Robin Shou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robin Shou
Shou in 2004
Born	Shou Wan-por (仇雲波) (1960-07-17) July 17, 1960 (age 64) British Hong Kong
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	Martial artist, actor
Years active	1987—present
Style	Kenpō, Wushu

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 entered the Hong Kong film industry as a stuntman in the late 1980s, before transitioning to acting. He went on to star in films such as City War (1988), Tiger Cage 2, Fatal Termination (both 1990), and Bloody Mary Killer (1993). Shou made over 40 Hong Kong movies before breaking into Hollywood.

His first dramatic role was in the American television film Forbidden Nights (1990) with Melissa Gilbert, in which he portrayed Liang Heng. 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 martial arts comedy film Beverly Hills Ninja. In 2003, he directed the documentary film Red Trousers - The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen. In 2006, he made a cameo appearance in the film DOA: Dead or Alive. He went on to play Gen in the martial arts film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009), and 14K in the Death Race film series (2008-2013).

Shou's interest in martial arts developed during his years as a University student, when he began studying Kenpō. He later transitioned to Wushu. This led him to win several martial arts championships, both in China and the United States. Shou is widely considered one of the greatest martial arts stars in the history of cinema.

Biography

Shou's interest in martial arts developed during his years as a University student, when he began studying Kenpo. He began practising wushu after watching Jet Li's film Shaolin Temple (1982). He soon became a Hong Kong stuntman.

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.

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.

He is fluent in English in addition to his native Chinese.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

See also

In Spanish: Robin Shou para niños