Simon Kuke (also written as Simon Kook) is a Thai actor, action choreographer, director, and producer.

Background

Kuke, whose Thai name is Sarut Khanwilai (formerly Suchat Khanwilai; th, ศรุต ขันวิไล, สุชาติ ขันวิไล), was born in

Kalasin province Kalasin ( th, กาฬสินธุ์, ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''), located in upper northeastern Thailand, also called Isan. The province was established by the Act Establishing Changwat Kalasin, BE 2490 (194 ...

. He liked

action films Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

since childhood, especially

martial arts films Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expre ...

and the

Shaw Brothers Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

wuxia films ( ), which literally means "martial heroes", is a genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists in ancient China. Although is traditionally a form of historical fiction, its popularity has caused it to be adapted fo ...

. His favorite actors included

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen. After three years of ...

, and legendary Thai action star

Panna Rittikrai Panna Rittikrai ( th, links=no, พันนา ฤทธิไกร; ) or birth name Krittiya Lardphanna ( th, links=no, กฤติยา ลาดพันนา; , February 17, 1961 – July 20, 2014) was a Thai martial arts action choreo ...

. While he was a freshman at The Institute of Physical Education Mahasarakham,

Tony Jaa Tatchakorn Yeerum ( th, ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์, , ; formerly Phanom Yeerum ( th, พนม ยีรัมย์, ); born 5 February 1976), better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom ( th, จา � ...

, who was an upperclassman, would put on a

stunt show 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 ...

for students to see. This impressed Kuke and served as his inspiration to become a stuntman. He started in the film industry by persuading Panna Rittikrai to give him a role as stand-in for Tony Jaa in ''

Tom-Yum-Goong ''Tom-Yum-Goong'' ( Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง, ) is a 2005 Thai martial arts action film starring Tony Jaa. The film was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, who also directed Jaa's prior breakout film '' Ong-Bak''. As with ''Ong-Bak'', the figh ...

'' (2005) and ''

Ong Bak 2 ''Ong Bak 2: The Beginning'' ( th, องค์บาก 2) is a 2008 Thai martial arts film co-directed by Panna Rittikrai and Tony Jaa. Starring Jaa, it is a standalone prequel to the 2003 film '' Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior''. Set in 15th centur ...

'' (2008); in the meantime, he also acted in several films under

Sahamongkol Film International Sahamongkol Film International Co. Ltd. ( th, บริษัท สหมงคลฟิล์ม จำกัด, also Sahamongkolfilm, Mongkol Film or SM) is a Thai motion picture production and distribution company. It is the leading movie c ...

such as ''

The Bodyguard A bodyguard is an individual who protects another from harm or threats. Bodyguard may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * The Bodyguard (1944 film), ''The Bodyguard'' (1944 film), a Tom and Jerry short * Bodyguard (1948 film), ...

'' (2004), ''

Scared Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear in ...

'' (2005), '' Mercury Man'' (2006), ''

The Bodyguard 2 ''The Bodyguard 2'' ( th, บอดี้การ์ดหน้าเหลี่ยม 2) is a 2007 Thai action-comedy film written, directed by and starring Petchtai Wongkamlao. A prequel to his 2004 film, ''The Bodyguard'', ''The Bodyguard 2 ...

'' (2007), '' Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya'' (2010), and the Malaysian film ''8 Jam'' (2012). He has worked in the film industry for over 15 years. In 2011, Kuke featured in the low-budget comedy film ''The Microchip'' as a supporting actor. In 2015, he co-starred with

Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan (; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director. Yen is one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream Asian cinema by cho ...

in the Hong Kong

kung fu film Kung fu film () is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in ''wuxia'', a related martial arts genre that uses historica ...

Ip Man 3 ''Ip Man 3'' is a 2015 Hong Kong biographical martial arts film directed by Wilson Yip, produced by Raymond Wong and written by Edmond Wong with action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping. It is the third in the ''Ip Man'' film series based on t ...

'' as "Suchart", a

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterise ...

assassin. In the film, he fights with

Ip Man Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, ( / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial art ...

, played by Yen, in a small elevator and a narrow staircase. In 2017, he starred in the

Thai television series Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode blo ...

'' Last Legend'' on

Channel 7 Channel 7 or TV7 may refer to: Television networks, channels and stations ;Algeria *TV7 (Algerian TV channel) ; Argentina *Channel 7 (Argentina), a government-owned Argentine TV station *Channel 7 – Bahía Blanca, an Argentine TV station in Buen ...

as "Nan Kam", the Northern fighter; this character plays an important role from the 12th episode until the end of the series.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * (alternate page)
Official Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuke, Simon Living people

Simon Kuke Simon Kuke (also written as Simon Kook) is a Thai actor, action choreographer, director, and producer. Background Kuke, whose Thai name is Sarut Khanwilai (formerly Suchat Khanwilai; th, ศรุต ขันวิไล, สุชาติ � ...

1981 births