Panna Rittikrai (; ) or birth name Krittiya Lardphanna (; , February 17, 1961 – July 20, 2014) was a Thai

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

action choreographer Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...

, film director, screenwriter, and actor. The head of the Muay Thai Stunt team (previously known as P.P.N. Stunt Team), he is best known for his work as a martial arts and action choreographer on the 2003 film ''

Ong-Bak ''Ong-Bak'' (, ), also known as ''Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior'', is a 2003 Thai martial arts film directed by Prachya Pinkaew and featured action choreography by Panna Rittikrai. It stars Tony Jaa in the lead role, alongside Petchtai Wongkamlao and ...

'' and 2005's ''

Tom-Yum-Goong ''Tom-Yum-Goong'' ( Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง, ) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film directed by Prachya Pinkaew and stars Tony Jaa in the lead role. Pinkaew also directed Jaa's prior breakout film '' Ong-Bak''. As with ''Ong-Bak'', the fig ...

'' (known as ''The Protector'' in the US), starring

Tony Jaa Tatchakorn Yeerum (born 1976) (, , ; formerly Phanom Yeerum (, )), better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom (, , ), is a Thai martial artist, actor, action choreographer, stuntman, and director. Known for his expl ...

, whom Panna mentored.

Biography

Early films

"You've probably never heard of my movies," Panna told the ''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

'' in a 2004 interview. "They are popular among taxi drivers and

som tam Green papaya salad is a spicy salad made from shredded unripe papaya. Originating in Laos, it is a national dish and a cornerstone of Lao cuisine, known locally as ''tam som'' or ''tam mak hoong''. The dish exemplifies bold, vibrant flavors, ...

vendors and security guards and

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...

coolies. My loyalest fans are folk people in the far-out

tambon ''Tambon'' (, ) is a local governmental unit in Thailand. Below district (''amphoe'') and province ('' changwat''), they form the third administrative subdivision level. there were 7,255 tambons, not including the 180 ''khwaeng'' of Bangkok, whi ...

s, where they lay out mattresses on the ground and drink

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

whisky while watching my outdoor movies." Born in Khon Kaen Province,

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, Panna started out in the movie business in 1979 as a physical trainer for actors in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. Learning a little about filmmaking and inspired by the movies of

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...

and

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 ...

, as well as stunts seen in

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

movies, Panna moved back to Khon Kaen and formed his own stunt team, the P.P.N. Stunt Team (actually known as Muay Thai Stunt) and set about making films. His first was ''Gerd ma lui'' ('' Born to Fight''), which he remade in 2004.

International fame

With the worldwide releases of ''Ong-Bak'' and ''Tom-Yum-Goong'', with their gritty, hard-hitting stunts, action-film fans the world over have wanted to see more, so film distributors are starting to release some of Panna's older titles on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

s geared for the international market. Among the films finding new life on the home video market are ''Spirited Killer'', or ''Puen Hode'', co-starring Tony Jaa, as well as ''Mission Hunter 2'', in which Jaa portrays a villain. Panna's martial-arts choreography work also can be seen in the action-comedy, '' The Bodyguard'', which starred and was directed by Thai comic actor

Petchtai Wongkamlao Petchtai Wongkamlao, (, , ; born 24 June 1965) is a Thai comedian, actor, martial artist and film director. He is best known in Thailand by his stage name, Mum Jokmok (, , ); and is a popular Thai television personality. He is credited as Mom Jo ...

. Recent and upcoming projects include '' Mercury Man'', a Thai superhero film in which he coordinated the martial arts; the sequel to ''Ong-Bak'', '' Ong Bak 2''; and ''

Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either by itself or to flavoring, flavor other foods. Cocoa beans are the processed seeds of the cacao tree (''Theobroma cacao''); unprocesse ...

'', a film directed by Prachya Pinkaew starring a female martial artist, Yanin Vismistananda. He co-starred in '' Dynamite Warrior'', a 2006 martial-arts action comedy set in 19th century Siam and starring Dan Chupong from '' Born to Fight''. It was Panna's first acting role in 9 years.

Death

Panna Rittikrai had been receiving treatment for liver disease since November 2013. Rittikrai died in a hospital in Bangkok from complications brought on by acute liver and kidney failure on July 20, 2014. It was also later discovered that he had a brain tumor.

Main filmography

Actor

Crew

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rittikrai, Panna 1961 births

Panna Rittikrai Panna Rittikrai (; ) or birth name Krittiya Lardphanna (; , February 17, 1961 – July 20, 2014) was a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter, and actor. The head of the Muay Thai Stunt team (previously known as P.P. ...

2014 deaths

Action choreographers Deaths from liver failure