Iko Uwais facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Iko Uwais
Uwais at the New York premiere of The Raid 2 in March 2014
Born	Uwais Qorny (1983-02-12) 12 February 1983 (age 42) Jakarta, Indonesia
Nationality	Indonesia
Occupation	Actor stuntman fight choreographer martial artist
Years active	2007–present
Spouse(s)	Audy Item ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2
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Iko Uwais is a famous actor from Indonesia. He is also a talented stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist. He is best known for his exciting roles in action movies. Some of his popular films include Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), and The Raid 2 (2014). He also starred in the Netflix series Wu Assassins.

Early Life and Martial Arts

Iko Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 12, 1983. His full name is Uwais Qorny. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat. Silat is a traditional martial art from Southeast Asia. His grandfather even started his own silat school. Iko Uwais was named after a wise Islamic mystic from the 7th century.

His Acting Journey

In 2007, a director named Gareth Evans discovered Iko. Gareth was making a documentary about silat at Iko's training hall. He was impressed by Iko's natural charm and how good he looked on camera. This led Gareth to offer Iko the main role in his first martial arts movie, Merantau.

After signing a five-year contract with Gareth Evans, Iko left his job. He used to work as a driver for a telecom company.

Merantau and Early Success

Merantau was Iko's first movie. In the film, he played a young man from West Sumatra. For this role, he learned a special "tiger style" of silat called silat harimau. The movie was released in Indonesia in 2009. It was shown at film festivals around the world and received very good reviews. Merantau even won the Best Film award at ActionFest 2010.

The Raid Films

Iko worked with director Gareth Evans again on The Raid. Filming started in 2011, and the movie came out in 2012. Critics and audiences loved The Raid. Many people called it one of the best martial arts movies in years.

Iko and Gareth Evans teamed up for a third movie, The Raid 2. This film continued the exciting action. Iko also had a small appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). He appeared alongside his The Raid 2 co-star Yayan Ruhian.

More Action Roles

In 2016, Iko starred in another martial arts film called Headshot. This movie also received positive reviews.

He then filmed an international martial arts movie called Triple Threat. He worked with other famous action stars like Tony Jaa and Scott Adkins. The film was released in early 2019. In 2018, Iko also starred in Mile 22 and The Night Comes for Us.

Netflix and Hollywood

In 2019, Iko Uwais took on the lead role of Kai Jin in the Netflix series Wu Assassins. The show premiered in August 2019. He later returned as Kai Jin in the movie sequel, Fistful of Vengeance, released in 2022.

Iko also starred in the action comedy film Stuber in 2019. He acted alongside Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista. He played Hard Master in Snake Eyes, which is part of the G.I. Joe movie series. This film was released in 2021.

Iko Uwais continues to work on exciting projects. In 2021, he joined the cast of Expend4bles, an action movie released in 2023. He is also set to star in a science fiction thriller called Ash.

Personal Life

Iko Uwais married singer Audy Item on June 25, 2012. Their wedding took place in Jakarta. They have two daughters together, named Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais and Aneska Layla Putri Uwais.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Awards and Nominations

Iko Uwais has been recognized for his talent in acting and martial arts. Here are some of the awards and nominations he has received:

See also

In Spanish: Iko Uwais para niños

• Cinema of Indonesia
• Martial arts film