Robin Shou
Robin Shou | |
|---|---|
 Shou in 2004 | |
| Born | Shou Wan-por (仇雲波) July 17, 1960 |
| Other names | Wai Lung (威龍, his Cantonese screen name during his Hong Kong acting career. His screen name means "mighty/powerful dragon".) |
| Alma mater | California State University, Los Angeles |
| Occupation(s) | Martial artist, actor |
| Years active | 1987—present |
| Style | Kenpo, Wu Shu, Karate |
Shou Wan-por (Chinese: 仇雲波, born July 17, 1960), known professionally as Robin Shou, is a Hong Kong-American actor, martial artist and stuntman. Born in British Hong Kong but raised in Los Angeles, Shou's interest in martial arts developed during his years as a University student. This led him to win several championships as a martial artist, both in China and the United States. He entered the Hong Kong film industry as a stuntman in the late 1980's, and went on to star in films such as City War (1988), opposite Chow Yun-Fat, Tiger Cage 2 (1990), opposite Donnie Yen, and Bloody Mary Killer (1993), alongside Cynthia Rothrock.
In 1994, Shou landed his first American leading role as Liu Kang in the martial arts fantasy action film Mortal Kombat (1995). He reprised the role in the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. That same year, he appeared alongside Chris Farley as Gobei in the action comedy film Beverly Hills Ninja. In 2003, Shou directed the documentary film Red Trousers - The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen. He went on to play Gen in the American action film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009), and 14K in the Death Race film series (2008-2013).
Biography[edit]
Shou's interest in martial arts developed during his years as a University student. He began practising wushu after watching Jet Li's film Shaolin Temple. He soon became a Hong Kong stuntman.[1]
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.[2]
Shou's first dramatic role was in Forbidden Nights in 1990, with Melissa Gilbert. 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 when he landed his first American leading role as Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat (1995), based on the popular video game of the same name. He reprised the role in the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat Annihilation. That same year, he appeared opposite Chris Farley in the action comedy Beverly Hills Ninja.
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 for her role in Resident Evil.[3]
He is fluent in English in addition to his native Chinese.[4]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Big Brother | Robin | — |
| 1988 | City War | Killer | — |
| 1989 | Death Cage | Lan-si Han | — |
| 1990 | Tiger Cage 2 | Waise Chow | as Robin Chou |
| Fatal Termination | Wai Loong | — | |
| 1991 | Eastern Heroes | Hawk | — |
| 1992 | Interpol Connection | — | — |
| Magdaleno Orbos: Sa Kuko ng Mga Lawin | — | — | |
| Black Cat II | Robin | — | |
| 1993 | Bloody Mary Killer | — | |
| 1994 | The Most Wanted | Gang leader | — |
| 1995 | Mortal Kombat | Liu Kang | Shou's Hollywood big screen debut and his second American movie |
| 1997 | Mortal Kombat Annihilation | Liu Kang | — |
| Beverly Hills Ninja | Gobei | — | |
| 2003 | Red Trousers - The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen | Evan Narrator Himself |
Director |
| 2006 | 18 Fingers of Death! | Jackie Chong | — |
| DOA: Dead or Alive | Pirate Senior | — | |
| 2008 | Death Race | 14K | — |
| 2009 | Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li | Gen | — |
| 2010 | Death Race 2 | 14K | — |
| 2011 | Mortal Enemies | Sunny | — |
| 2013 | Death Race 3: Inferno | 14K | — |
| 2014 | Black Tiger: Hunter Hunted | Pacific "Pac" Fong / Black Tiger | Short film |
| 2015 | Earthbound | Short film, director | |
| TBD | Dead Mule Suitcase | Jack Lam | Director |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Yellowthread Street | Tony Siu | Episode: "The Red Pole" |
| Forbidden Nights | Liang Heng | Television film | |
| 1992 | Soldier Soldier | Journalist Feng | Episode: "Lost and Found" |
| 1998 | The Outer Limits | Major Ronald Neguchi | Episode: "Nightmare" |
| 2009 | Cold Case | Bo-Lin Chen (1983) | Episode: "Chinatown" |
| TBD | Way of the Empty Hand | Boss | Television film, (post-production) |
Video games[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sleeping Dogs | Conroy Wu / Roland Ho | Voice |
References[edit]
- ^ "Profile of Robin Shou". 19 April 2014.
- ^ "Robin Shou". 30 January 2015.
- ^ "Street Fighter Series | CAPCOM". www.streetfighter.com. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009.
- ^ "0516 好萊塢資深演員仇雲波1". YouTube.
External links[edit]
- Robin Shou at IMDb
- Robin Shou Hong Kong Cinema interview with Robin Shou
- Robin Shou Interview
- 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