickboxing.
Lee made her acting debut playing a cameo in her father's 1993 biopic film Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story as the party singer of the song "California Dreamin.'" She went on to appear in the direct-to-video films Cage II (1994) with bodybuilding veteran and actor Lou Ferrigno and High Voltage (1997) with Antonio Sabato Jr. In 1998, she starred in the Hong Kong action film Enter the Eagles, directed by Corey Yuen, co-starring Michael Wong and Anita Yuen.
On television, she guest-starred in an episode of the television series Martial Law alongside Sammo Hung in 1998 and appeared in the sci-fi television film Epoch, which first aired on the Sci Fi Channel in 2001. That same year, she played the leading role in the action film Lessons for an Assassin. She was also the host of the first season of the game show WMAC Masters. She sang on the band Medicine's album The Mechanical Forces of Love in 2003. She sang a cover of "I'm in the Mood for Love" for the movie China Strike Force (2000), which starred Leehom Wang and Aaron Kwok.
Lee is president of the Bruce Lee Foundation. She was the executive producer of the 2008 television series The Legend of Bruce Lee, based on her father's life, and the 2009 documentary film How Bruce Lee Changed the World.
In 2015, Perfect Storm Entertainment and Shannon Lee announced that the series The Warrior, based an original idea by Bruce Lee, would be produced and would air on the Cinemax and the filmmaker Justin Lin was chosen to direct the series, scheduled to debut in 2019.- Born in Hong Kong, Lee moved to Canada with her parents at a young age. After completing her education at a Canadian university, she decided to return to Hong Kong and compete in the city's "Miss Hong Kong" beauty pagent. Her acting career was given a head start after receiving second runner-up in the competition and she was subsequently offered many tv and movie roles.
- Jewel Lee was born in 1974 in Guilin, Guangxi, China. She is an actress, known for Naked Weapon (2002), Lethal Angels (2006) and X-Cop Girls (2000).
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ming-Na ("enlightenment") was born on the island of Macau, forty miles from Hong Kong. Her mother, Lin Chan Wen, divorced her father when Ming-Na was only a toddler. She has an older brother named Jonathan. After the divorce, they moved to Hong Kong where her mother became a nurse. There her mother met Soo Lim Yee, a U.S. businessman. They soon married, and at four years, Ming-Na moved with her family to Queens, New York. Five years later, they transferred to Yee's hometown of Pittsburgh where his family runs the Chinatown Inn restaurant. Jonathan and half-brother, Leong, now manage this restaurant. Struggling to fit in at school, she changed her name to Maggie & Doris. She found a love for acting while appearing in a third grade Easter play, where she played a klutzy bunny. Her mother was not excited about her desire to pursue acting, She preferred that she go into medicine. Nonetheless, Ming-Na graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in theatre. She got her first acting job in 1988 on the soap As the World Turns (1956). Her big break came when she was cast in The Joy Luck Club (1993). When she needed a ride to the premiere of the film, her acting instructor sent one of his students, Eric Michael Zee. The two started dating in 1994 after Ming-Na moved permanently to Los Angeles and married in 1995, dropping her last name, Wen, at that time. She says she is now like Ann-Margret. Zee is a screenwriter and, with Ming-Na, manages At Last, a boy band.- Actress
Kara Hui Ying-Hung was born in Shandong, China; her family moved to Hong Kong in 1966 and at 14 she quit school and started working at nightclubs. Penniless after her family lost their savings from her father's business acquaintances, Hui and her mother and siblings resided in the poor shanty town of Rennie's Mill and were forced to peddle goods on the streets of Hong Kong. Hui was discovered by film director Chia-Liang Liu and cast in Challenge of the Masters (1976) in 1976. Soon after, she started in many films directed by Liu Chia-Liang. She signed with Shaw Brothers Studios in February of 1975 and made over 40 action movies. She won the very first Best Actress Award for her critically-acclaimed role as Jing Dai-Nan in the 1981 classic My Young Auntie (1981) at the first Hong Kong Film Awards in 1982. After Shaw Studios closed down in 1985, Kara's career transition was very smooth and she has since portrayed more serious roles with very great success, winning the Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards, Changchun Film Festival, Pacific Meridian, Asian Film Awards, and Golden Horse Awards for her portrayal of a mother in the 2009 film At the End of Daybreak and winning Best Supporting Actress for her role as Yeung Feng in Rigor Mortis in 2014 at the 33rd Hong Kong Film Awards. Kara Hui is a legend. She has acted in over 138 films and is still active in the Hong Kong film industry today.- Actress
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Sibelle Hu was born on May 4, 1958 in Taiwan. She graduated from the Faculty of History of the University of Taiwan in 1981. When she was still in school, she made her film debut in Your Smiling Face (1979), which was a big hit in Hong Kong, and then went on to appear in a host of drama/romantic films from Taiwan.
Hu later furthered her film career in Hong Kong, starring in mostly action films, at times taking on tough, no-nonsense police detective roles. However, she also starred in several action-comedies as well, most notably playing "Madam Wu" in three of the six "My Lucky Stars" films. Her role would be spun-off and take center stage in a different movie series called "The Inspector Wears Skirts," where she trains a group of female police squad members at the Hong Kong Police Academy.
Hu was seriously injured in a fire incident from a botched stunt scene while filming Devil Hunters (1989). Fortunately, she received good treatment and recovered well enough to continue with her film career, appearing in movies well into the 1990s.
Hu's film career phased out after she married Patrick Ho Chi-Ping, Hong Kong's former Secretary for Home Affairs. They have one daughter together.- Actress
- Production Manager
Nora Miao was born on 8 February 1952 in Hong Kong, China. She is an actress and production manager, known for The Way of the Dragon (1972), The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972).- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Pei-Pei Cheng was born on 4 December 1946 in Shanghai, China. She is an actress and producer, known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Lilting (2014) and Mulan (2020). She was previously married to Wen-Tung Yuan.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Sound Department
A Hong Kong Oscar winner and daughter of martial arts legend 'Pei-pei Cheng', Eugenia Yuan started out her career not as an actress, but as a champion rhythmic gymnast for the U.S. Olympic Team. Eventually, career switching from an athlete to on-screen ingénue, Eugenia made her screen debut co-starring with her mother in the martial arts picture _Flying Dragon, Leaping Tiger (2002). She caught the eye of movie executives on both sides of world who offered to groom to take inherit her mother's kung fu crown. Eugenia opted instead to co-star in the dark, low-budget feature Charlotte Sometimes which garnered an honor at the Independent Spirit Awards and was publicly championed by national film critic Roger Ebert and featured in his own film festival. Eugenia returned to Hong Kong to star in the feature collection of three dramatic shorts by heavy weight local directors entitled Three... Extremes where she nabbed the Hong Kong Film Award as "Best Newcomer" (Hong Kong's equivalent of the Academy Awards). Soon after, Hollywood director Doug Liman hand-picked her for the title role of the cult hit mockumentary Mail Order Wife (2004)), which brought her to national attention when she was named as a "Rising Star/Screen Acting Discovery" by the Hamptons International Film Festival where the film premiered. She was later nominated for Hong Kong's prestigious Golden Horse Award for her starring role in The Eye 2 (2004) and made memorable turns in John Dahl's The Great Raid (2005) and, most recently, the Oscar-winning Memoirs of a Geisha. Eugenia continues to shuttle back and forth between Los Angeles, New York, and Hong Kong to take Studio, Chinese-language and American independent roles alike including the 2007 Gotham Awards winning film Choking Man. She also co-stars with Hong Kong icon 'Tony Leung Ka Fai' in the Hong Kong thriller _Zhan. gu (2007). Most recently Eugenia has starred in the Martin Scorsese feature at the Toronto Film Festival, Revenge of the Green Dragons and is wrapping Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Wei Zhao was born in Wuhu, Anhui province. She is the second child of her family. Because she is the only girl, Zhao's father named her Wei, literally "Rose". Her father was a senior engineer, her mother was a music teacher.
After filming A Soul Haunted By Painting (1994) as a figurant, Wei Zhao was inspired by Li Gong's performance and deter-minded to be an actor. In 1994, as the first year student, Zhao moved to Shanghai and entered the Star Academy, held by Chinese master Jin Xie. The same year, Zhao filmed the Behind the Wall of Shame (1995), directed by Xie. After filming several television series and advertisements, including as a leading role in Sisters in Beijing (1995), she gain a little fame in the north China. In the entrance examination, Wei Zhao obtained the highest score when she was matriculated into the acting institute of the Beijing Film Academy in 1996. When Qiong Yao casting actors in 1997, she watched Zhao's television show and impressed by her.
During 1998-1999, two seasons of My Fair Princess, adapted from Qiong Yao's novel, obtained explosive success and broke the record until today. Zhao won Golden Eagle Award for Best Actress for playing Xiao Yan Zi (Little Swallow), which considered the most phenomenon TV character of the decade. Then zhao's several series were very popular in east and southeast Asia, such as Romance in the Rain (2001), another Qiong Yao production. Zhao also became the box-office daring in mainland China and Hong Kong, for The Duel (2000), Shaolin Soccer (2001), Chinese Odyssey 2002 (2002), So Close (2002).
A picture, shoot in New York, totally destoryed Zhao's hopefully career. In Dec. 3, 2001, a mainland China website upload a photo, Zhao wears a dress looks like Japanese military flag, which labeled Heatherette NYC designed by Richie Rich, published on Fashion Magazine sep issue. Most of Chinese shocked and thought their "China sweetie" betrayed the nation. After several times apology on TV Live, radio, newspaper and Internet, public have forgive her eventually. For box office failure of Green Tea (2003), My Dream Girl (2003), Goddess of Mercy (2003), several china newspapers named her as box-office poison.
In 2005, for critical acclaimed A Time to Love, Zhao won three Best Actress awards, including Shanghai Film Festival Golden Goblet Award. Drama series Moment in Peking (2005) was the most viewers tv show of the year, the highest rating episode nearly 13%. Then The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2006), The Longest Night in Shanghai (2007) obtained positive reviews.
In 2006, Zhao back to Beijing Film Academy, study directing, and got master's degree (MFA).
Since 2008, the sustained success of movies, including Red Cliff I & II (2008-2009), Painted Skin (2008), 14 Blades (2010), Painted Skin: The Resurruction (2012), Love (2012), Hollywood Adventure (2015), Lost in Hong Kong (2015), marked Zhao as A-list box-office star in China. Alougth Mulan (2009) got mixed reviews in China, critics praised Zhao, she won Hundred Flowers Award, Changchun Film Festival Golden Deer Award and Shanghai Film Critics Award for Best Actress.
Wei Zhao's directorial debut So Young (2013) got favorable reviews, listed in many critics Top Ten of the Year, and box-office broke 110 million dollars in mainland China. Zhao won Golden Rooster Award for Best Directorial Debut, as the youngest winner of Hundred Flowers Award for Best Director, and Hong Kong Film Award for Best Chinese Language Film from Two Coasts.
For Peter Chan's Dearest (2014), Zhao, highly praised by critics and audience, was regarded as best performance of the Year. She won numerous awards and nominations, including Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress.
Vicki Zhao is the english name of Wei Zhao's music career. From 1999 to 2001, her 4 albums sold more than 3,700,000 records in Asia. During 2004-2008, Zhao's last four studio albums received welcomed reviews. And she won dozens of music awards.
Besides her career, Wei Zhao always engage in charity. Since 2004, Zhao held a scholarship in her hometown for local students. Since 2014, she held V-Love Foudation for Leukemia in Childhood.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Zhou Xun is an internationally acclaimed Chinese actress and singer.
She caught international attention through her roles in Lou Ye's Suzhou River in 2000 and Dai Sijie's film adaption of the book of same name Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress in 2002. In 2003, she starred in the television remake of Jinyong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes as "Huang Rong" with actor Li Yapeng. Zhou then successfully entered the Hong Kong film market in Peter Chan's Perhaps Love in 2005. This role gained her the Best Actress award in the Hong Kong Film Awards. Aside from acting, she has also released solo albums in 2003 titled "Summer" and in 2005 "Come Across", and sang for "Baober In Love," "Xin Bian Guo Le Xi San Meng You Xian Jing," and "Perhaps Love" motion picture soundtracks.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Actress, filmmaker and writer, Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant (Thi Thanh Nga) was born in Saigon, and has shuttled between Vietnam and the USA since she was 5-years-old. Her life has been a true adventure: Child of War, Karate Princess, Bride of God, Actress, Mom, Singer, Songwriter, Film Producer, Director, Widow of Peace, Philanthropist - she's done it all.
As a child of war, Tiana emigrated to the USA with her family to escape the Vietnam conflict. Her father was Director of Press for the South Vietnam regime and was given CIA clearances for their immigration. They were the first Vietnamese family to move to Virginia during the height of racial desegregation.
Tiana was harassed as a "gook" in high school, and studied martial arts for her self-protection. Tiana's teacher, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee crowned her "Tiana Karate Princess" and introduced her to Bruce Lee. Lee accepted her as his first teen female student, and also encouraged her acting skills. They made a pact together to defy stereotypes: that he would never play a coolie, and she would never play a whore. Bruce Lee would later introduce Tiana to her future husband, Stirling Silliphant, the Oscar-winning TV and film writer who created key roles for Bruce in Hollywood.
Stirling & Tiana Silliphant were married at Chasen's restaurant, with a cast of all-star guests attending. They were considered Hollywood "royalty," appearing on national talk and game shows like The Mike Douglas Show, and Tattletales. Stirling was riding high with box office bonanzas like The Towering Inferno, Shaft, and The Poseidon Adventure, as well as having won an Oscar for penning In the Heat of the Night. He wrote for Tiana too.
Tiana made her screen debut in Sam Peckinpah's The Killer Elite (1975), co-starring alongside "Godfathers" of cinema James Caan and Robert Duvall. Subsequent starring roles included Pearl, the star-studded hit ABC miniseries about Pearl Harbor, the lead role in Catch the Heat (1987) with Rod Steiger, Fly Away Home (TV 1981) with Brian Dennehy, and The Three Kings (1987) with Lou Diamond Phillips. She was the first Vietnamese-American to join Screen Actors Guild
Tiana left that all behind in 1989 when she visited Vietnam to pursue philanthropy and social activism. The move led both her and Stirling to profound career changes. After the war, Vietnam was the 5th poorest nation on earth, and Tiana was the first person to bring American cameramen to post-war Vietnam to film and share stories about her devastated homeland - which at that time was under strict US embargo. Her films forged friendships, not enemies. She met women and children, and war veterans from all sides who were working for peace, not war.
Tiana enjoyed unprecedented access to her forbidden mother country, and amassed an extensive one-of-a-kind 16mm film and video archive of post-war life in Vietnam. She met Oscar winner Oliver Stone in Hanoi, and co-founded the Indochina Film Arts Foundation to stimulate artistic ventures in film, theater, radio, art and education. The foundation presented projects in numerous venues, from the Director Guild of America to the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
In the early '90s, Tiana made her first film, the autobiographical documentary From Hollywood to Hanoi (1992), which was selected as the "Best Of Telluride" at Telluride Film Festival and was nominated for "Best Non-Fiction Film" at Sundance International Festival. From Hollywood to Hanoi, executive produced by Oliver Stone, is the personal account of an actress's rediscovery of her homeland, and her quest for reconciliation between her two identities, Vietnamese and American. From Hollywood to Hanoi will be expanded as part of a Vietnam Trilogy and reissued in 2025, the 50th anniversary of the end of the war.
In 1996 Tiana's husband, Stirling Silliphant, passed away in Bangkok of bone cancer. As a widow of peace, Tiana continued to film in Viet Nam to open new doors and to transcend her grief. One labor of love has lasted over three decades: a personal portrait of her father's history teacher, General Vo Nguyen Giap, the Commander of the North Vietnamese Army during both the French and the American wars. General Giap welcomed Tiana as a daughter returning home. She also met the Hanoi Politburo and iconic "enemy" leaders - all of whom expressed hope for healing and reconciliation. The resulting feature documentary, The General & Me is slated for 2025 release alongside the reissue of From Hollywood to Hanoi.
In the late '90s, Tiana became the muse for another prolific Oscar-winning writer, Christopher Hampton.
A Tony Award Celebration was organized by Tiana in 2009 in conjunction with the successful run of Yasmina Reza's Broadway play God of Carnage - translated by Christopher Hampton. The event celebrated the play's six Tony nominations and three wins, and honored Hampton's 50 plays and screenplays. James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden, Philip Glass and Phillip Noyce participated in the short documentary that Tiana created from the event.
In 2009 Tiana also filmed an odyssey to find the spirit of Michael Jackson in Beverly Hills and Vietnam, with Le Ly Hayslip - the author and subject of Oliver Stone's feature film Heaven & Earth (1993). Le Ly and Tiana visited the site of Jackson's death and documented the throngs of fans and impersonators carrying on his legacy in the U.S. and around the world.
As co-owner of Christopher Hampton's stage play The Talking Cure, Tiana was instrumental in developing the project into a feature film directed by David Cronenberg. The film, re-titled A Dangerous Method (2011), starred Michael Fassbender as Swiss psychotherapist Carl Jung, and Keira Knightley as his patient and mistress. Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant is credited as Associate Producer on the 2011 release, and documented the behind the scenes development of the project.
In 2012, Alexandra and Christopher Hampton formed Hampton Silliphant Management & Productions, which presented the play Appomattox at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The play concerns itself with historic events in America, 100 years apart in time: the historic meetings between Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, in tandem with Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglass in 1865, and the later machinations of Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover and Martin Luther King - which ultimately led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Appomattox was also performed as an opera with Philip Glass at The Kennedy Center in 2015.
In 2020, Tiana went on location in Malaysia to join partner Christopher Hampton (Screenwriter, Executive Producer) and crew, filming the international TV mini-series The Singapore Grip (2020). Tiana documented "the making of" the six-episode drama - which portrayed the intrigues and ultimate upheaval of British colonialism during the Fall of Singapore in WWII.
From late 2020 through 2021 Tiana has been traveling the United states collecting stories and characters for a new series entitled Detour 66. The project follows in the tracks of her late husband Stirling Silliphant's TV series, Route 66 (1960), and chronicles the dramas and cultural zeitgeist unfolding across the Divided States of America.
She is also developing a video/podcast series entitled Somebody Nobody Everybody (SNE) which explores personal memoir, social consciousness, health, age reversal and the dating game.
* More than 60 of Tiana Alexandra's films, interviews, music videos, and more are posted on tianaworld.com, vietnamtrilogy.com Tianaworld YouTube & Tianaworld Vimeo. @whyvietnamseries & @tianaworld Instagram.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Cynthia Rothrock is a martial arts expert and athlete, who went on to become a film actress, starring in a number of highly successful martial arts action movies. She first made a name as an action actress in Hong Kong before going on to wow audiences in her home turf. At the time of her popularity, she was well-known as the "Queen of Martial Arts films".
Cynthia Rothrock is the World Champion in martial arts Forms and Weapons (1981-1985). Her goal was to be undefeated and retire after five years. With over 100 competitions, she holds the undefeated worldwide record in martial arts Forms competition. In weapons competition, Cynthia is the first and only woman to win number one in North America against the men-at that time, women had to compete with the men. She holds five Black Belts with a rank of 8th Dan Grandmaster.
Upon completing her goal of being undefeated in competition, she began her martial arts acting career starring in movies produced and filmed in Hong Kong. Her first movie, Yes, Madam alongside Michelle Yeoh, broke box office records making her a massive star in Hong Kong. After three years of living in Hong Kong, finishing seven films, she returned to the United States to continue her acting career. Today she has starred in over 60 movies.
Rothrock has been a role model for women in martial arts and film. She made history by becoming the inaugural woman to grace the cover of Karate Illustrated (August 1981) and holds the distinction of being the first woman featured on the cover three times in the magazine's history.
In March 2024, Black Belt Magazine named Rothrock number one in its list of "The Most Influential Women Martial Artists on the Planet.". Rothrock is a proud inductee into the prestigious Black Belt Hall of Fame, along with Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. In 2016 she was the first martial artist (male or female) to be inducted into the prestigious International Sports Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman.- Actress
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FYI: I've written my own BIO. To be honest it felt more sincere than pretending like I hired some journalist to do a ton of research and come up with a non biased presentation. So here it goes.
Nia Peeples- What others have said: is an American actress, singer, dancer. For more than 30 years Nia has graced the screen with her talent and intelligence, her fearlessness and compassion, and her beauty. (Why thank you) Most known for her roles in the hit TV series Fame, Walker Texas Ranger, and Pretty Little Liars as well as her jaunt through the music industry with her number 1 record Trouble and the 3 music shows she hosted in that era, Nia is one of the first multi-racial performers to cross all genres and all platforms helping to lay the groundwork for bridging the gap between ethnic performers and leading roles in Hollywood.
Recently, with her son well on his music path, her daughter heading off to college, and her 4th marriage ending, Nia sold everything and went on "walk about" to realign with her greater purpose. After three years of wandering, Nia has returned with one book under her belt, The Little Apple Tree, and is in the middle of writing her second, "Confessions of a Serial Monogamist, Journey Through the Men I loved to the Me I Love, for which she interviewed all her significant others.
Nia's passion is empowering women and students. She is also a keynote speaker, works very closely with My Saint My Hero creating and launching empowering lines of jewelry, and continues to perform live.
(2018) Nia currently lives in Topanga, CA when she's not fasting at an ashram or studying quantum physics and sacred geometry:)- Actress
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Born to immigrants in New York City, Lucy Liu has always tried to balance an interest in her cultural heritage with a desire to move beyond a strictly Asian-American experience. Her mother, Cecilia, a biochemist, is from Beijing & her father, Tom Liu, a civil engineer, is from Shanghai. Once relegated to "ethnic" parts, the energetic actress is finally earning her stripes as an across-the-board leading lady.
She graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1986 & enrolled in NYU. However, she was discouraged by the dark and sarcastic atmosphere, so she transferred to the University of Michigan after her freshman year. She graduated w/ a degree in Asian Languages & Cultures, managing to squeeze in some additional training in dance, voice, fine arts & acting. During her senior year, she auditioned for a small part in a production of Alice in Wonderland and walked away with the lead. Encouraged by the experience, she decided to take the plunge into professional acting. She moved to L.A., splitting her time between auditions & food service day jobs. She eventually scored a guest appearance as a waitress on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). That performance led to more walk-on parts in shows like NYPD Blue (1993), ER (1994) & The X-Files (1993). In 1996, she was cast as an ambitious college student on Rhea Perlman's ephemeral sitcom Pearl (1996).
She first appeared on the big screen as an ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire (1996) (she had previously filmed a scene in the indie Bang (1995), but it was shelved for 2 years). She then waded through a series of supporting parts in small films before landing her big break on Ally McBeal (1997). She initially auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which went to Portia de Rossi. However, writer-producer David E. Kelley was so impressed w/ her that he promised to write a part for her in an upcoming episode. The part turned out to be that of growling, ill-tempered lawyer Ling Woo, which she filled w/ such aplomb that she was signed on as a regular cast member.
The "Ally" win gave her film career a much-needed boost-in 1999, she was cast as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson action flick Payback (1999) & as a hitchhiker in the ill-received boxing saga Play It to the Bone (1999). The following year brought even larger roles: first as the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei in Jackie Chan's western Shanghai Noon (2000), then as one-third of the comely crime-fighting trio in Charlie's Angels (2000).
When she's not hissing at clients or throwing well-coiffed punches, she keeps busy w/ an eclectic mix of off-screen hobbies. She practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses &plays the accordion. In 1993, she exhibited a collection of multimedia art pieces at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo (New York), after which she won a grant to study & create art in China. Her hectic schedule doesn't leave much time for romantic intrigue, but she says she prefers to keep that side of her life uncluttered.- Actress
- Stunts
Yanin "Jeeja" pronounced "ChiCha" Vismitananda was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Her mother is Prasita Vismitananda and her father, Pawadol Borirak, was a businessman who died when his daughter was 17, she has an older brother, Nantapong "Jeed" Vismitananda. She is mainly of Thai descent with some English and Burmese ancestry. Vismitananda now holds a 3rd Dan black belt in Taekwondo which she is practicing since she was 11 years old. In her role in the movie Chocolate (2008) she had to incorporate some additional Martial Art moves she recently studies such as Muay Thai and Thai Boxing, she likes watching Martial Arts Action Films and is a fan of Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa, Jet Li and Bruce Lee. Her latest action film is Chocolate 2 in 3D and also she co-stars with Tony Jaa in his Action Film The Protector 2, going back to her private life on the 29th of August 2012, Yanin revealed that she was five months pregnant and was engaged to Adrian Robert Bowden a co-director in one of her films and is the younger brother of the Thai singer Pamela Bowden. Yanin also stated that she plans to suspend herself from work for the next two years, her son, Jayden Bowden Vismitananda was born January 22nd 2013.- Actress
- Producer
Bernice Liu was born on 6 January 1979 in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010), The King of Fighters (2009) and Perfect Wedding (2010).- Celina Horan, professionally known as Celina Jade, is a Chinese American actress, model, singer/songwriter and martial artist most known for her work as "Shado" in the CW series Arrow. Jade's acting career started in Hong Kong in 2007. She was cast as the leading lady in her first film, Legendary Assassin alongside Wu Jing. In 2012, she landed her first role in a US film by Universal Pictures, The Man with the Iron Fists, starring Russell Crowe & Lucy Liu. In 2012, Jade was cast to play the recurring role of Shado (DC's Oliver Queen's martial arts teacher & girlfriend) in the hit CW series Arrow. In 2015, Jade starred opposite Asian action star Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman in Skin Trade as the leading lady. Shortly after, she was cast to lead the Indie film April Flowers. In 2017 Jade stars as the female lead opposite Wu Jing and Frank Grillo (Captain America) in Wolf Warrior 2. In less than two days, the movie surpassed the $88 million scored by the franchise's first installment in 2015. Ten days later, it overtook last year's sensation, "The Mermaid," as China's top-grossing film of all time. Now, its $860 million take after just five weekends has made "Wolf Warrior II" the second-highest-earning title in a single territory in history, behind "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in North America. Jade was awarded the Kineo Anica International Icon Award at the 74th Venice film festival and was awarded Most Popular Actress of China 2017 by Instyle Magazine.
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Ziyi Zhang is a Chinese actress and model. She is best known for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), Rush Hour 2 (2001), Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004), and Memoirs of a Geisha (2005).
She made her feature film debut in The Road Home (1999).
For her work in Memoirs of a Geisha she was nominated for an Golden Globe for Best Actress.- Actress
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Born into a traditional south Indian family, Aishwarya started modeling at a young age. This green-blue-eyed beauty appeared in advertisements for many prestigious firms; the ones that brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the Pepsi ad. Crowned Miss India 1994 runner-up, she was a hot favorite in the run for miss world title, which she won, her beauty and charm made her India's darling. Ash stormed into the Indian movie industry, where she has proven herself a brilliant & genuine actress. Her performance in Iruvar (1997) was critically acclaimed, and she won the Screen best female debutant award for her role in ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (1997). She was adored in movies like Taal (1999), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Devdas (2002), her item number in 'Bunty & Bubbly' had sent waves of rhythm across the nation. With her successful Bollywood movies and prestigious Hollywood projects lined up for release it is impossible to ignore this Indian diva in international scenes.- Actress
- Producer
- Nan Yu was born on 5 September 1978 in Dalian, Liaoning, China. She is an actress, known for The Expendables 2 (2012), Tuya's Marriage (2006) and Speed Racer (2008).
- Actress
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- Director
Grace holds two Certificates of Distinction in Speech and Drama from Trinity College London in the UK. Nominated for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy, she plays Lauren in John Madden's film "Miss Sloane" with Jessica Chastain. Her directorial debut, A False Sense of Security, won Special Jury Mention at AFFD in Dallas, Texas. She splits her time between North America and the UK, where she studied naturopathic medicine.- Actress
- Producer
Norika is a Japanese beauty queen, model, and actress. She became Miss Japan in 1992 and was an exclusive model for CanCam magazine. She has appeared in many commercials, TV shows, and films in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Korea. She has also acted in a couple international films as well. She was the voice for Princess Fiona in the Japanese-dubbed versions of Shrek 1 and Shrek 2.
After several years of model and acting work, she has since worked internationally as a journalist and spokesperson, including acting as an ambassador for the Japanese - Korean friendship during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, reporting from the 2004 Olympics in Greece, and going to Afghanistan and holding a photo exhibition there. She was also appointed as one of Japan's ambassador for the Red Cross and goes on missions around the world to support people in need.- Actress
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Muriel Hofmann is known for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009), Eureka Seven (2005) and Lady Bloodfight (2016).- Actress
Tae-Mi was born on 23 April 1990 in Namyangju, Korea. She is an actress, known for Healer (2014), The Kick (2011) and Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo (2017).- Stunts
- Actress
Caitlin Dechelle was born in Miami, FL and is based in Atlanta, GA. She began her martial arts training at 6 years old and was competing by age 8. She enjoyed the exhilaration of competition and went on to win 94 NASKA & World Titles, making her the most decorated female martial artist in the world. Competing provided her the opportunity to travel the world. She retired from the competition circuit at 24 to pursue her dream of becoming a stunt woman and an actress. She is a brand ambassador for Rockstar Energy, Century Martial Arts and Garden of Life, all which are important components of her daily life. She co-starred with Jackie Chan in Chinese Zodiac. She played "The Geneticist" on MTV's Teen Wolf Season 5. She is an award winning stunt woman; recognized for Hawkeye, The Mandalorian, The Hunt, Agents of Shield, Altered Carbon, Wonder Woman, Midnight Texas, Furious 7 and many more.- Stunts
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Natalie Padilla grew up in San Diego, California where she started gymnastics at the age of 4. Natalie continued gymnastics through her high school years and earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa in 2004. In 2006, she transferred to UCLA, one of the top gymnastics teams in the country. During the 2006-2008 season, UCLA was ranked in the top 3 and also won the 2007 Pac 10 Championship. Natalie graduated with a degree in Psychology in 2009.
Since graduation Natalie has been pursing a career in stunts.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Director
- Actress
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- Director
Veronica Ngo was born on 26 February 1979 in Tra Vinh, Vietnam. She is an actress and producer, known for The Creator (2023), The Old Guard (2020) and Da 5 Bloods (2020).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Yi Huang was born on 13 September 1977 in Shanghai, China. She is an actress, known for Lock Destination (2010), Drug War (2012) and The Legend Is Born: Ip Man (2010). She was previously married to Yiqing Huang and Jiang Kai.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Gillian Chung Yun Tung is a Hong Kong pop singer and actress. She resides in the affluent Midlevels district in Hong Kong with her younger sister. Standing at just over five feet tall, Chung is a graduate of the Kowloon True Light Middle School and attended RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. While at RMIT, she also worked as a part-time model.
In 2001, Chung was approached by Emperor Entertainment Group to form a singing group, Twins, with Charlene Choi, to whom she is not actually related. Initially, people did have difficulty telling the two apart, but they have since developed their own distinct personalities.
Chung made her film debut in U Man which was released in 2002 and has since proven her acting skills in a number of films like Beyond Our Ken which has earned her critical acclaim. Outdoing herself in every martial arts sequence, Chung has established herself as the up and coming action star.
In the film Beyond Our Ken released in 2004, Chung played as Chan Wai Ching, a spurned girlfriend of the eponymous Ken, where she managed to brings both a charming girlishness and an opaque resolve to the character, and handles her despondency with believable vulnerability. Chung occasionally gives off the same sweet likability that has characterized her earlier performances, but shows far more than that in this particular film. The film managed a box office taking of HK$ 3,886,355 and it has its World Premiere in Toyko International Film Festival.- Actress
- Producer
Margaret Denise Quigley was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a father of Polish and Irish descent (originally based in New York) and a Vietnamese mother. Her parents met during the Vietnam War. Maggie has two older half-siblings from her mother's previous marriage, and two older sisters. The family moved to Hawaii and settled in Mililani.
Maggie dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, but modeled and found herself bursting onto the Hong Kong movie scene - eventually becoming a full-fledged superstar in Asia. She changed her name to the easily pronounceable "Maggie Q" (for the Chinese audience). She had a cameo in the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker smash hit Rush Hour 2 (2001) and is part of the supporting cast in Mission: Impossible III (2006), starring Tom Cruise.- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Kaede Aono was born on 21 November 1992 in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She is an actress, known for Kei×Yaku: Dangerous Partners (2022), Asura Girl: A Blood-C Tale (2017) and Kishiryu Sentai Ryusoulger (2019).
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- Additional Crew
Florence Faivre grew up in the town of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. Early in her adolescence, she and her family moved to Bangkok, Thailand. Florence started her career in show business there at the age of 13. She was the regular host of two Thai television shows, "Teentalk" and "E for Teens", while also hosting countless programs as a guest presenter for international television shows throughout South East Asia.
Then in 2002, in her final year of high school, Florence was chosen to be the lead in the film "The Siam Renaissance" from the producers of the internationally acclaimed Thai films "Bangkok Dangerous" and "Tears of the Black Tiger." The Siam Renaissance would be the second largest Thai production to date. She was unanimously praised by the critics for her star performance in the film, receiving a Best Actress nomination at the 2004 Bangkok International Film Festival.
Florence Faivre then moved to New York City to further pursue her acting career. Soon afterward, she was cast as the female lead alongside Bernard Giraudeau in 'Chokdee', a story based upon the life of Dida Diafat, the world's first French champion in Thai Boxing. Florence then took on the female lead in The Elephant King featuring Academy Award Winner Ellen Burstyn. The Elephant King premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was a Spotlight Film of the Hamptons International Film Festival, and went on to win Best Film laurels at the Sacramento International Film Festival, Oxford Film Festival, SoCal Independent Film Festival, Lone Star Film Festival, and others from around the world. The Elephant King will be released in 2008 theatrically in the United States and worldwide. Florence has also recently concluded work on "The Coffin" which will make its market premiere in May 2008 at the Cannes Film Festival.
Florence Faivre has recently guest starred in television shows such as "The Following", "How to Make it in America" and "Kings."
She resides between New York City and Los Angeles.- Huang Sheng Yi was born and raised in Shanghai. She graduated from Beijing film academy in 2001. Her father lived and studied in USA in the earlier 90s. Her mother is an editor who works for a famous newspaper office in Shanghai.
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- Producer
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Josie Ho was born on 26 December 1974. She is an actress and producer, known for Dream Home (2010), Full Strike (2015) and In the Room (2015). She has been married to Conroy Chi-Chung Chan since 14 November 2003.- Actress
- Producer
- Visual Effects
Li Bingbing (born 27 February 1973) is a Chinese actress and singer. She rose to fame with her role in Seventeen Years (1999) and since then received critical acclaim for her roles in A World Without Thieves (2004), Waiting Alone (2005), The Knot (2006), The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), The Message (2009), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010), and Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal (2015). Li has also starred in Hollywood blockbusters Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) and Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014).
Li was born in Wuchang, Heilongjiang. She had no intention of becoming an actress initially and she enrolled specifically in a high school for prospective school teachers. However, upon graduation, she discovered her interest in acting and was eventually persuaded by a friend to join the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1993.
Li rose to fame after starring in Zhang Yuan's Seventeen Years (1999), which won her the Best Actress Award in the 1999 Singapore Film Festival. In 2001, Li starred in the television series Young Justice Bao, which propelled her to become one of the most famous actresses in China.
Li was subsequently labelled as an "action actress" as she starred in a number of wuxia television series, such as Taiji Prodigy and Eight Heroes.
Li achieved breakthrough with her performance in Feng Xiaogang's A World Without Thieves. She then starred in Dayyan Eng's romantic comedy film Waiting Alone, for which she received her first Best Actress nomination at the Golden Rooster Awards.
In 2006, Li starred in romance film The Knot, directed by Yin Li. The film was China's entry for the Best Foreign Film award at the 2008 Academy Awards. Li won Best Actress awards at the 2007 Huabiao Awards and at the 2008 Hundred Flowers Awards. In 2008, she co-starred with Jet Li and Jackie Chan in the 2008 blockbuster The Forbidden Kingdom as the White-Haired Witch. The film was her first appearance in an international film, and gave her a solid international following.
In 2009, Li won Best Actress at the 46th Golden Horse Film Awards for her performance in The Message, about Japanese invaders in China who try to ferret out a spy among their Chinese collaborators.
Li then starred in Tsui Hark's 2010 action-mystery film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. She played Shangguan Jing'er, a fictional character based off Shangguan Wan'er, a prestigious politician during the Tang Dynasty. She established her studio in the same year, co-starring and co-producing the film 1911 with Jackie Chan, which was released in September 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution.
Li's first-time in an English-language film is Wayne Wang's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, adapted from Lisa See's 2005 novel of the same title. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Li started to gain recognition in Hollywood after starring in Resident Evil: Retribution, playing Ada Wong. The same year, she was cast in action fantasy film 400 Boys, directed by British director Alastair Paton.
In 2013, Li attended the 4th Annual US-China Film Summit and received the East-West Talent Award. Hollywood magazine Variety also named her Asian Star of the Year. The following year, Li featured in Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth installment of the film franchise. This helped solidify her success overseas.
In 2015, she was cast in 3D science fiction thriller Nest (also known as Guardians of the Tomb), a Chinese-Australian co-production that was finally released in January 2018. The same year, it was announced that Li would play China's first female superhero in upcoming film Realm, written by Stan Lee.
In 2016, Li joined the cast of Meg, an American shark film based on Steve Alten's 1997 novel.
She is also one of the members of China Zhi Gong Party.- Actress
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- Writer
Olivia Liang was born on 11 May 1993 in San Bernardino, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Kung Fu (2021), Legacies (2018) and Grey's Anatomy (2005).- Actress
- Stunts
- Director
Amy Johnston is known for Accident Man (2018), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Deadpool 2 (2018).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Florence Pugh is an English actress. She is known for Midsommar (2019), Little Women (2019), her MCU debut Black Widow (2021), and Fighting with My Family (2019).
Pugh made her film debut in The Falling (2014). She also appears in Lady Macbeth (2016), Outlaw King (2018), Malevolent (2018), and the AMC Mini-Series The Little Drummer Girl (2018).
In 2018, she was nominated for a BAFTA EE Rising Star Award. In 2020, she was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Amy March in Little Women.- Actress
- Producer
She is a member of The Queen AMC agency.
She is known for her leading role in the hit sitcom Old Miss Diary, and her more serious roles in Hong sang-soo and the movies Turning Gate and Ha Ha Ha Ha.
On July 5, 2019, she joined the main cast of the series Love Affairs in the Afternoon where she brought Choi Soo-ah to life, until the series finale on August 24, 2019. The series is the remake of the Japanese series Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon.
On November 2, 2019, he joined the cast of the series Never Twice (also known as No Second Chance) where he gave life to Bang Eun-ji,89 until the end of the series on March 7, 2020.
In October 2020, she joined the recurring cast of the series Do Do Sol Sol La La La Sol where she played Jin Ha-young, the owner of a beauty salon and mother of Jin Ha-young (Shin Eun-soo), until the end of the series on November 27 of the same year.
In August 2021, it was announced that she had joined the cast of the series Taejong Yi Bang Won where she will play Queen Sindeok Kang, the first Queen of Joseon. A scion of a noble family, she was able to rise to the position of queen after a fateful encounter with Lee Seong-gye, who would eventually become King Taejo.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Celia Au is a Berlinale Talents alum whose career is propelled by the conviction that storytelling holds the power to reshape perceptions. With a dedicated focus on uplifting diverse voices, her producerial endeavors underscore a steadfast commitment to diversity and representation in the industry. Recognized for her versatile performances across platforms such as Netflix's "Wu Assassins," Comedy Central's "Nora from Queens," and AMC's "Lodge 49," Beyond her contributions to acting and producing, Au is a vocal advocate for the AAPI community. Her dedication have earned her recognition as the "Ambassador of Hope" at the Rise Above the Storm Gala from 2020-2022, underscoring her unwavering commitment to driving positive change within the industry and beyond.- Actress
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Award-winning actress, director, producer, Katheryn Winnick, is best known for starring and directing the critically acclaimed, Emmy award-winning television series "Vikings." Winnick made her directorial debut in sixth and final season which earned her "Best Director" at the 2020 WIN Awards. She produced and starred in Sean Penn's "Flag Day" that premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and recently starred in David E. Kelley's critically acclaimed series "Big Sky" that was ABC's most watched and highest-rated debut since 2017. She started her production company, Kat Scratch Inc., to champion strong female-lead stories.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Mary Mouser was born on 9 May 1996 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, USA. She is an actress, known for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), Son of the Mask (2005) and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (2005).- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Moretz is best known for her work in the sci-fi thriller series The Peripheral, created by Scott B. Smith; the Mattson Tomlin-directed sci-fi thriller Mother/Android; Neil Jordan's thriller Greta; Roseanne Liang's Shadow in the Cloud, which claimed the Midnight Madness People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2020; The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which won both critical acclaim and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2018; Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria, which went on to claim the Independent Spirit Awards' Robert Altman Award after world premiering in Venice; MGM's The Amityville Horror; Marc Webb's 500 Days of Summer; the Kick-Ass franchise; Matt Reeves' English-language remake of Let Me In; Martin Scorsese's Oscar winner Hugo; Warner Bros' If I Stay and Dark Shadows; Kimberly Peirce's remake of the Stephen King classic Carrie; and Sony's The Equalizer with Denzel Washington. She also exec produced the Snapchat Discover series Coming Out, which premiered in 2021.- Actress
- Producer
Rayna Vallandingham is the youngest black belt martial artist to attain 12 World Championship Titles. In 2011, at age 8, Rayna won 4 World Titles in Little Rock, Ark (the Triple Crown in Traditional; Forms, Weapons, Sparing and Creative Weapons) making her the youngest black belt ever to win a Championship (competing against girls twice her size and a number of years older). The next year (2012) she won 6 more world championships (Triple Crown in Traditional, Creative Weapons, XMA Forms, and XMA Weapons), and in 2013 she won the XMA Forms World Championship. After winning her latest World Championship she flew to Los Angeles to debut in Phillip Rhee's film "Underdogs" as Leticia. Rayna has traveled across the globe; performing, teaching, and making appearances. She has also modeled and explored other areas of the entertainment industry; such as writing, stunts, and more. She is a Brand Ambassador for the American Tae Kwon Do Association; as she films campaigns, videos, does interviews, photo shoots, appearances, etc. She was the youngest to compete in the 12-14 group on ESPN, and performed in front an audience of thousands of people. Vallandingham is a part of the Youth by Shawn Mendes music video, in which she demonstrates her martial arts skills along with many other talented individuals in this monumental video. Rayna continues to attend acting classes in Los Angeles frequently, and has many exciting projects nearing.- Oona O'Brien is known for Cobra Kai (2018).
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- Soundtrack
A dynamic and versatile performer, Sadie Stanley is quickly emerging as one of the entertainment industry's brightest young talents.
Stanley's breakthrough role came as teen super hero Kim Possible, in the live-action Disney Channel Original Movie "Kim Possible," based on the global hit animated series about an everyday high school girl who, in her spare time, saves the world from villains.
Originally from Columbia, South Carolina, the role of the iconic Kim Possible character marked Stanley's first-ever network audition. After landing the title role, she went on to book guest-star appearances in "The Goldbergs", "Dead to Me", "Room 104" & the lead in Netflix's upcoming feature film The Sleepover.
Stanley resides in Los Angeles.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Peyton List has been an on-screen mainstay in many households and has grown up in front of the camera. She is a leading actor, producer and writer of her generation. Peyton joined Netflix's COBRA KAI, a series that serves as one of the streamer's biggest hits of all time. List portrays tough-as-nails and All Valley champ, Tory Nichols, who made her debut in Season 2, & transformed the role into a central character to the series. List's television series SCHOOL SPIRITS premiered on Paramount+ with an eight-episode season. WSJ called her leading performance "magnetic." List also serves as a producer on series, which was recently green lit for a second season and was also released on Netflix. Within a few days of launching on Netflix, School Spirits skyrocketed to the top 10 list. Peyton also stars in the Voltage Pictures film AMERICAN BOOGEYWOMAN as the lead role of 'Aileen Wournos.' In 2018 she filmed DEPARTURES, opposite Asa Butterfield, Maisie Williams, and Nina Dobrev. She also recently wrapped an intriguing new principal role for the Wonder Worldwide feature, GIRLS HAUNTS BOY opposite Michael Cimino. In Peyton's early career, she made a name for herself on the fan-favorite Disney's JESSIE, the network's longest running series. Following four seasons and due to the amazing response to her wildly popular character, Disney created a spin-off series, titled BUNK'D, which List wrapped production on in 2018. Peyton List is a name well respected in Hollywood. The world has watched her boldly transition to her adult career, and one thing we all know for certain is that Peyton List is only getting started.- Actress
- Writer
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Samantha Win Tjhia (formerly Samantha Jo) was born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada to a Chinese father and Caucasian/Canadian mother, Charles and Leslie. She has two older brothers who reside in Toronto with the rest of her family. Samantha started acted at the age of 10, appearing in several toy commercials and print ads after winning Talent Search Canada 2001. She started martial arts at the age of 4 with Jiu Jitsu, but by the age of 17 she had become a competitive Wushu athlete- winning multiple medals at National, Pan-American and International levels and competed for Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Wushu tournament. This afforded her the opportunity to move to Los Angeles as a stunt double and now, lead actress.
She is known for her proficiency in the action genre and accredits her background in stunt work for this. Samantha continues to gain momentum and excel with her no-quit work ethic and passion for the arts.- At an early age Francoise passed on an opportunity to study in music and chose to persue a degree in Political Science. It was during those years, Francoise started with modeling. That career didn't last long, but she did get the opportunity to star with Jackie Chan in Rumble in the Bronx. For her work, she earned two Hong Kong Film Award nominations and a star was born.
Francoise was not a martial artist, but she trained in screen-fighting. With her athletic skills she ended up doing various martial arts movies, including two with the legendary Jet Li. - Actress
- Stunts
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, she is a former undefeated kumite fighter and 1988 World Karate Champion. She participated in state, national, and international tournaments, receiving the Most Outstanding Competitor Award at the World Karate Championships in Japan. Her martial arts skills also include Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Grappling, Kung Fu (Wushu and Shaolin Eagle claw) and weapons (fencing, firearms, Chinese broad sword and whip chain). A member of the Hong Kong Stuntman's Association with special training in Hong Kong, Kim-Maree's expertise was showcased in action movies where she appeared and fought with many of the industry's top stars- Cynthia Khan, Simon Yam, Michelle Yeoh, Frankie Chan, Fan Siu Wong, Hwang Jang Lee, Jackie Chan, Lee Majors and Jean Claude Van damme.
Kim-Maree is the CEO of Signal 8 Security head quartered in Hong Kong. She is trained in Threat management, Protective driving, Electronic counter surveillance, IED search and recognition, Defense and restraint techniques, Unarmed combat and Tactical firearms. Her extensive experience in the security industry has led her to provide protection services from low to high risk security details with clients ranging from fortune 100s, dignitaries to high profile celebrities.- Actress
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Kristanna Sommer Loken was born in Ghent, New York, to Rande (Porath) and Merlin "Chris" Loken. She is of half Norwegian and half German descent. She began her modeling career at the early age of 15. Encouraged by her mother, who was a model prior to her daughter's birth, Kristanna's modeling career, as well as her aspirations in acting brought her to New York where she now resides. The glamorous actress/ model seems to have stayed true to her roots: her father owns an apple farm in upstate New York where he writes novels and screenplays. Aside from establishing herself as a supermodel with an Elite contract, Kristanna has made numerous television appearances as well as what could be her breakthrough film role in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger, released in 2003.- In her latest action blockbuster, Occupation Rainfall (2020), Jet Tranter stars as resistance leader 'Amelia Chambers', heading the fight against an alien threat to save humanity from extinction, alongside screen veterans Temuera Morrison, Ken Jeong and Aussie co-star Dan Ewing. Never one to back down from a challenge, Jet performed all her own stunts for the film's action sequences. Working closely with the production team, Jet was also instrumental in creating the alien dialect for the 'Greys', the invading alien race in the Occupation series.
Jet is also played series regular 'Leandra' in Netflix fantasy crime drama Tidelands (2018). Playing opposite Elsa Pataky, Jet demonstrated her physical and acting prowess as vicious bodyguard and sometimes lover to Adrielle, the half-Siren Queen of L'Attente, and performed all her own stunts during filming of the eight episode series.
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Jet's background as an accomplished martial artist soon led her discovered, landing roles in several productions before co-starring as Australian MMA fighter 'Cassidy Young' in Lady Blood Fight (2016) - a female fury martial arts film produced by Voltage Pictures and released internationally.
Since then, Jet has appeared in Marvel's action-comedy blockbuster Thor: Ragnurok (2017) as 'Valkeryie Sister' part of an elite group of Asgardian warriors led by 'Valkyrie' (Tessa Thompson). Other notable appearances include her role as 'Shao' in Australian television drama Sisters (2017) for Network Ten and in the lead role of 'Lyssa' in the emotionally gripping VCA / St Kilda Film Festival Short, Shadow Boxer (2017). - Actress
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Jing Bai was born on 4 June 1983 in Diaobingshan, Liaoning, China. She was an actress, known for Gong fu yong chun (2010), Tie ren (2009) and Three Kingdoms (2008). She was married to Chenghai Zhou. She died on 28 February 2012 in Beijing, China.- Actress
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Sofia Boutella is an Algerian actress, dancer and model. She was born in the Bab El Oued district of Algiers in Algeria, the daughter of composer and jazz musician Safy Boutella, and an architect mother. She started classical dance education when she was five years old. In 1992, at age 10, she left Algeria with her family and moved to France, where she started rhythmic gymnastics, joining the French national team at age 18. Sofia started with hip hop and street dance, and was part of a group called the Vagabond Crew. She also participated in a group called Chienne de Vie and Aphrodites. She has been rehearsing since age 17 with choreographer Blanca Li, and danced in several film and television appearances, as well as commercials and concert tours.
In 2007, her breakthrough arrived when she was picked for the Jamie King choreography for Nike as a role model of femininity and hip-hop. This was a major boost to her career and led to more work alongside stars like Madonna in her Confessions Tour, and Rihanna. Sofia successfully auditioned for Michael Jackson's This Is It Tour, but could not attend due to the extension of Madonna's tour, whose dates coincided with Jackson's residency. In February 2011, she was the main character in Michael's last music video Michael Jackson: Hollywood Tonight (2011).
Sofia played the lead character Eva in the drama film StreetDance 2 (2012), she starred as the assassin Gazelle in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), an alien warrior named Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond (2016), the main antagonist, Princess Ahmanet, in Universal's Dark Universe film The Mummy (2017), and an undercover French agent in Atomic Blonde (2017) alongside Charlize Theron, and many other great movies since then.- Actress
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Born Rhatha Phongam, Thai actress and pop star Yayaying (Ying for short) is the daughter of famed comedic actor Noi Phongam. Yayaying has recorded with some of Thailand's top talents, and released her debut album when she was only 16. She is also an excellent dancer, and has studied ballet since she was 6 years old.
An international talent- fluent in both Thai and English, Yayaying has stared in productions in Thailand Germany, and most notably in acclaimed director Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives", along with Hollywood star Ryan Gosling.
Yayaying is now filming as the headed cast of "Jan Dara" the erotic Thai movie base on the novel by Utsana Phleungtham about the sexual rivalry between a Thai nobleman and his illegitimate son directed by ML Pantewanop Devakula on September 2012 release in Thailand.- Actress
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Mi Yang (known in Chinese as Yangmi), born on September 12, 1986 in Beijing China, is the singleton in her family. With both of her parents' family names Yang, she was named Mi which means the mathematical term 'power' in Chinese. Her audiences are usually attracted by her waterish huge eyes and pale alabaster skin. While she is still young in moviedom, she began her career at the age of 4. In 1990, historical drama director Jialin Chen found Yang's talent in acting and offered her a role in the TV series Tang Ming Emperor as the little princess. Then, in the same year, she showed her face in the comedy superstar Stephen Chow's movie Wu zhuangyuan Su Qi-er as Chow's daughter. In the next few years, she accepted some roles in certain TV series and quit performance for about 10 years. However, she had little memories about her performing experiences in childhood. Yang had an innocent time in her teens and developed hobbies of drawing and writing poems. At 17, when still in high school, she came back to moviedom as a professional. In 2004, she played the role of 'Guo Xiang' (also as the little devil from the east), a girl of simplicity, in the TV series Return of the Condor Heroes (also as Shen Diao Xia Lu) adapted from a famous Chinese swordsmen novel. This role left a very deep impression on audiences and established her career in TV. Without much sensationalization, Yang likes living in a natural way, talking straightforward and hiding no emotions, which leaves her few scandals in her tracks. She entered Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy in the next year. In 2007, Yang re-cooperated with director Jialin Chen and acted as Zhaojun Wang, entitled as one of the ancient China's 'Four Beauties' involved in political struggles legendarily, in the TV that has a homonym. Her turning point in performing career was the radiant role as a naughty and spoiled noble girl in the TV Chinese Paladin III (2009) (also as Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan III), which has won her a positive public reputation. In another blockbuster TV Hong Lou Meng (2009) (also as A Dream of the Red mansions) which was adapted from the homonymous novel that symbolizes the highest achievement in Chinese novel literature, Yang acted as a servant girl, Qingwen, who dares to fight against fate and feudal rules, which is a significant role in the book.- Actress
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Dilraba Dilmurat was born on 3 June 1992 in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. She is an actress, known for Eternal Love of Dream (2020), Eternal Love (2017) and The Flame's Daughter (2018).- Actress
Nana Seino was born on 14 October 1994 in Inazawa, Japan. She is an actress, known for A Man (2022), Kingdom II: Harukanaru Daichi e (2022) and Ouroboros (2015). She has been married to Tôma Ikuta since 1 June 2020. They have one child.- Actress
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Takeda Rina was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. She claims she decided to become an actress at age six. She has an older and younger brother. The younger brother is actor Takeda kazuma who has found roles in Rina's movies. She became interested in karate through her father Takeda Takeshi. She was ten when she saw her father lose a karate match and resolved to make up for it. She began practicing karate. Takeda obtained the opportunity to showcase her skills at her dojo for producer Fuyuhiko Nishi in June 2008. The producer was looking for talent. He invited her to audition for the movie High Kick Girl, which became her first movie role. Her father and brother were in the film. She also sang in the film and the song was released as a single called High Kick Girl. The film was a hit, spun various follow-ups and cemented her as an action star. Director Iguchi Noboru and Takeda were at the USA premier of horror movie Dead Sushi at the 2012 Austin Fantastic Fest. Takeda won the Best Actress award. She was in the Indonesian movie Bushido Spirit in 2014. This was her first work outside Japan. She was in a Thai production called Devil Lover in 2015 and a South Korean production next. She gave a martial arts demonstration and threw the first pitch at the Chiba Lotte Marines and Seibu Lions baseball game in 2014. Actress Fueki Yuko and Rina Takeda visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar on the 24th of November 2014. They were slated to appear in a Burmese-Japanese production. She was in a French documentary called Dragon Girls in 2017. The Burmese production Yangon Runway was finally slated for release in 2018. She has a black belt in karate. She does commercial work and advertising for the likes of Credit Saison. Her performance in that specific commercial made her famous. She cites an admiration for actors Tetsuya Takeda and Jackie Chan.- Actress
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Born in Tokyo, Japan in 1985, Aya Ueto received her first break in August 1997 when, at the age of 11, she won the Special Jury Prize at the 7th All-Japan Bishoujo Contest. After this initial success, she tried her hand at both acting and singing, appearing in various minor TV drama roles, as well as a low budget action movie, and formed a short-lived pop quartet, "Z-1", with other winners of the Bishoujo Contest. After her passionate portrayal of a high school student with Gender Identity Disorder in the 6th series of the long-running classroom drama Kinpachi sensei, Mr. Kinpachi in Class 3B (1979), endeared her to the Japanese nation, she was able to pursue a solo music career with her first single, "Pureness", released in August 2002. It was this performance that also convinced cult movie director Ryûhei Kitamura to cast her in the title role of Azumi (2003). With the film's release date coinciding with the sale of her debut album "AYAUETO" in the spring of 2003, Aya was set for super-stardom. Her famous smile has since earned her increasing numbers of commercial contracts and magazine covers - all important exposure for any idol - combined with starring roles in a number of popular television dramas have meant she is rarely out of the limelight and has cemented her position as one of Japan's top entertainers.- Nao Nagasawa was born on 5 January 1984 in Tokyo, Japan. She is an actress and producer, known for Kamen Rider Movie War Ultimatum: Kamen Rider vs. Kamen Rider Wizard & Fourze (2012), GoGo Sentai Boukenger vs. Super Sentai (2007) and Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger: 10 Years After (2013). She has been married to Koji Nakata since 22 February 2014. They have three children.
- Natasha Liu Bordizzo is an Australian actress.
She was born on the 25th of August 1994 in Sydney. Natasha has an academic background, having deferred a law degree to pursue work in film. She also holds a strong background in sports - particularly martial arts, having achieved a black-belt in Taekwondo. - Marie Matiko was born on 12 September 1970 in Los Angeles County, California, USA. She is an actress, known for The Art of War (2000), Mystery Men (1999) and Date Movie (2006).
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Karen Fukuhara is a Japanese-American actress from Los Angeles, California. She is fluent in English and Japanese. While attending UCLA, she continued to work on numerous shows in Japan, notably the Disney Channel. She is a martial arts champion, trained in karate and sword fighting. She made her film debut as the sword wielding superhero, Katana, in Suicide Squad (2016). She is represented by UTA.- Actress
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JuJu Chan Szeto (aka JuJu Chan) is a Chinese American actress, best known for her fight action. She graduated with a Masters degree from the prestigious New York University-Tisch School of the Arts (Film/TV). An award winning actress, she's also a martial artist of several styles but is best known for her Taekwon-Do (ITF) where she was on the Hong Kong National Team winning several medals, including gold, in international competitions both in forms and combat. She was later recruited and trained by a Hong Kong champion Thai boxer, where she then beat a veteran opponent in WMC The One Muay Thai Championship. JuJu is also a master of the nunchaku, including double nunchakus. Because of her real fighting skills and mastery of the nunchakus she was coined as the Female Bruce Lee by the Hong Kong media.
In the beginning of her career JuJu competed in beauty pageants where she won in several competitions. After starring in some Hong Kong TV shows and on a web series, she was signed to a record management company. As an accomplished singer and songwriter she released an album in Hong Kong which won her two prestigious music awards. It was then she returned to acting where she finally showed off the martial art skills that she had from training since the age of 10. At the time, action actresses were not in vogue so up till then she never saw the use of showing off her martial art skills.
JuJu is best known for her role as Zan in Wu Assassins, a Netflix original 10 episode series, where she did all her own on-screen fighting for her character. She appeared in 9 of the 10 episodes, with the series ending on a cliff-hanger hinging on her character. To date she has worked with some of the best known martial art stars of the new generation including Donnie Yen, Iko Uwais, Tony Jaa, Scott Adkins, and Max Zhang.- Actress
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Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian-American actress, supermodel, fashion designer, singer and public figure, who was on the cover of more than a hundred magazines, and starred in such films as The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006), and the Resident Evil (2002) franchise.
Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich was born on December 17, 1975 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now in Ukraine). Her Serbian father, Bogdan Jovovich, was a medical doctor in Kyiv. There, he met her mother, Galina Jovovich (née Loginova), a Russian actress. At the age of 5, in 1981, Milla emigrated with her parents from the Soviet Union, moving first to London, UK, then to Sacramento, California, and eventually settled in Los Angeles. There her parents worked as house cleaners for the household of director Brian De Palma. Her parents separated, and eventually divorced, because her father was arrested and spent several years in prison.
Young Milla Jovovich was brought up by her single mother in Los Angeles. In addition to her native Ukrainian, she also speaks Russian and English. However, in spite of her cosmopolitan background, Milla was ostracized by some of her classmates, as a kid who emigrated from the Soviet Union amidst the paranoia of the Cold War. Many emotional scars had affected her behavior, but she eventually emerged as a resilient, multi-talented, albeit rebellious and risk-taking girl. She was coached by her actress mother since her childhood, first at home, then studied music, ballet, and acting in Los Angeles.
She shot to international fame after she was spotted by the photographer Richard Avedon at the age of 11, and was featured in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements, and on the cover of the Italian fashion magazine 'Lei' which was her first cover shoot. She made her first professional model contract at the age of 12, and soon made it to the cover of 'The Face', 'Vogue', 'Cosmopolitan' and many other magazines. In 1994, she appeared on the cover of 'High Times' in the UK, at the age of 18. The total number of her magazine covers worldwide was over one hundred by 2004, and keeps counting. In 2004, she made $10.4 million, becoming the highest paid supermodel in the world.
Milla appeared in ad campaigns for Chanel, Versace, Emporio Armani, Donna Karen, DKNY, Celine, P&K, H&H, and continues her role as the worldwide spokesperson and model for L'Oreal. Thanks to their continued success with Milla, Giorgio Armani chose her to be the face of his fragrance, Night. In addition to Armani's fragrance, Milla was the face for Calvin Klein's Obsession and Christian Dior's Poison for over 10 years and has most recently become the new face for Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist fragrance, which debuts in August 2009. Milla continues to shoot with the fashion industry's most sought after photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Mario Sorrenti, Craig McDean and Inez & Vinoodh.
Milla made her acting debut in the Disney Channel movie The Night Train to Kathmandu (1988) and she made guest appearances on television series including Married... with Children (1987) (in 1989 as a French exchange student), Paradise (1988) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990). In 1988, at age 12, she made her film debut credited as Milla in a supporting role in Two Moon Junction (1988) by writer/director Zalman King. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she played several supporting roles as a teenage actress in film and on television, then starred in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). In 1997, she co-starred opposite Bruce Willis in the sci-fi blockbuster The Fifth Element (1997), then she starred as the title character of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
In the early 2000s, Milla had a few years of uncertainty in her acting career due to the uneven quality of her films, as well as some hectic events in her private life. She appeared with Mel Gibson in Wim Wenders' The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. She went on to co-star with Wes Bentley and Sarah Polley in The Claim (2000) and in Ben Stiller's spoof of the world of models and high-fashion, Zoolander (2001).
Milla achieved box office success in the U.S. and around the world with the action-packed thriller, Resident Evil (2002), based on the wildly popular video game, Resident Evil. It was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Milla reprised her role as the zombie slaying heroine, Alice, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and again in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) A seventh resident Evil movie is in pre-production.
She received glowing reviews opposite Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Illeana Douglas in Dummy (2002) which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In the spring of 2006, Milla returned to the big screen as action heroine, Violet, in the futuristic film Ultraviolet (2006) directed by Kurt Wimmer.
Focusing on her personal sense of style, her love of fashion led Milla and her friend and business partner, Carmen Hawk, to launch their Jovovich-Hawk clothing line, which achieved instant acclaim in the domestic and international fashion world. The fresh, unique line garnered the attention of red carpet watchers and fashion magazines, including American Vogue, who featured Jovovich-Hawk on their coveted list of "10 Things to Watch Out for in 2005." A student of voice and guitar since she was very young, Milla began writing songs for her first record at the age of 15.
Her first album, "The Divine Comedy", was released by EMI Records in 1994. Informed by her experiences as a child growing up as a Russian emigrant in the Red-bashing Reagan era, the introspective European-folkish debut drew favorable reviews for Milla's songwriting and performing. She continues to write music, and has had songs featured on several film soundtracks. She has been writing music and lyrics to her song-demos, playing her guitar and sampling other sounds from her computer, and allowing free download and remix of her songs from her website.
Charitable work also plays a major part in Milla's life. She has served as Master of Ceremonies and co-chaired with Elizabeth Taylor for the amfAR and Cinema Against AIDS event at the Venice Film Festival, and has been heavily involved with The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, as well as The Wildlands Project.
For many years Milla Jovovich has been maintaining a healthier lifestyle, practicing yoga and meditation, trying to avoid junk food, and cooking for herself. Since she was a little girl, Milla has been writing a private diary, a habit she learned from her mother. She has been keeping a record of many good and bad facts of her life, her travels, her relationships, and all important ideas and events in her career, planning eventually to publish an autobiography. After dissolution of her two previous marriages, Milla Jovovich became engaged to film director Paul W.S. Anderson; their daughter, Ever Anderson, was born on November 3, 2007. They got married on August 22, 2009. Their second daughter, Dashiel Edan, was born on April 1, 2015.- Charlbi Dean was born on 5 February 1990 in Cape Town, South Africa. She was an actress, known for Triangle of Sadness (2022), Spud (2010) and Don't Sleep (2017). She died on 29 August 2022 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.
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On February 13th, 1968, a girl of Chinese, English, and Hawaiian ancestry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father, Herbert, was a salesman and her mother, Juanita, worked many odd jobs to help support the family. She has one older brother, Glenn. She is a former Miss Teen USA, and modeled in Japan and Italy for several months before deciding to relocate to L.A. and try her hand at show business. She received her break on TV's Growing Pains (1985) in 1987 and never looked back.- Julie Estelle has two older sisters, her older sister Cathy Sharon is also an actress, Julie was born to a French father and Indonesian mother, she gained more fame after starring at Gareth Evans' The Raid movies, through that movies she attended international film festival such as Sundance Film Festival along with her co-star Iko Uwais. During The Raid movie, Julie was trained to do martial arts in order to support her character Hammer Girl, she later portrayed the character again in The Raid 2. Julie Estelle already collaborated with actor Iko Uwais for 3 times, The Raid, The Raid 2, and Headshot (2016) that also starring other talented Indonesian actress such as Chelsea Islan.
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Chloe Bennet is an American actress and singer. She is best known for ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013).
Bennet was born Chloe Wang in Chicago, Illinois. Her father is Han Chinese and her mother is Caucasian American.
At 15, she moved to China to pursue a singing career under her birth name, Chloe Wang. While in China, Bennet lived with her paternal grandmother in Beijing, and studied Mandarin. She performed as a singer and then moved to Los Angeles, California. Her first on-screen appearance was as a host for the short-lived TeenNick summer dance series The Nightlife.
While pursuing an acting career in Hollywood, she changed her professional name to "Chloe Bennet", after having trouble booking gigs with her last name. According to Bennet, using her father's first name rather than his last name avoids difficulties being cast as an ethnic Asian American while respecting her father.
From 2012-2013, she played a recurring supporting role in the ABC drama series Nashville as Hailey. In December 2012, she was cast as a series regular on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.- Bingqing Hu was born on 25 January 1992 in Hefei, Anhui, China. She is an actress, known for The Legend of Qin (2015), Lan Se Shan Dian (2022) and Meet Yourself (2023).
- Sung Hi Lee was born on April 1, 1970 in Eunpyong-Gu (Gija-Chon), a borough of Seoul, South Korea. She moved to the United States in 1978 and spent a large part of her childhood moving around from city to city. Sung Lee was a studious child and teenager spending more time at the library than at stay-overs and parties before attended Ohio State University on a scholarship for three years. During a visit to a local night club she joined a pageant which drew attention to her. She soon received a scholarship and started modeling. This led to that and several months later Sung Lee landing in the pages of Playboy. Sung Lee, still a college student, put her academics on hold to pursue modeling in New York City. Her short stature made it hard to land permanent gigs. However, during a trip to Los Angeles she met once more with Playboy and from 1993 to 1998 appeared 12 time for the magazine. While in Los Angeles, she also made movie and silver screen contacts and landed a few parts on the Mortal Kombat TV series, Nurse Betty, and V.I.P., amongst others - as well as advertisement spots. Sung Hi Lee hasn't forgotten her books and wishes to pursue her degree in sports medicine.
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Born in New York but raised in California, Devon Aoki is no stranger to the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Her father is former Olympic wrestler and Benihana restaurant magnate Rocky Aoki and her mother is Pamela Hilburger, a jewelry designer. Devon is of Japanese (from her father) and German and English (from her mother) ancestry. She started modeling when she was 13, the same year her godmother introduced her to modeling legend Kate Moss. She is now the face of Lancome and is one of the top earners at her agency, Women.- Actress
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Olivia Holt was born in Germantown, Tennessee to parents, Mark and Kim Holt. When she was only 3 years old, she started singing and acting on the stage. Besides acting and singing, she has been a competitive gymnast for the past 5 years, and a competitive cheerleader for the past few years. At Christmas time, Holt moved with her family from DeSoto County to Los Angeles.
She had starring roles in numerous community productions, including Annie in "Annie" and Alice in "Through the Looking Glass", before landing a role in the indie film, Black and Blue (2009). She also appeared in multiple national TV commercials, including Hasbro, Mattel and Bratz dolls.
In 2011, Olivia got her break out role as "Kim Crawford", a confident martial artist and the only girl in the dojo who can go toe-to-toe with the boys, in the Disney XD comedy series, Kickin' It (2011).- Actress
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Amber Midthunder is an American actress who uncovered a deep love of acting at a young age. Growing up with an actor father and casting director mother, she began her own on-screen career early in life. Her first speaking role was at the age of 9 opposite Oscar winner Alan Arkin in the indie hit Sunshine Cleaning. Since that time she has continued her work as an actress with series regular roles on Marvel/FX's "Legion", and The CW's "Roswell, New Mexico"; as well as leading feature films such as "The Ice Road" for Netflix and 20th Century's "Prey."
Midthunder is an enrolled tribal member at Ft. Peck Indian Reservation.
Outside of acting she has a passion for animal rights and environmental activism.- Actress
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Kristin Kreuk was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to Deanna Che, who is of Chinese ancestry, and Peter Kreuk, who is of Dutch descent. Her parents are landscape architects. She attended and graduated from Eric Hamber Secondary School. Although she did some stage work in school, she focused more on her studies. She described herself as shy and boring.
For her first professional work, she went to an open casting audition for Edgemont (2000), a teen drama series aired on CBC Television in Canada. She plays the role as "Laurel Yeung". Laurel was the last main character to be cast because the casting director was having a problem finding an actress. Fortunately, for them (and us), they found Kristin just in time.
Her career was set to take off when she landed on the highly acclaimed serial drama series for The WB, Smallville (2001). It follows the story of "Clark Kent" in his pre-Superman days in a small town of Smallville, Kansas. Kreuk played the role as "Lana Lang", Clark Kent's object of desire before he meets "Lois Lane".
Smallville (2001) proved to be a giant step for Kristin's acting career, as she landed several interviews with several magazines, including YM (Young and Modern) and Rolling Stone. She also did a commercial for Neutrogena, popular for its skin care products.- Actress
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Jessica Yu Li Henwick is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Nymeria Sand in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011), X-wing pilot Jessika Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Colleen Wing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making her debut in the Netflix television series Iron Fist. Her film debut was St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009). She was the first actress of East Asian descent to play the lead role in a British television series, the children's show Spirit Warriors.
Henwick was born and raised in Surrey, the daughter of Pearlyn Goh Kun Shan and Mark Henwick, author of the Bite Back series of novels. Her father, who was born in Zambia, is English, and her mother is Singaporean Chinese. She trained at Redroofs Theatre School and the National Youth Theatre. In June 2009, it was announced that Henwick had been cast in the lead role of Bo for the BBC show Spirit Warriors, making her the first actress of East Asian descent to play the lead role in a British television series. For the role, Henwick trained in wushu with martial arts choreographer Jude Poyer. The show was nominated for several awards, including the Broadcast Awards 2011. In early 2013, Henwick made her professional theatre debut in the international premiere of Running on the Cracks, based on the book by Julia Donaldson. Allan Radcliffe of The Times praised her "excellent" and "understated" performance, while the Guardian wrote, "with tremendous physical presence, Henwick captures the sense of adolescent righteousness, passion and confusion of a girl trying to create order in an unfair universe." Theatre critic Joyce McMillan wrote that Henwick was "outstanding as Leo".
Later that year she was cast as Jane Jeong Trenka in the drama Obsession: Dark Desires, which aired January 2014. The adaptation details Trenka's stalking in Minnesota, 1991, which she details in her book The Language of Blood. Henwick also joined the cast of Silk as new barrister pupil Amy. The series brought in an average of 5 million viewers per episode. She reprised her role for the spin-off radio series Silk: The Clerks' Room and later that year went on to play a young Oxford University student in Inspector Lewis. In 2015 Henwick joined the cast of the HBO series Game of Thrones in Season 5 as Nymeria Sand, with Oscar-nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers playing her sisters. The process included six months of training to use a traditional bullwhip. She continued performing the role until Season 7.
Henwick played the X-wing pilot Jess Pava in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The character's full name is established as Jessika "Testor" Pava in the spin-off novel The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure, which establishes her as an admirer of Luke Skywalker. Despite her limited screen time, the character of Pava has become a fan favorite. Since the release of the film, Pava has appeared as a supporting character in the comic book series Star Wars: Poe Dameron. In 2017, Henwick appeared in the second season of drama series Fortitude, as well as Colleen Wing in the Netflix television series Iron Fist. Although critical reception of Iron Fist was generally negative, Henwick's performance in the series was well received. She reprises the role for the series The Defenders. At the end of 2017, Henwick was listed as one of Variety's Top Breakout Stars of 2017. In 2020, she co-starred in the Fox feature film Underwater.- Alaqua Cox was born on 13 February 1997 in Keshena, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress, known for Hawkeye (2021), Echo (2023) and Marvel Studios: Assembled (2021).
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Yvonne Chapman was born on 7 October 1988 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She is an actress and producer, known for Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024), Kung Fu (2021) and Family Law (2021).- Actress
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Crystal Liu, better known by her stage name Liu Yifei, was born in Wuhan, on August 25, 1987. She began modeling at 8. She was trained in singing, dancing & the piano. She moved to the U.S. at 10 w/ her mom, where she lived for 4 years. She returned to China in June 2002 to pursue a modeling & acting career.
In September 2002, she was accepted into the Performance Institute of Beijing Film Academy at 15. Her first TV role was in The Story of a Noble Family. Shortly after, she was chosen to portray the role of Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, a drama based on the same-titled novel by the acclaimed martial arts writer, Jinyong.
In October 2003, she made her 1st appearance on the big screen w/ May Day, the well-known Taiwanese rock band, in the movie Love of May. Her fame & popularity went up even further due to her role in the 2004 drama series adaptation of the video game, The Legend of Sword and Fairy. Upon her graduation from the Beijing Film Academy in July 2006, she starred in another TV production based on another book by Jinyong, The Return of the Condor Heroes. This was very well received in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan & Japan.
She made her first foray into a music career in August 2005, when she secured a recording contract w/ Sony Music Entertainment Japan. After taking up singing & dance lessons for a year, her album Liu Yifei was released in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong & Southeast Asia in August 2006, featuring a diverse music repertoire that included rap &soft rock. That same year, she also released a Japanese album. The single, The Gate of Late Night, was chosen to be the theme for an animation series by Tokyo TV.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Ronda Rousey burst onto the women's MMA scene in August of 2010. Born in Riverside County, California on February 1, 1987 to parents Ron Rousey and AnnMaria DeMars, little Ronda was born with an umbilical cord wrapped around her neck that damaged her vocal cords. She didn't speak coherently until the age of six. Ronda was a self-professed tomboy and swam from the ages of 6 to 10. She competed on the Jr. Olympic swim team where she placed in the state level.
Because of her mother, a 7th degree black belt and 1984 World Judo Champion, Ronda took up the sport. She had a hard time socializing with other kids and found that Judo gave her confidence. She holds a 4th degree black belt in the martial art.
Ronda's Judo career is a storied one. At 17 she became the youngest judoka in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. That same year she won a gold medal at the World Junior Judo Championships in Budapest, and in 2006 she became the first U.S. female in almost 10 years to win an A-Level tournament going 5-0 to clench the gold at the World Cup in Great Britain. At 19 she won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. She is the first U.S. athlete to win two Junior World Medals. In 2007 she added a silver at the World Judo Championships and a gold at the Pan American Games. The pinnacle of her Judo career was a bronze at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Rousey became the first American to win an Olympic medal in women's Judo since it became an Olympic sport in 1992.
After medaling in the Olympics, Ronda's career hit a dead end. She did some bartending to make ends meet and tried to find a better paying job, but it was tough finding anyone that needed her particular skill set. Throwing people down and putting them in armbars aren't really something you can put on a resume. By chance Ronda caught the Gina Carano vs. Julie Kedzie fight on television and things changed.
She made her mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in 2010. Since then she has never lost a fight, winning the majority in the first round by armbar submission. Ronda took it upon herself to chase after and demand attention so that the UFC could no longer ignore women fighters. UFC President Dana White had publicly stated that women would never be allowed to fight in the UFC, but on February 23, 2013, Ronda did just that. She won the fight against Liz Carmouche in the first round with her signature armbar and became the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.
In 2014, Ronda appeared in her first motion picture - The Expendables 3 (2014). Other projects are Furious 7 (2015) and The Athena Project as well as Entourage (2015).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Angela Yeung Wing, also known by her stage name Angelababy, has made a career in Hong Kong as an actress and a model. Born in Shanghai to her half-Chinese, half-German father and Chinese mother, she moved to Hong Kong at thirteen years old and took her stage name Angelababy as a composition of her legal given name Angela and her family given nickname "Baby".