MAIN Art &... Pop Culture 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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