Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
, known for his acting work in films such as ''
The Last Dragon
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Chr ...
'', ''
Red Sonja
Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino.
Marvel Comics ...
'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'', ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' (1991), ''
Surf Ninjas
''Surf Ninjas'' is a 1993 American family comedy film involving martial arts, directed by Neal Israel and written by Dan Gordon. The film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan and Leslie Nielsen. ''Surf Ninjas'' follows two teenage ...
'' (1993) and ''
The Rundown
''The Rundown'' (known internationally as ''Welcome to the Jungle'') is a 2003 American buddy action comedy film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. It stars Dwayne Johnson (credited as The Rock), Seann Willia ...
'' (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as ''
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
'', as well as
motion capture
Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...
stunts in films such as ''
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' and ''
Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
''. His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 ''
Highway to Heaven
''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order t ...
'' dramas such as the short-lived ''
Sidekicks'' (in which he co-starred with
Gil Gerard
Gil Gerard (born January 23, 1943) is an American actor, whose roles include Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979–81 television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''.
Early life
Gerard was born January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkan ...
) and ''
NCIS: Los Angeles'' and reality TV series such as ''
Final Fu
''Final Fu'' is an American reality television show that first aired on MTV2 on July 17, 2006, and ran for a single season of twenty episodes The show was hosted by Ernie Reyes, Jr., and featured practitioners of various styles of martial ar ...
''.
Early life
Reyes was born in
San Jose, California
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, to actor/stuntman
Ernie Reyes Sr.
Ernesto E. Reyes, Sr. (born February 12, 1947) is an American martial artist, actor and fight choreographer who is the co-founder and head instructor of West Coast World Martial Arts, where he has been teaching for more than 35 years. He is the f ...
and is the grandson of
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
immigrants.
He has three brothers and two sisters, one of whom, Lee Reyes, is a boxer and another,
Santino Ramos, is a filmmaker/artist. By the age of six, Reyes had joined his father's group, the "West Coast Demo Team".
Career
Reyes made his film debut at age 13 in the 1985 film ''
The Last Dragon
''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as Berry Gordy's ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American martial arts comedy film produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy and directed by Michael Schultz. The film stars Taimak, Vanity, Julius Carry, Chr ...
''. The same year he shared the screen with
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
and
Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen (; born Gitte Nielsen; 15 July 1963) is a Danish actress, model, and singer. She began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton. She subsequently acted in the 1985 films ''Red Sonja'' and ''Rocky IV'', later retu ...
in ''
Red Sonja
Red Sonja is a fictional sword and sorcery comic-book superheroine created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino.
Marvel Comics ...
''. During this time, he also had his own television series, ''
Sidekicks'', a
spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special ''The Last Electric Knight'', alongside
Gil Gerard
Gil Gerard (born January 23, 1943) is an American actor, whose roles include Captain William "Buck" Rogers in the 1979–81 television series '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''.
Early life
Gerard was born January 23, 1943, in Little Rock, Arkan ...
presented by
Michael Eisner
Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film st ...
.
[ He also appeared in an episode of the hit television series '']MacGyver
Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot.
In both po ...
'' in 1988. Reyes had starring roles in ''Surf Ninjas
''Surf Ninjas'' is a 1993 American family comedy film involving martial arts, directed by Neal Israel and written by Dan Gordon. The film stars Ernie Reyes Jr., Rob Schneider, Nicolas Cowan and Leslie Nielsen. ''Surf Ninjas'' follows two teenage ...
'', the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
film, '' The Secret of the Ooze'', as Keno, the pizza delivery boy. He also served as the martial arts stunt double for Donatello in the first ''Ninja Turtles'' film. He later appeared in films such as ''Rush Hour 2
''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jeff Nathanson, based on the characters created by Ross LaManna. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'', it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' f ...
'' playing Zing and in ''The Rundown
''The Rundown'' (known internationally as ''Welcome to the Jungle'') is a 2003 American buddy action comedy film directed by Peter Berg and written by James Vanderbilt and R.J. Stewart. It stars Dwayne Johnson (credited as The Rock), Seann Willia ...
'' alongside WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...
.[ Reyes guest starred in three episodes of the TV series '' Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' alongside ]David Carradine
David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series ''Kung Fu'', playi ...
.
In 2006, Reyes hosted the MTV martial arts reality show ''Final Fu
''Final Fu'' is an American reality television show that first aired on MTV2 on July 17, 2006, and ran for a single season of twenty episodes The show was hosted by Ernie Reyes, Jr., and featured practitioners of various styles of martial ar ...
''.
Reyes has a professional fight record of 3–0 in Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*''Marvel Strike Force'', ...
which was a large mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
organization but started out as a Muay Thai
Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...
and kickboxing
Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...
organization. Ernie fought Anthony Elkaim the WKA ISKA Champion. Reyes knocked out the champion in the 3rd round. His next two fights would be won by decision, including a unanimous decision over Veasna Thach, which aired on ESPN. Ernie Reyes Jr.'s fight against the champion Anthony Elkaim also aired on ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
.
Reyes has done motion capture stunts for blockbuster films such as ''Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
'' and ''Alice in Wonderland
''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
''. He also played a cemetery warrior in ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and the fourth installment in the ''Indiana Jones'' series. Released and taking place 19 years after the previous ...
'' who gets killed by his own poison dart. Reyes guest starred on '' NCIS: Los Angeles'' "The Frozen Lake" playing "Jay Thapa", a Nepalese soldier who is an expert in knife-fighting.
Personal life
In October 31 2007, he and his wife Lisa had a daughter, Lotus Blossom, who appeared in the 2020 film '' We Can Be Heroes''. On January 7, 2013, he and his wife had a second child named Phoenix Reyes.
In June 2015, it was reported that Reyes was suffering from kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
and was in need of a transplant. According to his sister, Reyes undergoes dialysis three times per week for four hours each day. His family set up a GoFundMe
GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the b ...
campaign to help raise $75,000 for his medical expenses. In August 2022, Reyes revealed that the transplant had been successful and that he was healthy.
Filmography
As actor
As stunt performer
Kickboxing record
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 2005-10-00 , , Win , , align=left, Ryan Fotheringham , , Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*''Marvel Strike Force'', ...
, , San Jose, California, USA
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, , Decision , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 3-0
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 1999-00-00 , , Win , , align=left, Veasna Thach , , Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*''Marvel Strike Force'', ...
, , San Jose, California, USA
San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...
, , Decision (unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , , 2-0
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, 1998-00-00 , , Win , , align=left, Anthony Elkaim , , Strikeforce
Strike Force may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Games
* ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game
*'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game
*'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game
*''Marvel Strike Force'', ...
, , Milan, Italy
Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
, , KO , , 3 , , , , 1-0
, -
, colspan=9 , ''Legend'':
See also
*Patusan
Patusan is a fictional country originating in the novel ''Lord Jim'' by Joseph Conrad, published in 1900. It has subsequently appeared in various films and television shows.
In Conrad's novel, the country is a remote backwater in the South Seas ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Ernie Jr.
1972 births
American sportspeople of Filipino descent
American male film actors
American stunt performers
American male television actors
Male actors from San Jose, California
American male kickboxers
Kickboxers from California
Welterweight kickboxers
American Muay Thai practitioners
Living people
American male actors of Filipino descent
Sportspeople from San Jose, California
Action choreographers
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors