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Roger Winston Tzi-Chun Yuan (born January 25, 1961) is an American martial artist, stuntman, actor, and fight choreographer.

Early life

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. 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.

Career

As of 2024, Yuan has performed stunts in over 40 films, including: Rapid Fire, Escape from L.A., Spawn, Blade, Warcraft, Jason Bourne, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Dune, and Dune: Part Two.

In 2011, he trained Jennifer Lawrence and Jason Flemyng in X-Men: First Class as well as Henry Cavill in Immortals. He also trained Keanu Reeves in 47 Ronin.

Yuan's first stunt double stint came in the 1986 film House. 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 series, including Walker Texas Ranger, where he played multiple characters, with his most famous role being Lazarus in the episodes 'The Winds of Change' and 'Lazarus'.

For fifteen years Yuan was based in Ireland.

In 2016, he starred in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, 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.

Personal life

Yuan's brother, Ron Yuan, is also a martial artist and stuntman.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. "Roger Yuan: Character Through Action". The Entertainment Section. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
2. ^ "Roger Yuan". DemoReel. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
3. ^ Youseph, Ramon (2021-03-12). "Interview with Roger Yuan". Kung-fu Kingdom. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
4. Fogarty, Mary (March 6, 2013), "Karate club welcomes Hollywood stunt man", The Independent, retrieved May 29, 2017
5. Andrews, Kenai (December 7, 2016), "Jason Bourne's Roger Yuan opens up on fight scenes, working with Matt Damon", MMA Crossfire, retrieved May 29, 2017
6. "Action Reel - Roger Yuan", Demoreel.com, retrieved May 29, 2017
7. How Roger Yuan Trains Actors For Their Roles As Super Heroes. June 19, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2017 – via YouTube.
8. Brennan, Laura (March 29, 2017). "Stunt School Ireland Host Bourne Experience Course With Roger Yuan". IFTN. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
9. "Roger Yuan". LinkedIn. June 19, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
10. Kurchak, Sarah (November 4, 2015), "How Daniel Craig Developed James Bond's Fighting Skills", Vice, retrieved May 29, 2017
11. Kenai Andrews (December 7, 2016). "Jason Bourne's Roger Yuan opens up on fight scenes, working with Matt Damon". MMA Crossfire.
12. Miller, Gregory E. (31 October 2019). "How Tim McGraw went from 'inflated and doughy' to ripped". New York Post.

External links

• Roger Yuan at IMDb
• Roger Yuan at AllMovie
• Roger Yuan at Rotten Tomatoes

• 1961 births
• Living people
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• American male film actors