Martial artist and stunt performer James Lew dies aged 73

Martial artist, actor, stunt performer and fight choreographer James Lew has died at the age of 73. Lew, whose career encompassed more than five decades of martial arts and action cinema, died on August 23, 2026.

Born in Escalon, California, in 1952 and raised in South Los Angeles, Lew began studying martial arts at the age of 14. He later trained in kung fu under Douglas Wong and became a prominent member of Wong’s Sil Lum Demonstration Team, serving as co-captain alongside Al Leong. The team competed extensively on the Southern California martial arts circuit, with Lew developing particular expertise in forms and weapons.

After beginning his screen career as a stunt performer on the television series ‘Kung Fu’, Lew travelled to Taiwan for an early film role in the kung fu movie ‘The Young Dragon’. Working with Chinese actors, he gained first-hand experience of the precise and highly detailed approach to fight choreography used in Asian martial arts cinema, which he later recalled as an important learning experience.

Lew subsequently built an extensive career as a martial arts performer and fight choreographer, appearing in films including ‘Killpoint’ (1984), ‘Ninja Turf’ (1985), ‘Best of the Best’ (1989), ‘The Perfect Weapon’ (1991), ‘Showdown in Little Tokyo’ (1991), ‘Double Impact’ (1991), ‘Rapid Fire’ (1992), and ‘Red Sun Rising’ (1994). One of his most significant films was John Carpenter’s ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ (1986), on which he served as martial arts choreographer and associate producer while also appearing on screen as a member of the Chang Sing.

Over the following decades, Lew became a prolific stunt performer and coordinator, working across both film and television. His credits included ‘Rush Hour’ (1998), ‘The Last Samurai’ (2003), ‘Collateral’ (2004), and numerous other productions. He also wrote, directed and starred in the 2006 martial arts comedy ‘18 Fingers of Death!’, a spoof centred around the world of low-budget martial arts filmmaking.

Lew’s work received wider industry recognition in 2017 when he won an Emmy for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for ‘Marvel’s Luke Cage’. In 2024, he was also honoured by the Black Belt Hall of Fame with its Martial Arts Stunt Performer Award alongside fellow veterans Jeff Imada and Simon Rhee.

Across more than five decades, James Lew made a significant contribution to martial arts on screen, both as a performer and through his extensive work behind the camera. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.