Diana Lee Inosanto is an American actress, director, former

stunt performer A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

, and

martial artist Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

. She also wrote and directed the film ''

The Sensei ''The Sensei'' is a 2008 independent feature film, written, produced and directed by Diana Lee Inosanto (credited as D. Lee Inosanto). Plot summary Set in Colorado, the story takes place in 1985 during the rise of the AIDS panic. McClain Evans ...

'' (2008), and wrote the 2020 children's book ''The Curious Mind of Sebastian''.

Personal life

Inosanto is married to fellow martial artist

Ron Balicki Ron Balicki (born September 2, 1963) is an American actor, martial artist and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher, and author. He is a student of and son-in-law to Dan In ...

. They have two children.

Career

Martial arts

Inosanto grew up surrounded by the martial arts world, studying many forms, including

Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do (/ˌdʒiːt kuːn ˈdoʊ/; zh, c=截拳道, l=stop fist way' or 'way of the intercepting fist, j=zit6 kyun4 dou6; abbreviated JKD) is a hybrid martial art conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee. It was formed from ...

and

Eskrima Arnis, also known as kali or eskrima/escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), whi ...

, which she learned from her father,

Dan Inosanto Dan Inosanto (born July 24, 1936) is an American martial arts instructor and actor. Inosanto holds instructor or black belt level ranks in several martial arts. He has studied traditional Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Kung Fu, Shooto, Muay Thai, Tai ...

, a student of Jeet Kune Do founder

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...

, who was also her godfather. She has appeared on the cover of numerous martial arts magazines, including ''

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Hollywood, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

'', ''Martial Arts'', ''Inside Karate'', ''Self Defense'', and ''Inside Kung Fu''. She was named Woman of the Year by ''Black Belt Magazine'' in 2009.

Film and television

Apart from doing stunt work and choreography in numerous films and television productions, Inosanto has also acted in a number of movies and series. Her directorial debut, ''

'', was released in 2008. In 2020, Inosanto appeared in one episode of the second season of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

's ''

The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...

'', playing the role of Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth. She later reprised the role in ''

Ahsoka Ahsoka may refer to: * Ahsoka Tano, a character in the ''Star Wars'' universe ** ''Ahsoka'' (novel), a 2016 novel centered on the character ** ''Ahsoka'' (TV series), a 2023 live-action television series centered on the character See also * As ...

'' and '' Star Wars: Tales of the Empire''. In the mid 2020s, she played Morgan Elsbeth in '' Star Wars: Ahsoka''.

Theatre

Inosanto is active in Southern California theatre as a member of the

Asian American theatre Asian American theatre refers to theatre written, directed or acted by Asian Americans. From initial efforts by four theatre companies in the 1960s, Asian-American theatre has grown to around forty groups today. Early productions often had Asian ...

group

Lodestone Theatre Ensemble Lodestone Theatre Ensemble was a non-profit Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1999. It was a membership-driven organization. The ensemble disbanded in 2009. History In 1995, following the 1992 Los Angeles riots, v ...

. In 2008, she worked with

East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give ...

, serving as martial arts choreographer on the world premiere of Dan Kwong's play '' Be Like Water''.

Writing

In 2020, Inosanto published her first book, the children's story ''The Curious Mind of Sebastian''. The same year, she also contributed a foreword to the Fiaz Rafiq book ''Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend''.

Selected filmography

* ''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment Entertainment * ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski * ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...

'' (1986–87) (actress – 7 episodes) * ''

Barb Wire file:Barbed Wire Roll.jpg, Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern United States, Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp ...

'' (1996) (stunts) * ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' (1997–2002) (stunts – 7 episodes) * ''

Spy Game ''Spy Game'' is a 2001 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata. The film stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt as CIA operatives entangled in a covert rescue mission during the final day ...

'' (1997) (stunts) * ''

Face/Off ''Face/Off'' is a 1997 American science fiction action film directed by John Woo, from a screenplay by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary. It stars John Travolta as an FBI agent and Nicolas Cage as a terrorist, who undergo an experimental surg ...

'' (1997) (stunts) * ''

Team Knight Rider ''Team Knight Rider'' (''TKR'') is an American action science fiction crime drama television series that was adapted from the ''Knight Rider'' franchise and ran in syndication between 1997 and 1998. ''TKR'' was created by writer/producers Rick ...

'' (1997) (stunts) * ''

Red Corner ''Red Corner'' is a 1997 American mystery thriller film directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Richard Gere, Bai Ling and Bradley Whitford. Written by Robert King, the film is about an American businessman in China who ends up wrongfully on tria ...

'' (1997) (stunts) * ''

The Roseanne Show ''The Roseanne Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Roseanne Barr. The show ran for two seasons from September 14, 1998, to June 23, 2000, in which it broadcast 281 episodes. Format The show featured Barr ...

'' (1997) (stunts) * ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...

'' (1997–98) (stunts – 4 episodes) * ''

Blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

'' (1998) (stunts, actress) * '' The Patriot'' (1998) (stunts) * '' The Last Man on Planet Earth'' (1999) (stunts) * ''

Wild Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, based on a story conceived by Jim and John Thomas. Loosely ...

'' (1999) (stunts) * ''

Mystery Men ''Mystery Men'' is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher (in his feature-length directorial debut), written by Neil Cuthbert, loosely based on Bob Burden's '' Flaming Carrot Comics'', starring Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, ...

'' (1999) (stunts) * ''

MADtv ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...

'' (1999) (actress – 1 episode) * ''Life Streams'' (2000) (actress, co-producer) * ''

Black Scorpion Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''Psyc ...

'' (2001) (stunts) * ''Fists of Cheese'' (2002) (assistant stunt coordinator, associate producer) * ''

The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularizati ...

'' (2002) (actress) * ''On Sundays'' (2002) (co-producer) * ''A Ribbon of Dreams'' (2002) (associate producer) * ''Modern Warriors'' (2002) (herself) * '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' (2002–05) (stunts) * ''

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

'' (2003) (actress) * '' 10-8: Officers on Duty'' (2003) (stunts) * '' Resident Evil: Apocalypse'' (2004) (fight choreographer) * ''The Vault'' (2005) (actress) * ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' (2005) (actress) * ''The Prodigy'' (2006) (actress, associate producer) * '' The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' (2006) (actress) * ''

'' (2008) (writer, director, producer, actress) * '' Sinners and Saints'' (2010) (co-producer, assistant stunt coordinator) * ''

I, Frankenstein ''I, Frankenstein'' is a 2014 American science fantasy action film written and directed by Stuart Beattie, based on the digital-only graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux. An international co-production between the United States and Australia, the fi ...

'' (2014) (martial arts trainer to

Aaron Eckhart Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his hi ...

Socratis Otto Socratis Otto is an Australian film, theatre and television actor. He is best known for his roles in television series ''Young Lions (TV series), Young Lions'' as Justin Carmody, ''Home and Away'' as Robert Robertson (Home and Away), Robert Ro ...

) * ''

Spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

'' (2015) (Martial arts trainer to

Melissa McCarthy Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Melissa McCarthy, numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Award ...

) * ''

'' (2020) (actress – 1 episode) * ''

'' (2023) (actress – 7 episodes) * '' The Tiger's Apprentice'' (2024) (actress) * '' Star Wars: Tales of the Empire'' (2024) (actress – 3 episodes)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inosanto, Diana Lee American Jeet Kune Do practitioners American stunt performers American film actresses American actresses of Filipino descent Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses of Filipino descent People from Carson, California People from Harbor City, Los Angeles American television actresses Year of birth missing (living people) Narbonne High School alumni