Taimak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taimak
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Taimak at the 2014 Florida Supercon
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| Born | June 27, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1982–present |
Taimak Guarriello (born June 27, 1964), known simply as Taimak, is an American actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He is most famous for his main role as Leroy Green, also known as "Bruce Leroy," in the 1985 martial arts movie The Last Dragon.
About Taimak
Taimak was born on June 27, 1964, in Los Angeles, California. His father was Italian, and his mother was African-American. Today, he lives in New York City.
Taimak's Career Journey
Taimak's big break came with his leading role in Berry Gordy's movie The Last Dragon. In the film, he played Leroy Green, a martial artist who was inspired by Bruce Lee. Leroy was on a quest to find "The Glow." The movie was a huge hit and earned a lot of money at the box office.
Since The Last Dragon, Taimak has appeared in many TV shows and more than ten plays. He was also in music videos, including the main male role in Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" video. He even appeared in a music video for the band 36 Crazyfists called "Bloodwork."
Taimak has worked with famous people like Madonna. He starred in a play called Cheaters, which traveled around the United States. He also acted in a popular show in New York City called Roadhouse The Comedy. This play was based on the movie Road House starring Patrick Swayze.
In 2002, Taimak opened his own gym in New York City called Fitness Concepts. He also released a fitness DVD called Taimak FIT (Find Inner Transformation). This DVD was planned to be the first in a series to help people get fit.
Martial Arts Skills
Taimak is a very skilled martial artist. He has earned black belts in many different styles, including Goju Ryu Karate, Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Jujutsu, Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He learned Chinese Goju from a master known as "The Black Dragon," Ron Van Clief.
He also worked as an official for the early mixed martial arts (MMA) fights at UFC 6 and UFC 7. In 2006, he made some appearances in Ring of Honor, a professional wrestling company.
In 2015, Taimak and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa received the Fists of Legends Legacy Award. This award honored their contributions to martial arts films. In 2016, Taimak published his own life story, an autobiography called Taimak, The Last Dragon. More recently, in 2018, Taimak starred in the martial arts comedy film Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece.
Movies and TV Shows
Taimak has acted in several movies and TV shows. Here are some of them:
- Double Cross (2023-2024) as Cade Cross
- Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece (2018) as Dragon
- They're Just My Friends (2006) as Captain Taimak
- The System Within (2006) as Pastor Ricky
- Book of Swords (2005) as Lucky
- Third Watch (2004) as Spider (1 episode)
- Night Class (2001) as Kick boxing instructor
- Beverly Hills, 90210 (1999-2000) as a Bartender (3 episodes)
- Dreamers (1999) as Sam
- Red Shoe Diaries (1996) as Zoner (1 episode)
- WMAC Masters (1996) as Striking Eagle (1 episode)
- A Different World (1989) as Garth Parks (1 episode)
- The Last Dragon (1985) as Leroy Green
Stunt Work
- Madonna: Drowned World Tour 2001 (2001) (TV) (martial arts coordinator)
