James Lew
Acting

James Lew

Born 6 September 1952 · Escalon, California, USA · Died 23 August 2026

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.

Known for

G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Big Trouble in Little China
Lethal Weapon 4
Traffic
Hot Shots! Part Deux
CSI: Miami
Escape from L.A.
Timecop
Chuck
MacGyver
Frasier
Power Rangers
Made in Chinatown
Cucuy: The Boogeyman
Star Raiders: The Adventures of Saber Raine
Breakout
Frankenstein
Elwood
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
The Girl from the Naked Eye
Angel of Death
Ballistica
The Circuit III: Street Monk
18 Fingers of Death!
Shira: The Vampire Samurai
Sin
The Real Deal
Outside the Law
Sting of the Black Scorpion
Deep Core
Fatal Blade
Traffic
Boogie Boy
Lethal Weapon 4
The Replacement Killers
High Voltage
Escape from L.A.
Night Hunter
Robo Warriors
Balance of Power
For Life or Death
Assault on Dome 4
Midnight Man
Excessive Force II: Force on Force
Ballistic
Tough and Deadly
Cage II: The Arena of Death
Timecop
Red Sun Rising
The Shadow
Ring of Steel
American Ninja 5
Showdown
Private Wars
Hot Shots! Part Deux
Undercover Blues
Ulterior Motives
Mission of Justice
Raven: Return of the Black Dragons
Do or Die
The Perfect Weapon
Night of the Warrior
Aftershock
Guns
Martial Law
Savage Beach
Best of the Best
Ninja Academy
Zodiac Power 2: Evil Destroyer
Action Jackson
Big Trouble in Little China
Los Angeles Streetfighter
Killpoint
Going Berserk
Young Dragon
Big Time
Enforcer from Death Row
James Lew · Midrow