Scott Adkins

Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976) is an English actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American martial arts film '' Undisputed II: Last Man Standing'' (2006), a role he reprised in its sequels '' Undisputed III: Redemption'' (2010), which won him an Action on Film Award for Breakout Action Star, and '' Boyka: Undisputed'' (2017), which won him a Jackie Chan Action Movie Award for Best Action Movie Actor.

His early acting credits include minor roles in the Hong Kong films ''The Accidental Spy'' (2001), '' Black Mask 2: City of Masks'' (2002), and '' The Medallion'' (2003), and the American films ''Special Forces'' (2003), '' Unleashed'' (2005), and ''The Pink Panther'' (2006). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film ''Ninja'' (2009), a role he reprised in the sequel '' Ninja: Shadow of a Tear'' (2013). He went on to play leading and supporting roles in the well-received films ''The Expendables 2'', ''Zero Dark Thirty'' (both 2012), '' Close Range'' (2015), '' Savage Dog'' (2017), '' Accident Man'' (2018), '' Triple Threat'', '' Avengement'', '' Ip Man 4: The Finale'' (all 2019), '' Legacy of Lies'' (2020), '' Castle Falls'' (2021), '' Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday'' (2022), and '' John Wick: Chapter 4'' (2023), among others.

Adkins has been practising martial arts since the age of 13, when he took up taekwondo and earned his black belt at age 19. He is also trained in the styles of judo, kickboxing, capoeira, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do (JKD), and Wushu.

Early life

Scott Edward Adkins was born into a family of butchers in Sutton Coldfield on 17 June 1976. He first became interested in martial arts at the age of ten, when he visited a local Judo club with his father and older brother. After being robbed at age 13, his interest in martial arts grew even more. That same year, he began to practise taekwondo. At age 16, he started to practise kickboxing and eventually became a kickboxing instructor for the Professional Karate Association. He also ran weekly classes at the Fitness First in Bearwood. He has since gained experience in aikido, capoeira, gymnastics, jujutsu, karate, Krav Maga, MMA, ninjutsu, and wushu.

Adkins was inspired by Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme and also Steven Seagal. He said in 2012, "I wanted to be an actor first because I grew up idolising action stars. The first one for me was Bruce Lee, and then there was Stallone and Arnold, and then Van Damme came along in '88 and really inspired me."

Career

Adkins secured a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called ''Dei Seung Chui Keung'' (2001), known in English as ''Extreme Challenge''. He was spotted by Head of the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Stephen Tung and British-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan. He had the opportunity to work with some of Hong Kong cinema's leading action directors including Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung, and Jackie Chan. He was soon offered a guest role in the BBC series ''Doctors'' (2000) and appeared in a few episodes of the BBC series '' Dangerfield'' (1998), '' City Central'' (1999), and ''EastEnders'' (2003), and a lead role in the Sky One comedy-drama ''Mile High'' (2003), followed by a regular role in BBC's ''Holby City'' (2006).

Starring roles in feature films soon followed with Adkins' portrayal of Talbot in ''Special Forces'' (2003) and Yuri Boyka in '' Undisputed II: Last Man Standing'' (2006). It was this film that broke him into the mainstream with his villainous portrayal of the Russian MMA underground fighter Yuri Boyka. After this, he had guest starring roles in bigger budget films like '' The Bourne Ultimatum'' (2007) and '' The Tournament'' (2009), and played Jean-Claude Van Damme's main adversary in '' The Shepherd: Border Patrol'' (2008). He shared the role of Weapon XI with Ryan Reynolds in '' X-Men Origins: Wolverine'' (2009). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film ''Ninja'' (2009), a role he reprised in the sequel '' Ninja: Shadow of a Tear'' (2013).

In 2012, Adkins was cast to star in '' Métal Hurlant Chronicles'', a television adaptation of the popular French comic book '' Metal Hurlant''. He has worked in four films with his idol Jean-Claude Van Damme: '' The Shepherd: Border Patrol'' (2008), ''Assassination Games'' (2011), '' Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning'', and ''The Expendables 2'' (both in 2012). In 2014, he played King Amphitryon in ''The Legend of Hercules''. He was reunited with action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in 2019 when he starred alongside Donnie Yen in '' Ip Man 4: The Finale'' as the main antagonist Barton Geddes. According to Adkins, Yen personally requested him to star in the film. He also starred in '' Day Shift'' (2022) and '' John Wick: Chapter 4'' (2023).

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Adkins, Scott
1976 births
Living people
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
British wushu practitioners
English capoeira practitioners
English expatriate male actors in the United States
English Jeet Kune Do practitioners
English jujutsuka
English male film actors
English male judoka
English male karateka
English male kickboxers
English male screenwriters
English male soap opera actors
English male taekwondo practitioners
English male television actors
English ninjutsu practitioners
English people of Spanish descent
English stunt performers
Krav Maga practitioners
Male actors from Sutton Coldfield