Contents
Tony Jaa
The martial-arts star whose acrobatic fighting in Ong-Bak brought Thai action cinema to a worldwide audience.
Ong-Bak · Tom-Yum-Goong
- Born
- 5 February 1976
- Birthplace
- Thailand
More people
Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa built his screen career around demanding physical performance. Muay Thai techniques, gymnastics and stunt work give his action scenes their distinctive impact.
Early life
Surin upbringing
Grew up in rural northeastern Thailand.
Screen inspiration
Films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan encouraged his interest in martial arts.
Career
- 1990s
Stunt apprenticeship
Worked with action filmmaker Panna Rittikrai.
- 2003
Leading-man breakthrough
Starred in Ong-Bak.
- 2008
Directing
Co-directed and starred in Ong Bak 2.
- 2015
International productions
Appeared in Furious 7 and SPL II.
Selected work
Ong-Bak
A villager retrieves a stolen sacred statue’s head.
Tom-Yum-Goong
An action story centred on stolen elephants.
SPL II: A Time for Consequences
A Hong Kong action film set partly in a Thai prison.
Beyond work
Physical education
Trained at a physical-education college as well as in martial arts.
Buddhist practice
Temporarily entered a Buddhist monastery in 2010.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗BFI: Southeast Asian cinema ↗Photo: Colin Geddes. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
