When Chuck Norris convinced his martial arts buddy - the 11-time world kickboxing champion, Don "The Dragon" Wilson - to consider a career in the movies, he could never have dreamed how quickly his life would transform. A winning audition for the king of exploitation cinema, Roger Corman, led to a multi-picture deal which would see "The Dragon" become the leading martial arts movie star in the highly lucrative direct-to-video market of the late 1980s and 90s, headlining movies such as the Bloodfist series, Ring of Fire, Red Sun Rising and many others. His closest brush with mainstream stardom arrived in 1995, playing a gang leader in Batman Forever. He's still busier than ever in front of the camera. His latest movie - the action comedy Paying Mr McGetty - sees him play a hitman, and it is available now on DVD. Considered one of the best competitive kickboxers of his generation, Don - now in his mid-60s - may have hung up his competitive gloves long ago, but he can still be found training, teaching and passing on his martial arts wisdom at exhibitions around the world. He still believes passionately in the martial arts as a force for good, helping as a tool to teach confidence, respect and self-discipline to kids, as well as a way to stamp out bullying. It's something he knows only too well. As the son of Japanese and American parents who grew up in 1950s America shortly after the second world war, bullying was a word he knew only too well. In this conversation, Don explains how he turned a negative situation into a positive, becoming one of the greatest and most famous martial artists in the world.

LINKS

Don "The Dragon" Wilson on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Don-the-Dragon-Wilson-105915392771397/

Don "The Dragon" Wilson profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://bit.ly/DonTheDragonWilson

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Shannon Lee was only four years old when she lost her father, the international martial arts superstar, Bruce Lee - but her father has continued to have a lasting impact on her life. As the CEO of the Bruce Lee Family Companies and Chairperson of the Board of Directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation - a not-for-profit social enterprise - Shannon has been responsible for upholding the legacy of her father through numerous channels, including podcasts, retail, social media, books, documentaries and TV shows, educating future generations on Bruce Lee's work and philosophy. Alongside Jonathan Tropper (Banshee) and Justin Lin (Fast and Furious), Shannon is an executive producer on the new 10-episode martial arts drama series, Warrior, which has debuted on Cinemax. The show, set during the brutal Tong wars of San Francisco's Chinatown in the latter half of the 19th century, is based on an original concept by Bruce Lee. On this episode - the first in our fourth season - Shannon explains how Bruce Lee's original treatment evolved, and how a talented and diverse cast helped to bring it to life.

Andrew Koji was on the brink of giving up acting when he landed the lead role of Ah Sahm in the show. Following roles in TV and theatre in the UK, it was a chance audition for Warrior which would turn his life around. He explains what its like being a British-Asian actor working in the UK, and how he managed to tap into his training in the styles of karate and Shaolin kung fu to play the role of Ah Sahm. Warrior is on Fridays at 10pm on Cinemax. A big thank you to Alyssa Michnevitz at HBO and Cinemax for arranging interviews with Shannon Lee and Andrew Koji.

LINKS

Visit the Cinemax website for more information: https://www.cinemax.com/warrior

For the latest Bruce Lee news, visit brucelee.com

Follow Bruce Lee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/brucelee

Follow Bruce Lee on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BruceLee/

Follow Bruce Lee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brucelee/

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Bruce Lee died 45 years ago at the age of 32, his death was shrouded in mystery. To this day, theories still abound as to the circumstances surrounding his passing and the events leading up to it. Writer Matthew Polly has his own theories, along with many other revelations about Lee’s short but incredible life which he has published in a new biography, called 'Bruce Lee: A Life', which is available now wherever you get books. Matthew’s fully comprehensive biography expands on Lee’s privileged upbringing as a child star in Hong Kong, to his formative years in America as a martial arts instructor, and then later as an actor in movies and television. Throughout the book, Lee’s enthusiasm, creativity and determination jumps off the page, rendered in amazing and insightful anecdotes sourced from years of research and over a hundred interviews with Lee’s friends, family and business partners. Matthew Polly’s book is a revealing portrait of one of the 20th century’s most important and iconic figures – not just in the world of martial arts and big-screen entertainment, but also as a self-made man who crossed the cultural divide between east and west. In this interview recorded during a promotional visit to the UK, Polly expands on Lee’s cinematic legacy, his reputation in Hollywood as a “guru to the stars”, the rumours and scandals which continue to haunt his life story, and his enduring status as one of the world's most famous individuals. Matthew Polly’s other books include 'American Shaolin' and 'Tapped Out'. His book, 'Bruce Lee: A Life', is out now. This is the last in the current season of podcasts.

LNIKS

Buy 'Bruce Lee: A Life' on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruce-Lee-Life-Matthew-Polly/dp/1471175693

Follow Matthew Polly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MatthewEPolly

Bruce Lee profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: http://bit.ly/BruceLeeKFMG

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Having now worked with UK martial arts star Scott Adkins a total of six times – including on the films Savage Dog, Accident Man, The Debt Collector, and the soon to be released martial arts movie event of the year, Triple Threat, which also stars Iko Uwais, Michael Jai White, Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen and Michael Bisping – the writer, director and former stunt performer Jesse V. Johnson is right to feel proud of what they have accomplished in a reasonably short space of time. Jesse and Scott continue to produce exceptionally accomplished martial arts action features in an increasingly unsettled world for low-budget filmmaking. But it’s a world Jesse knows only too well. Born in the UK – the nephew of stunt legend Vic Armstrong – Jesse used his earnings as a teenage stunt performer for the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger classic, Total Recall, to relocate to Hollywood, where he balanced stunt work on major studio pictures with directing and writing his own feature films. It hasn’t always been easy, as Jesse explains in this frank and often revealing conversation, and he has had to learn some important lessons along the way; about ambition, integrity, and the craft of filmmaking. He is most proud of his new film, The Debt Collector, an enveloping crime comedy starring Scott Adkins and Louis Mandylor (Martial Law, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), available to watch now on Netflix. It will get its UK big screen premiere at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival in London on 14 September. We also spend time discussing his all-star action extravaganza, Triple Threat. Jesse’s next project with Scott will be called Avengement, which has just wrapped filming in the UK.

LINKS

Jesse V. Johnson on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/actionjessevjohnson/

Jesse V. Johnson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actionjessevjohnson/

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Today is an 'I Am Vengeance' movie special. WWE star Stu Bennett (aka Wade Barrett) and martial arts movie legend Gary Daniels star in 'I Am Vengeance' (aka 'Vengeance'), which is out now in theatres and on digital download in the US. The film tells the story of ex-serviceman turned mercenary, John Gold, and his quest for revenge following the death of his former army buddy. The UK-made action film is the brainchild of writer and director Ross Boyask and producer John Adams, who both work at Evolutionary Films, an independent production house and distributor which specialises in genre films. On this Vengeance movie special, we discuss the challenges of running a film company in the digital age, and learn more about the making of the movie, and their plans to turn the John Gold story into a franchise.

I also sit down with one of the film’s stars, Bryan Larkin, whose psychotic henchman character is one of the highlights of the movie. The Scottish actor and filmmaker discusses his life and career, from directing his own short films to appearing opposite Gerard Butler in London Has Fallen (2016), and working in Hong Kong with Donnie Yen and Andy Lau in the gangster thriller, Chasing the Dragon (2017). 'I Am Vengeance' will get its UK premiere at the Fighting Spirit Film Festival in London on 15 September, and will be released via Evolutionary Films on 28 September.

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Although Bob Wall had no desire to become a film star, he somehow ended up appearing in some of the highest grossing martial arts films of all time. As Chuck Norris’ business partner and Bruce Lee’s training buddy and friend for over a decade, Bob – a world professional karate champion – found himself cast as one of the baddies in Lee's 1972 film, The Way of the Dragon. Bob provided a similar foil to Lee’s on-screen attacks the following year when he was cast as the treacherous villain, O’harra, in the 1973 martial arts classic, Enter the Dragon. In this candid interview, Bob Wall – now aged 78 and speaking to me from his home in California – recalls a young and charismatic Bruce Lee who ruffled feathers amongst the martial arts community and revolutionised the action film genre. Despite a few film appearances since Enter the Dragon (including Robert Clouse’s Game of Death and supporting roles in Chuck Norris films), Bob – who describes himself as a “foul-mouthed Irishman” – mostly retired from the movie business following Lee’s untimely death. But the Bob Wall story doesn’t end there. Listen as he recalls training with Gene LeBell, Mike Stone and Joe Lewis, and teaching superstars like Steve McQueen, Freddie Prinze and Elvis Presley. He is still active on the martial arts scene as the founder of World Black Belt, and through his many appearances at seminars around the world. For the latest Bob Wall information, head to bobwallworldblackbelt.com.

Also on the show, I talk to the action film expert and writer Timon Singh, who drops by to talk about his new book, 'Born to Be Bad – Talking to the Greatest Villains in Action Cinema', which features interviews with some of the best big screen baddies, including Bob Wall. 'Born to Be Bad' is available now in hardback, paperback and on Kindle via Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Be-Bad-greatest-villains/dp/162933345X/.

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UK actor and filmmaker Joey Ansah’s imagination was sparked at an early age through the power of the classic Hong Kong action movie, Dragons Forever, and the Street Fighter video game. The son of a famous Ghanaian fashion designer father and a UK mother, Joey grew up immersed in both British and African culture. His passion was, and still is, the martial arts, becoming a famous online ‘tricker’ and skilled in Capoeira, Taekwondo, Ninjitsu and many other styles. Working as a fight choreographer, extra, stuntman and actor, his big break arrived in what Rolling Stone called “the best fight scene ever filmed”, duking it out with Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Since 2010, Joey has been working tirelessly towards bringing his beloved Street Fighter story to TV screens, following a short film (2010’s Street Fighter: Legacy), an epic web series (2015’s exemplary Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist), and an online follow-up (2016’s Street Fighter: Resurrection). In 2018, shortly after this conversation was recorded at his London home, it was announced that eOne and the Mark Gordon Company had given the green light to a new Street Fighter TV show with Joey Ansah acting as one of its executive producers. His latest acting project is Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the sixth in the Mission: Impossible film franchise starring Tom Cruise. Next year, Joey will be appearing in Joe Cornish’s The Kid Who Would Be King and Guy Ritchie’s live-action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin.

LINKS

Follow Joey Ansah on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyAnsahOfficial

Follow Joey Ansah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejoeyansah/

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