| Birth Name: | Roger Winston Yuan | ||||||
| Birth Date: | January 25, 1961 | ||||||
| Birth Place: | Carbondale, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| Years Active: | 1982–present | ||||||
| Relatives: | Ron Yuan (brother) | ||||||
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Roger Winston Tzi-Chun Yuan (born January 25, 1961) is an American martial artist, stuntman, actor, and fight choreographer.[1] [2]
Yuan was born in Carbondale, Illinois to Taiwanese parents Theresa and Joseph Yuan, who were in the United States to study at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.[3] Yuan was sent back to Taiwan as an infant to live with his grandparents, before moving back to America at the age of 5, living with his parents in New York City. He was inspired to pursue martial arts after seeing Bruce Lee on The Green Hornet.
Though he self-taught karate and judo from manuals, he did not begin a formal martial arts education until the age of 17, when he enrolled in a Kyokushin Karate class. After moving to Los Angeles for college, he enrolled in a Chun Kuk Do dojo under the direction of Chuck Norris' United Fighting Arts Federation (UFAF), eventually attaining a fourth dan black belt. He subsequently studied American kickboxing under Benny Urquidez, where he was a sparring partner for Pete "Sugarfoot" Cunningham, and also trained with Bill Wallace and Don "The Dragon" Wilson.
Yuan has also trained in Wing Chun, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, and Qigong, as well as gymnastics and yoga. He has as blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
As of 2024, Yuan has performed stunts in over 40 films, including: Rapid Fire, Escape from L.A., Spawn, Blade, Warcraft, Jason Bourne, , Dune, and .
In 2011, he trained Jennifer Lawrence and Jason Flemyng in [4] as well as Henry Cavill in Immortals. He also trained Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin.[5]
Yuan's first stunt double stint came in the 1986 film House.[6] His first role as a professional actor is in The Perfect Weapon (1991), Yuan's first credited acting debut is in Red Corner (1997), alongside Richard Gere. He also appeared in Lethal Weapon 4, which is Jet Li's American film debut, as the role of Chu, a Chinese Triad gangster. In 2000, he played the main antagonist in the action-comedy Shanghai Noon alongside Jackie Chan, as the corrupt Imperial Guard Lo Fong, the role helped him become popular with audiences. In 2003, he appeared in the beginning of Bulletproof Monk, playing Chow Yun-fat's master. In Batman Begins, he appeared as the Hazmat Technician alongside Gary Oldman and as the Chinese Engineer in Syriana. In Skyfall, he also trained Daniel Craig and had a role as the Severine's bodyguard. Yuan also appeared in many TV Shows, he appeared in Walker Texas Ranger, playing different characters, and his most famous role is that of Lazarus in the episodes 'The Winds of Change' and 'Lazarus'.
For fifteen years Yuan was based in Ireland.[7]
In 2016, he starred in , the sequel of the successful 2000 film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Besides working in the film industry, he also was invited by Country singer Tim McGraw to get him in shape for his 2012 Brothers of the Sun Tour.[8]
Yuan's brother, Ron Yuan, is also a martial artist and stuntman.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | American Kickboxer | Howard | ||
| 1991 | The Perfect Weapon | Diamond | ||
| 1991 | Showdown in Little Tokyo | Kickboxer #2 | ||
| 1992 | Ulterior Motives | Yakuza #6 | ||
| 1992 | American Streetfighter | Ito | ||
| 1992 | Rage and Honor | Dave | ||
| 1993 | Shootfighter: Fight to the Death | Po | ||
| 1994 | Ring of Steel | Ninja | ||
| 1994 | Death Match | Fighter | ||
| 1994 | Double Dragon | Ninja Wraith | ||
| 1997 | Once Upon a Time in China and America | Dick | ||
| 1997 | Spawn | Korean Soldier | Uncredited | |
| 1997 | Red Corner | Huan Minglu | ||
| 1998 | Lethal Weapon 4 | Chu | ||
| 2000 | Shanghai Noon | Lo Fong | ||
| 2001 | The Silent Force | Jimmy Thai | ||
| 2003 | Bulletproof Monk | Master Monk | ||
| 2004 | Home on the Range | Additional Voice | Voice | |
| 2005 | Batman Begins | Hazmat Technician | ||
| 2005 | Syriana | Chinese Engineer | ||
| 2005 | Kiko | |||
| 2008 | The Fifth Commandment | Z | ||
| 2009 | Chandni Chowk to China | Inspector Chiang Kohung | ||
| 2009 | Black Dynamite | Fiendish Dr. Wu | ||
| 2010 | Shanghai Blue | Husband | ||
| 2012 | Skyfall | Severine's Bodyguard #2 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture | |
| 2013 | Lua Phat | General Long | ||
| 2016 | Iron Crow | |||
| 2018 | Accident Man | Swordmaster | ||
| 2018 | Blindsided: The Game | Gordon | ||
| 2018 | Venom | Village Eel Shop Owner | ||
| 2019 | Huang | Uncredited | ||
| 2020 | Mulan | Duba Tegin | ||
| 2020 | The Paper Tigers | Sifu Cheung | ||
| 2021 | Dune | Lieutenant Lanville | Also fight coordinator | |
| 2023 | Outlaw Johnny Black | Lee | ||
| 2024 | Lieutenant Lanville | Also fight coordinator / stunt coordinator |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–2000 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Japanese Karate Student / Chen / Chia Ko / Lazarus | 5 episodes | |
| 1994 | Vanishing Son | Button Man | TV movie | |
| 1994 | Renegade | Glen Kawahowa / The Black Wind | Episode: "Black Wind" | |
| 1997 | Tracey Takes On... | Guard at Palace | Episode: "Childhood" | |
| 1998 | Brimstone | Da Ming Po | Episode: "Poem" | |
| 1999 | Nash Bridges | Mr. Lee | Episode: "Girl Trouble" | |
| 2001 | The District | Tuan Tran | Episode: "New World" | |
| 2002 | Red Skies | Zhao Lo | TV movie | |
| 2003 | Angel | Wo-Pang | Season 4; 2 episodes | |
| 2008 | Fifth Street | Vincent | Short film | |
| 2009 | Spooks | Heng | Series 8, Episode 8 | |
| 2010 | Takashi Yamada | Episode: "Die by the Sword" | ||
| 2016 | Blindsided | Gordon | Short film |