Noah Ringer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noah Ringer
Ringer at the 2010 New York City premiere of The Last Airbender
Born	Noah Andrew Ringer (1996-11-18) November 18, 1996 (age 28) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, martial artist
Years active	2008–2011

Noah Andrew Ringer was born on November 18, 1996. He is an American martial artist and a former child actor. Noah became famous for playing the main character, Aang, in the 2010 movie The Last Airbender. He also appeared in the film Cowboys & Aliens.

Life and Career Highlights

Noah Ringer was born in Dallas, Texas. When he was ten years old, his mom signed him up for martial arts classes. He joined ATA Martial Arts in Carrollton, Texas. This school is part of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). Noah quickly showed he was very good at martial arts. He started competing in tournaments soon after. In December 2008, when he was twelve, Noah earned his black belt. This is a high achievement in martial arts.

Becoming Aang

Noah used to shave his head, which made him look like the character Aang. Aang is from the animated TV show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Other students at his martial arts school started calling him "Avatar." Noah's taekwondo teacher, Master Eric Pechacek, also noticed how much Noah looked like Aang. He saw similarities in Noah's looks and personality. Master Pechacek then showed Noah the TV series, and Noah became a big fan.

In July 2008, Noah's teacher received an email from the ATA. It invited students to try out for the role of Aang in The Last Airbender movie. Master Pechacek encouraged Noah to audition. For his audition video, Noah dressed up as Aang, using his Halloween costume. He performed some martial arts moves and said a few lines. About a month later, Noah was asked to go to Philadelphia. There, he met the movie's director, M. Night Shyamalan. Another month passed, and Noah was offered the part of Aang!

Noah had only one month to get ready for filming. He took intense acting classes at the Dallas Young Actors Studio. He also started training in different types of martial arts. This training continued while the movie was being filmed.

Other Roles and Recognition

In March 2011, Noah was nominated for an award. It was for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Feature Film. This was for the 32nd Annual Young Artist Awards. In May 2011, Noah won another award. He received TheSkyKid.Com "Coming of Age" Best Actor movie award. Both awards were for his role in The Last Airbender.

Noah also played a character named Emmett Taggart. This was in the movie Cowboys & Aliens. It was a sci-fi western film. Jon Favreau directed this movie.

Martial Arts Journey

Noah's first ATA tournament was the World Championships in Arkansas. He won first place in every event he entered. After seeing "extreme" martial arts routines there, Noah decided to try them. This style is called Extreme Martial Arts, or XMA. It involves creating your own moves and choosing your own music. Noah became skilled with many Eastern weapons. One of these was the bō staff, which his character Aang uses.

During his first two years with the ATA, Noah competed in 25 tournaments. He won 100 medals, and 80 of them were gold! In February 2008, he was named "The Competitor of the Year" for the Texas region. Noah also won the 2008-2009 Texas State Champion title. He won in five different categories.

For The Last Airbender movie, Noah learned new martial arts styles. These included baguazhang, tai chi, and Wushu. These styles are considered "soft" compared to taekwondo, which is a "hard" style. Noah still trains in American taekwondo. In October 2010, he earned his second degree black belt. Noah also helps teach other students in the ATA. He is part of their Leadership Program. He also practices gymnastics and has started learning Choy Li Fut kung fu.

Personal Life

Noah Ringer was homeschooled. He has mentioned that he has some Native American family background.

He enjoys watching several TV shows. Some of his favorites include Avatar: The Last Airbender, Transformers: Prime, and The Spectacular Spider-Man. He also likes movies such as The Incredibles, Die Hard, and Saving Private Ryan.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Noah Ringer para niños