James Lew

James Lew Movies and TV Shows

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).

Personal info

  • Gender: Male
  • Date of birth: 9/6/1952 (71 years old)
  • Place of birth: Escalon, California, U.S.
Year
Genre
IMDB
TMDB
Available on the following streaming services in the United States
2018

Thriller

4.6
70%
Frankenstein
IMDB 5.1
TMDB 56%
role:
Hotel Manager
2015

Horror

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.1
56%
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 56%
role:
Chinese Leader
2013

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.7
56%
Hijacked
IMDB 3.8
TMDB 40%
role:
Stunt Coordinator
2012

Action

Thriller

3.8
40%
The Girl from the Naked Eye
IMDB 4.8
TMDB 45%
role:
Eddie
Not available
2012

Action

Romance

Thriller

4.8
45%
Not available
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Safe
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 65%
role:
Underground Casino Guard (uncredited)
2012

Action

Crime

Thriller

6.5
65%
Mortal Kombat: Rebirth
IMDB 7.9
TMDB 67%
role:
Shang Tsung (uncredited)
Not available
2010

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.9
67%
Not available
2009

Action

Crime

Thriller

4.9
49%
Star Trek
IMDB 7.9
TMDB 74%
role:
Romulan (uncredited)
2009

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.9
74%
Tropic Thunder
IMDB 7.1
TMDB 66%
role:
Flaming Dragon Compound Person (uncredited)
2008

Action

Adventure

Comedy

War & Politics

7.1
66%
Get Smart
IMDB 6.5
TMDB 62%
role:
Fight Choreographer
2008

Action

Comedy

Thriller

6.5
62%
Superhero Movie
IMDB 4.7
TMDB 52%
role:
Shaolin Monk (uncredited)
2008

Action

Comedy

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

4.7
52%
Rush Hour 3
IMDB 6.2
TMDB 64%
role:
Triad Assassin (uncredited)
2007

Action

Comedy

Crime

6.2
64%
2007

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.1
73%
Rush Hour 2
IMDB 6.7
TMDB 67%
role:
Triad Gangster (uncredited)
2001

Action

Comedy

Crime

6.7
67%
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2001

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.7
57%
Traffic
IMDB 7.6
TMDB 71%
role:
DEA Agent - CalTrans
2000

Crime

Drama

Thriller

7.6
71%
Rush Hour
IMDB 7.0
TMDB 70%
role:
Juntao's Man in Los Angeles (uncredited)
1998

Action

Comedy

Crime

7.0
70%
Lethal Weapon 4
IMDB 6.6
TMDB 66%
role:
Freighter's Captain
1998

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Crime

Thriller

6.6
66%
1998

Action

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

6.1
62%
Escape from L.A.
IMDB 5.7
TMDB 59%
role:
Hershe Gang Member
1996

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.7
59%
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 58%
role:
Mercenary (uncredited)
1995

Action

Thriller

5.5
58%
Timecop
IMDB 5.9
TMDB 60%
role:
Knife #1
1994

Action

Crime

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

5.9
60%
The Shadow
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 60%
role:
Mongol
1994

Action

Adventure

Thriller

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

6.0
60%
On Deadly Ground
IMDB 4.6
TMDB 48%
role:
Mercenary at Aegis 1 (uncredited)
1994

Action

Thriller

4.6
48%
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Undercover Blues
IMDB 6.0
TMDB 61%
role:
Novacek's Man
Not available
1993

Comedy

Crime

6.0
61%
Not available
Hot Shots! Part Deux
IMDB 6.6
TMDB 65%
role:
Kick Boxer Opponent
1993

Action

Comedy

War & Politics

6.6
65%
1993

Action

Thriller

3.0
47%
Rapid Fire
IMDB 6.3
TMDB 63%
role:
Tau's Men at Laundry (uncredited)
1992

Action

Thriller

6.3
63%
Showdown in Little Tokyo
IMDB 6.1
TMDB 63%
role:
Yoshida's Man (uncredited) & 1 more
1991

Action

Thriller

6.1
63%
Double Impact
IMDB 5.6
TMDB 60%
role:
Martial Arts Choreographer & 1 more
1991

Action

Crime

Drama

Thriller

5.6
60%
1991

Action

Crime

Drama

6.0
62%
Best of the Best
IMDB 6.4
TMDB 65%
role:
Sae Jin Kwon
1989

Action

6.4
65%
They Live
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 73%
role:
Stunts
1988

Action

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.2
73%
Action Jackson
IMDB 5.5
TMDB 54%
role:
Martial Arts Instructor
1988

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Crime

Drama

5.5
54%
Big Trouble in Little China
IMDB 7.2
TMDB 72%
role:
Associate Producer & 3 more
1986

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Sci-Fi & Fantasy

7.2
72%
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
IMDB 7.3
TMDB 72%
role:
Guard (uncredited)
1976

Crime

Drama

Thriller

7.3
72%

FAQs

Some movies or TV shows available in the United States starring or involving James Lew are, for example, Cucuy: The Boogeyman, Frankenstein and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
The streaming services with the largest selection are Prime Video, iTunes and Amazon.
The best Anystream ratings are Star Trek (7.7), Traffic (7.4) and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (7.3).
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