James Lew
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 6, 1952
- Died
- Aug 23, 2026 (aged 73)
- Place of birth
- Escalon, California, USA
- Credits
- 108
James Jene Fae Lew (September 6, 1952 – August 23, 2026) was an American martial artist, stuntman and actor. Raised in South Central Los Angeles, James Lew's destiny was to answer a cattle call in Hollywood for the hugely popular Kung Fu (1972) television series. He went on to star in the now collectible Hong Kong film, Young Dragon (1976). He made the move to big budget studio films in 1984. John Carpenter handpicked him as the Martial Arts Choreographer for 20th Century Fox's now cult film, Big Trouble in Little China (1986).
Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mel Gibson, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, David Carradine, Chuck Norris, Dennis Quaid, Kurt Russell, Madonna, Charlie Sheen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kathleen Turner, Sylvester Stallone, Brandon Lee, Snoop Dogg and the list goes on and on.
James was voted "Favorite Action Star" by fans of Inside Martial Arts magazine. Internet fans voted him into the Hall of Fame in the Martial Arts History Museum. Inside Kung Fu Magazine inducted him as one of the "Martial Arts Greats" alongside legends as Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and his longtime friend Jackie Chan.
Hit Parader Magazine dubbed him "the king of big-screen martial arts villains." From the deadly killer in Red Sun Rising (1994) to the deadly fighter in the comedy spoof Hot Shots 2 (1993), Lew has proven his chops in both drama and comedy. As a stunt/fight coordinator his creative talents shone in the television series The Crow to recent work on the hit video game, The Matrix: Path of Neo (2005). He handpicked elite members for his company, "Hong Kong Wire Action Team," to bring state of the art action to movies. His formula for longevity in the film industry is diversity, hard work and having a whole lot of fun.
Most recently, James Lew wrote, directed and starred in a movie inspired by his personal experiences in the business titled 18 Fingers of Death! (2006). The story follows Buford Lee (James Lew), the most famous unknown "B"-minus, low-budget, martial-arts movie star and Ronald Mack (Maurice Patton), a young black kid from the hood. Together they laugh and bond together on their quest to finally make Buford's break out movie, 18 Fingers of Death! (2006).
Known for
Star Trek
2009Movie
Romulan (uncredited)
Tropic Thunder
2008Movie
Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Rush Hour
1998Movie
Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013Movie
Chinese Leader
Rush Hour 2
2001Movie
Triad Gangster (uncredited)
Rush Hour 3
2007Movie
Triad Assassin (uncredited)
Filmography
Made in Chinatown
2021Movie
Kane
Henchman: The Al Leong Story
2018Movie
Self
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
2018Movie
Beat Cop
I'm Dying Up Here
2017TV
Sensei Phil
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
2017Movie
Sinjin
Breakout
2016Movie
Cap Ruch
Black Salt
2015Movie
Abbot Xiao
Frankenstein
2015Movie
Hotel Manager
Elwood
2014Movie
Big O
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
2013Movie
Chinese Leader
The Girl from the Naked Eye
2012Movie
Eddie
Safe
2012Movie
Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
Death Valley
2011TV
Man on street (uncredited)
Let Lorenzo
2011Movie
Interior Design Older Partner
Ballistica
2009Movie
Chinese Guard #1
Angel of Death
2009Movie
Tommy
Star Trek
2009Movie
Romulan (uncredited)
Childrens Hospital
2008TV
Mosura
Tropic Thunder
2008Movie
Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
Superhero Movie
2008Movie
Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
Chuck
2007TV
Anad Chenerad
Rush Hour 3
2007Movie
Triad Assassin (uncredited)
The Circuit III: Street Monk
2006Movie
Spider Webb
18 Fingers of Death!
2006Movie
Buford Lee
Shira: The Vampire Samurai
2005Movie
Xu
Entourage
2004TV
Eve
2003TV
Sin
2003Movie
Leo Thamaree
The Real Deal
2002Movie
Black Belt
Sting of the Black Scorpion
2002Movie
Tong Leader
CSI: Miami
2002TV
ND Man #1
Outside the Law
2002Movie
Cho Sung
Ultimate Fights from the Movies
2002Movie
Knife #1 (Timecop) (archive footage)
Alias
2001TV
Quan Li
Rush Hour 2
2001Movie
Triad Gangster (uncredited)
Traffic
2000Movie
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Strong Medicine
2000TV
Cop
Deep Core
2000Movie
Lou Chang
Fatal Blade
2000Movie
James
Rush Hour
1998Movie
Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
Lethal Weapon 4
1998Movie
Freighter's Captain
Safe House
1998Movie
Asian (uncredited)
Boogie Boy
1998Movie
Jason
The Replacement Killers
1998Movie
Bodyguard
High Voltage
1997Movie
Harry
Assault on Dome 4
1996Movie
Quaid, Windham Henchman
Robo Warriors
1996Movie
Darius
Escape from L.A.
1996Movie
Hershe Gang Member
Balance of Power
1996Movie
Shinji Takamura
Night Hunter
1996Movie
Tom Cutter
For Life or Death
1996Movie
Kaan Woo
Excessive Force II: Force on Force
1995Movie
Lee
Nowhere Man
1995TV
Thug with Knife
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
1995Movie
Mercenary (uncredited)
Midnight Man
1995Movie
Prince Samarki
Ballistic
1995Movie
Woo
Tough and Deadly
1995Movie
Thug
Marker
1995TV
Cage II: The Arena of Death
1994Movie
Chin
Timecop
1994Movie
Knife #1
Red Sun Rising
1994Movie
Jaho
The Shadow
1994Movie
Mongol
Ring of Steel
1994Movie
Asian Fighter
Weird Science
1994TV
On Deadly Ground
1994Movie
Mercenary at Aegis-1 (uncredited)
Babylon 5
1994TV
Bloodhound Teep
Deadly Target
1994Movie
Guard #2 (uncredited)
Private Wars
1993Movie
Obata
Showdown
1993Movie
Hit Man
Frasier
1993TV
Security Guard
Undercover Blues
1993Movie
Novacek's Man
Power Rangers
1993TV
Warrior
Hot Shots! Part Deux
1993Movie
Kick Boxer Opponent
Walker, Texas Ranger
1993TV
Tiger
American Ninja 5
1993Movie
Viper
Ulterior Motives
1993Movie
Yakuza #5
Mission of Justice
1992Movie
Akiro
Rapid Fire
1992Movie
Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
1992Movie
Black Dragon Henchman
Martial Law II: Undercover
1991Movie
Spencer Hamilton Man (uncredited)
Showdown in Little Tokyo
1991Movie
Yoshida's Man (uncredited)
Do or Die
1991Movie
Lew
Night of the Warrior
1991Movie
Hector Sabatei
The Perfect Weapon
1991Movie
Crewcut
Guns
1990Movie
Ninja #1
Aftershock
1990Movie
Mr. James
Martial Law
1990Movie
Tong Member
Nasty Boys
1990TV
Fighter / Karate class fighter (uncredited)
Best of the Best
1989Movie
Sae Jin Kwon
Savage Beach
1989Movie
Agent #1
Family Matters
1989TV
Man in Bar
Ninja Academy
1989Movie
Ninja Trainer
Roseanne
1988TV
Evil Destroyer
1988Movie
Action Jackson
1988Movie
Martial Arts Instructor
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer
1988Movie
Big Trouble in Little China
1986Movie
Chang Sing #1
MacGyver
1985TV
Asian Thug
Growing Pains
1985TV
Movie Villain #2
Los Angeles Streetfighter
1985Movie
Chan
Murder, She Wrote
1984TV
Cambodian
Killpoint
1984Movie
Nighthawk's Gunman #1
Going Berserk
1983Movie
Kung Fu Fighter
T. J. Hooker
1982TV
Asian Thug, Ton Li
Young Dragon
1979Movie
Shao Lung
Big Time
1977Movie
Karate Instructor
Enforcer from Death Row
1976Movie
Karate Fighter
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
1976Movie
Guard (uncredited)