Darren Shahlavi(1972-2015)
- Actor
- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Darren Shahlavi was seven years old when
he started training in martial arts in an old drama theatre in
Manchester, England. Inspired by
Bruce Lees films and other action
movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of being a movie actor and would
show up to his Judo class at the drama hall early to watch the actors
rehearsing and performing plays.
When Darren was seventeen years old he attended a seminar for "Hong
Kong style fight choreography", by Kung Fu star
Donnie Yen, which gave him the confidence to
pursue his dream of working in Hong Kong movies as a stepping stone to
Hollywood. Then, in the early nineties, a young Shahlavi moved to Hong
Kong where he began his career as a stuntman until Director
Woo-Ping Yuen hired him as the lead
villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan. As a string of martial
arts films followed, Darren also used his fighting skills as a stunt
performer in studio blockbusters such as "Riddick", "Blade 3", "300",
"Watchmen" and the "Night at the Museum" films, as well as supporting
roles in Hollywood movies such as "I Spy" playing a boxer fighting
Eddie Murphy, "The Final Cut" with
Robin Williams, and guest star
roles in TV shows such as "Sanctuary", "Human Target" and "Reaper."
In 2010, Darren made a triumphant return to Hong Kong action films,
co-starring opposite his childhood heroes
Donnie Yen and
Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the
Wilson Yip directed Ip Man 2 (2010). Shahlavi plays
the evil British boxing champion "The Twister" in the semi-biographical
story of Bruce Lee's real life kung fu master, Ip Man. The film opened
to huge critical and commercial acclaim, becoming the most successful
Asian film at the box office in 2010 and widely recognized as the
biggest and best martial arts film of the past decade. Following Ip Man
2's successful theatrical run in the United States, Darren has a renewed following amongst action film fans with new films set for release in 2011 including "Born to Raise Hell" opposite Steven Seagal,
"Hangar 14" with Steve Austin as
well as starring roles in "Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn" and
Mortal Kombat for Warner Brothers.
he started training in martial arts in an old drama theatre in
Manchester, England. Inspired by
Bruce Lees films and other action
movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of being a movie actor and would
show up to his Judo class at the drama hall early to watch the actors
rehearsing and performing plays.
When Darren was seventeen years old he attended a seminar for "Hong
Kong style fight choreography", by Kung Fu star
Donnie Yen, which gave him the confidence to
pursue his dream of working in Hong Kong movies as a stepping stone to
Hollywood. Then, in the early nineties, a young Shahlavi moved to Hong
Kong where he began his career as a stuntman until Director
Woo-Ping Yuen hired him as the lead
villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan. As a string of martial
arts films followed, Darren also used his fighting skills as a stunt
performer in studio blockbusters such as "Riddick", "Blade 3", "300",
"Watchmen" and the "Night at the Museum" films, as well as supporting
roles in Hollywood movies such as "I Spy" playing a boxer fighting
Eddie Murphy, "The Final Cut" with
Robin Williams, and guest star
roles in TV shows such as "Sanctuary", "Human Target" and "Reaper."
In 2010, Darren made a triumphant return to Hong Kong action films,
co-starring opposite his childhood heroes
Donnie Yen and
Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the
Wilson Yip directed Ip Man 2 (2010). Shahlavi plays
the evil British boxing champion "The Twister" in the semi-biographical
story of Bruce Lee's real life kung fu master, Ip Man. The film opened
to huge critical and commercial acclaim, becoming the most successful
Asian film at the box office in 2010 and widely recognized as the
biggest and best martial arts film of the past decade. Following Ip Man
2's successful theatrical run in the United States, Darren has a renewed following amongst action film fans with new films set for release in 2011 including "Born to Raise Hell" opposite Steven Seagal,
"Hangar 14" with Steve Austin as
well as starring roles in "Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn" and
Mortal Kombat for Warner Brothers.