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Actors
Tony Jaa
Heralded
by Time magazine as "the next Bruce Lee," Tony Jaa was
born Panom Yeerum on February 5, 1976, and grew up with three
other siblings in the town of Surin, Thailand.
By age 10, Jaa had already developed an interest in martial arts
movies when he began to train at a martial arts school in his
home town. Following his ambition to star in his own martial arts
film one day, Jaa later sought the help of stuntman and director,
Panna Rittikrai.
The
seasoned veteran first gave Jaa, then a teenager, his first start
in films backstage. After hours, Jaa absorbed the lessons of film
acting while training with martial arts master. By age 21, Jaa
had enrolled in Thailand's University of Mahamarakam, to begin
formal training in gymnastics, kick boxing, taekwondo, judo and
aikido.
Upon graduation,
Jaa finally had his opportunity to appear in front of the camera
as a stuntman in various martial arts films. Soon, he was also
while collaborating with Rittikrai and director Prachya Pinkaew
on a 'new' kind of martial arts film, one that did not rely on
wires or camera tricks.
The result
was Ong-Bak
: Thai Warrior, launching Jaa's international stardom
as a genuine master in his own right. Without the use of special
effects, Jaa recaptured the visceral energy and excitement of
the old-fashioned genre - with actual flying leaps and death defying
acts caught on camera.
Jaa's second
film with Rittikrai and Pinkaew, Tom
Yum Goong, was released in Asia in August 2005 and renamed
The
Protector for U.S. audiences the following year.
In 2007, the
Asian superstar appeared in
Bodyguard
2, and a year later repeated his debut success by starring
in and directing Ong Bak 2, which will have its US and UK premiere
later in 2009.
Ong Bak 3
is currently in production, and is slated for December 2009 release
in Thailand.
More about
Tony Jaa around the Web:
Tony
Jaa - Biography and career highlights, with links to related
sites and film clips, from Wikipedia.
Tony
Jaa - Biography, trivia, and complete filmography from
the IMDb.
Tony.Jaa.org
- International Tony Jaa Fan Site - The latest news along
with picture
gallery, movie clips, a complete biography and filmography,
online forum.
TIME
Asia Magzine - Hitting the Big Time
- 2004 profile and interview with the martial arts star.
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