Shou Wan-por (, born July 17, 1960), known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong-American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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 ...

and stuntman. He is known for roles such as

Liu Kang Liu Kang () is a fictional character of the ''Mortal Kombat'' fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as Earthrealm's greatest warrior and champion, he debuted in the Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), original 1 ...

in the ''

Mortal Kombat ''Mortal Kombat'' is an American media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video games originally developed by Midway Games in 1992. The original ''Mortal Kombat (1992 video game), Mortal Kombat'' arcade game spawned Lis ...

'' film series (1995 and 1997), Gobei in ''

Beverly Hills Ninja ''Beverly Hills Ninja'' is a 1997 American martial arts slapstick comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff. The film stars Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan, Nathaniel Parker, with Chris Rock, and Robi ...

'' (1997), Gen in '' Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li'' (2009), and 14K in the '' Death Race'' films (2008-2014). Shou was also a Hong Kong action star in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He had appeared in about 40 movies during his Hong Kong career, before he entered Hollywood in 1994. Prior to his acting career, Shou won several championships as a martial artist.

Biography

Shou's interest in martial arts developed during his years as a University student. He began practising

wushu Wushu may refer to: Martial arts * Chinese martial arts, the various martial arts of China * Wushu (sport) Wushu () (), or kung fu, is a competitive Chinese martial art. It integrates concepts and forms from various traditional and modern ...

after watching

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...

's film ''

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery ( zh, labels=no, c=少林寺, p=shàolínsì), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin kung fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak o ...

''. He soon became a Hong Kong stuntman. As a martial artist, Shou was an International Forms Champion in 1982 and 1983 and he won several gold and silver medals at prestigious competitions in China. He was also a traditional forms Grand Champion in California. Shou's first dramatic role was in '' Forbidden Nights'' in 1990, with

Melissa Gilbert Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest-starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ing ...

. Though only a TV film, this was his American debut. However, Shou went back to Hong Kong and continued making movies there such as '' Tiger Cage 2'' and '' Fatal Termination''. In 1994, Shou returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

when he landed his first American leading role as

in ''

'' (1995), based on the popular

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

of the same name. He reprised the role in the 1997 sequel '' Mortal Kombat Annihilation''. That same year, he appeared opposite

Chris Farley Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American actor and comedian. He was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' for fiv ...

in the action comedy ''

''. Shou also appeared in a minor role in another fighting video game adaptation, '' DOA: Dead or Alive'', based on Tecmo's video game series of the same name, produced by ''Mortal Kombat'' director Paul W. S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt. He played 14K in the '' Death Race'' series, and also appeared as Gen in 2009's '' Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li''. Shou trained

Milla Jovovich Milica Bogdanovna Jovović; ; ( ; born December 17, 1975), known professionally as Milla Jovovich (), is an American actress and former fashion model. Her starring roles in numerous science fiction film, science-fiction and action films led th ...

for her role in ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

''. He is fluent in English in addition to his native Chinese.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Robin Shou
Hong Kong Cinema interview with Robin Shou

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shou, Robin 1960 births Living people Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Palm Springs, California American sanshou practitioners Hong Kong martial artists Hong Kong male television actors Hong Kong male film actors 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male actors Palm Springs High School people Hong Kong emigrants to the United States