When thinking of inspiring martial artists in film and television, the names of many well-established actors come to mind, but there are several recent stars that any fan of the genre would benefit from paying attention to. The 1970s and 1980s propelled now-legendary martial arts actors like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan into a previously unseen level of fame.

They’re some of the influential martial artists from this era that helped change the landscape of the genre, laying the path for upcoming martial artists that followed in their footsteps. Recent stars like Andrew Koji and Rayna Vallandingham have already proven to be exciting martial artists on screen and are worthy of keeping an eye on as their careers take off.

10

Jacob Bertrand

Best known as Hawk in Cobra Kai

Netflix’s Cobra Kai is a follow-up to the popular The Karate Kid films and stars a handful of actors with martial arts backgrounds, including Jacob Bertrand. Joining the main cast in season 2 as Hawk, Bertrand brings his martial arts experience to the screen, adding a greater sense of credibility to Cobra Kai’s fight scenes.

For four years before being cast in Cobra Kai, Bertrand learned taekwondo and eventually earned a purple belt. Alongside his cast, Bertrand went through extensive training with stunt coordinator and taekwondo expert Simon Rhee to tune his martial arts skills. While Bertrand’s taekwondo experience isn’t as vast as other recent martial arts stars, he’s still worth paying attention to.

9

Saori Izawa

Best known as Mahiro Fukugawa in Baby ᴀssᴀssins

Having worked as a stunt performer in films and TV series like John Wick: Chapter 4 and Alice in Borderland, it’s Saori Izawa’s work as an actor that’s most exciting. With quite a few stunt credits to her name, it’s no surprise that Izawa has proven herself to be a captivating martial arts lead.

Throughout the years, Izawa has led the Baby ᴀssᴀssins film series alongside Akari Takaishi, which follows their ᴀssᴀssin characters as they readjust to society and attempt to move past their violent ways. Izawa is a well-rounded star, as she’s not only a dynamic performer in the movies’ fight sequences, but she also manages to entertain audiences with her comedic timing.

8

Olivia Liang

Best known as Nicky Shen in Kung Fu

Watching Olivia Liang as Nicky Shen in The CW’s Kung Fu, one might not have guessed the actor had no prior martial arts experience before production began on the series. Liang has been open about her initial hesitation to learn martial arts, as she felt “it was such a typecast for Asian performers” (via E! News).

Liang’s real-life training aligns with her character Nicky’s transformation throughout the show, making the turn from ordinary college student to the protector of her hometown after it’s overrun by corruption. Despite her inexperience before Kung Fu, Liang’s growth as a martial artist makes her an exciting star to follow, as her talent and dedication to the craft are evident.

7

Max Huang

Best known as Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat

The biggest тιтles in Max Huang’s filmography see the Jackie Chan Stunt Team member as a stunt double and coordinator. However, Huang is slowly but surely becoming an outstanding martial arts actor as well. At 11 years old, Huang began learning Wing Chun before joining a national team and winning a gold medal at the 2009 German Nationals.

Huang has done stunt work in films like Kingsman: The Secret Service and The Foreigner, but was introduced on a wider scale to action fans in 2021 as Kung Lao in Mortal Kombat. The movie is packed with brutal action sequences, and Huang is a powerful figure who adds to the film’s intensity.

With Mortal Kombat 2 set to release later this year, it’ll be worthwhile to keep up with Huang to see where he goes next in his career.

6

Justin Chien

Best known as Charles Sun in The Brothers Sun

Starring in mostly shorts at the beginning of his career, Justin Chien’s breakout role came last year with Netflix’s The Brothers Sun. Co-starring alongside Michelle Yeoh, Chien portrayed the Sun family’s eldest child, Charles.

Though it was short-lived, The Brothers Sun packed quite the punch with its action sequences. For these scenes, Chien trained with stunt coordinator Justin Yu. However, it’s Chien’s previous experience in Muay Thai boxing and his blue belt in jiujitsu that helped ground his character’s fighting style in some of the series’ more chaotic fight scenes.

What’s highlighted of Chien’s abilities in The Brothers Sun is reason enough to follow the trajectory of his career. Chien has a few projects coming up, namely shorts, as well as Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.

5

JuJu Chan

Best known as Zan Hui in Fistful of Vengeance

Since she was 10 years old, JuJu Chan has trained in various martial arts styles, including judo, wushu, Muay Thai, and Wing Chun. As an actor, Chan made her film debut in 2008, though she’s only begun acting in mainstream films and television series within the past decade.

As seen with several of the other action stars mentioned, Chan’s background in martial arts played a big part in shaping her onscreen martial arts persona. Wu ᴀssᴀssins and Fistful of Vengeance, which is perhaps Chan’s best-known work, sees the martial artist take full command of the screen with every scene she’s in.

The martial arts series and its follow-up film are lauded for their creative filmmaking and intricate, action-packed plots, and Chan effortlessly holds her own in shared scenes with fellow martial artists like Iko Uwais.

4

Rayna Vallandingham

Best known as Zara Malik in Cobra Kai

Just like her Cobra Kai co-star Jacob Bertrand, Rayna Vallandingham had some prior martial arts experience before joining the series’ cast. Vallandingham became a standout character in Cobra Kai season 6, partially due to her impressive martial arts skills that helped bring authenticity to her fight scenes. At a young age, Vallandingham became the youngest American Taekwondo ᴀssociation world champion.

With a fourth-degree black belt in taekwondo, Vallandingham is a remarkable 13-time world champion at just 22 years old. Though she has a limited number of acting credits to her name, Vallandingham is undoubtedly one of the more refreshing up-and-coming martial arts stars, and it’ll be fascinating to see what her acting career brings about.

3

Lewis Tan

Best known as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat

The introduction of Lewis Tan’s Cole Young in Mortal Kombat earned a mixed reception from audiences, as the character hadn’t appeared in the video games the film is based on. Still, Tan was an exhilarating force on screen and proved to be a strong martial artist. Tan has since become a notable star, with roles in films like Fistful of Vengeance.

Tan’s TV projects see him in more significant roles, such as Gaius Chau in Into the Badlands, Lu Xin Lee in Wu ᴀssᴀssins, and Sensei Wolf in Cobra Kai. Despite earning his first acting credits in 2006, Tan’s career as a martial arts actor is just getting started, and it’ll be rewarding to follow along and see where he goes next.

Lewis Tan’s father, Philip Tan, is a martial artist and actor as well, and he began training Lewis at a young age.

2

Joe Taslim

Best known as Sergeant Jaka in The Raid

Just like a few other martial arts stars mentioned, Joe Taslim has been working as an actor and martial artist for a while now, making his film debut in 2008’s Karma. However, it’s only in recent years that Taslim has been recognized on a wider scale for his work as a martial artist, and rightfully so.

For 12 years, Taslim was a member of Indonesia’s national judo team, winning bronze, silver, and gold medals in compeтιтions during this time. Taslim’s most notable role is as Jaka in one of the best action films of the 2010s, The Raid.

Yet, it’s Taslim’s recent roles — Gurutai in The Swordsman, Ito in The Night Comes for Us, and Li Yong in Warrior— that truly highlight the extent of his skills as a martial artist. Earning more leading roles within the past decade, Taslim shows no sign of slowing down, making following his career a lot more fun.

1

Andrew Koji

Best known as Ah Sahm in Warrior

As is the case with many martial artists, Andrew Koji began his film career with minor supporting roles and working as a stunt performer. Koji’s big break came with the lead role of Ah Sahm in the martial arts TV series Warrior. It was through the series that Koji got to shine as a multifaceted performer.

Koji is a captivating presence whenever he’s on the screen, and his career is worth following. Having grown up studying taekwondo and Shaolin kung fu, Koji was more than equipped to tackle the series’ elaborate martial arts sequences with ease. Koji, too, is a strong dramatic actor, fitting within Warrior‘s balance of electrifying fight scenes and a tense plot with rival syndicates.

Sources: E! News, Netflix