Gary Edward Daniels (born 9 May 1963) is an English actor, producer, martial artist, fight coordinator and former world light heavyweight kickboxing champion. Born and raised in London, England, Daniels started to take martial arts lessons at the age of eight. By his late teens, he became a competitive kickboxer. In 1980, Daniels moved to the United States to continue the sport. In 1990, he won the

WKBA WKBA (1550 kHz, "Classic Country 93.1") is a broadcast radio station licensed to Vinton, Virginia, serving Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley in Virginia. WKBA is owned and operated by Tinker Creek Broadcasters, Inc. It mostly simulcasts WBRF in ...

California State Light Heavyweight Championship and the PKA World Light Heavyweight Championship. Daniels is also an action film leading man, starting with '' Final Reprisal'' (1988) and ''The Secret of King Mahis Island'' (1988). He followed up with ''Capital Punishment'' (1991), ''American Streetfighter'' (1992), ''

Deadly Target ''Deadly Target'' (also known as ''Fire Zone'') is a 1994 martial arts action film directed by Charla Driver. It stars Gary Daniels, Ken McLeod, Max Gail, Byron Mann and Susan Byun. Plot Hong Kong police detective Charles Prince (Gary Daniels) ...

'' (1994), ''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially colle ...

'' (1995), ''Bloodmoon'' (1996), ''Recoil'',(1997), ''Spoiler'' (1998), '' Misfire'' (2014), ''

Skin Traffik ''Skin Traffik'' is a 2015 British-American action film featuring Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Eric Roberts, Michael Madsen, Jeff Fahey, Gary Daniels, Ara Paiaya, Dominique Swain, and Alan Ford. Plot When a jaded former hitman encounters a sava ...

'' (2015), etc. He also plays supporting roles; some of these credits are ''

City Hunter is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1985 to 1991 and collected into 35 ''tankōbon'' volumes by its publisher Shueisha. The manga was adapted int ...

'' (1993), ''

The Legend of Bruce Lee ''The Legend of Bruce Lee'' ('' Chinese'': 李小龍傳奇) is a 2008 Chinese biographical television series based on the life story of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee. The 50-episode series was produced and broadcast by CCTV and began airing ...

'' (2008), ''

Tekken is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The ...

'', (2009), ''The Expendables'' (2010), '' I Am Vengeance'' (2018), ''

Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

'' (2021), etc.

Early life

Gary Daniels was born in London, England, on 9 May 1963. Daniels said that at the age of eight he was inspired to learn martial arts after seeing the trailer of the

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

film ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

.'' Following this, Daniels said he joined a kung-fu school for three to four years, after he made the switch to

taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...

where he received a black belt in his mid-teens.'''' He became a 2nd

dan Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

and began competing in ITF taekwondo tournaments. His aggressive style did not sit well with British officials, however, and he lost 3 fights by disqualification.

Career

1979-1995: Kickboxing career to action film leading man

Daniels began

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 ...

at the age of seventeen under the tutelage of former

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

champion Mickey Byrne. He debuted in 1979, and compiled a record of 13 victories (13 knockouts) and 3 defeats. Daniels early matches in England and in the United States were amateur matches. In 1980, Daniels decided to leave England and move to the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in the United States to continue his career. Daniels had an amateur kickboxing record of 31 wins, 30 by knockout and 4 defeats. By the late 1980s, Daniels moved to California and began practicing

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 ...

Benny Urquidez Benny Urquidez (born June 20, 1952) is an American kickboxer, martial arts choreographer and actor. Nicknamed "The Jet", Urquidez was a non-contact karate competitor who later pioneered full-contact fighting in the United States. He made the tra ...

's Jet Center and Yuki Horiuchi's Piston Kickboxing Gym. He also became a professional kickboxer. In 1988, Daniels starred in the action films '' Final Reprisal'', and ''The Secret of King Mahis Island''. According to Daniels, a talent agent introduced him to a production company in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, with whom he made them.'''' In November 1990, Daniels won the

California State Light Heavyweight Championship and the PKA World Light Heavyweight Championship in England within the space of a month. In 1991, Daniels acted in ''Ring of Fire,'' and starred in ''Capital Punishment''. On 3 December in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Daniels fought a 3-round, No Decision, exhibition match with 11-time World Kickboxing Champion

Don "The Dragon" Wilson Donald Glen Wilson (born September 10, 1954), nicknamed "The Dragon", is an American martial artist, film actor, and former professional kickboxer. An 11-time world champion who scored 47 knockouts in four decades, he has been called by the STAR ...

at the World Martial Arts Extravaganza. Daniels retired with an undefeated professional kickboxing record of 4-0-0 with 2 knockouts. In 1992, Daniels acted in '' Final Impact'', ''Deadly Bet,'' and '' Bloodfist IV: Die Trying''. Also that year, he starred in ''American Streetfighter.'' In 1993, Daniels acted in

Wong Jing Wong Jing ( born 3 May 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, actor, presenter, and screenwriter. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, Wong Jing played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema duri ...

's film adaptation of ''

'' starring

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

. Daniels also acted in

Albert Pyun Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...

's ''

Knights A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

.'' Daniels said that he was offered the role of one of the villains in ''City Hunter'' while filming ''Knights'' in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, however shooting days overlapped. He went on to ask director Albert Pyun if he could finish his shooting schedule earlier to join the Jackie Chan film in Hong-Kong. Pyun accepted but had to reduce a few of his scenes and use a double. Daniels said he arrived late on the set and the introductory scene of the villains was already shot. He thinks it played to his advantage because the filmmakers edited in parallel a scene of him training and showing his physical prowess to introduce his character.'''' That year, he starred in ''Full Impact,'' and co-starred with

Chad McQueen Chadwick Steven McQueen (born December 28, 1960) is an American actor, film producer, martial artist, and race-car driver. As an actor and producer, he was known for playing Dutch in ''The Karate Kid'' and ''The Karate Kid Part II''. He is the ...

in ''Firepower'' In 1994, he starred in ''

.'' In 1995, Daniels starred in ''

,'' ''White Tiger'', and ''Rage.'' Also that year, Daniels acted in ''Heatseeker''.

1996-2009: Subsequent films

In 1996, Daniels acted in ''Bloodmoon'', ''Hawk's Vengeance,'' and ''Riot''. In 1997, he starred in ''Recoil'', and acted in ''

Pocket Ninjas ''Pocket Ninjas'' is a 1994 action film starring Robert Z'Dar, Richard Rabago, and Gary Daniels. Based on a screenplay by Mark Williams, the film was directed by Donald G. Jackson, David Huey, and Dave Eddy. Development Pocket Ninjas was origina ...

.'' In 1998, he starred ''No Tomorrow'', ''Spoiler'', and ''Cold Harvest.'' In 1999, Daniels acted an the episode television show ''Sons of Thunder'', and the film '' Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol.'' In 2000, Daniels starred in ''Black Friday'', ''Fatal Blade,'' and ''City of Fear''. In 2001, he starred ''Epicenter,'' ''Queen's Messenger'', and ''Witness to a Kill.'' In 2004 Daniels acted in '' Retrograde''. In 2005, Daniels acted in '' Submerged''. In 2008, he played the role of

Ed Parker Edmund Kealoha Parker (March 19, 1931 – December 15, 1990) was an American martial artist, actor, senior grandmaster, and founder of American Kenpo Karate. Life Born in Hawaii, Parker began training in Judo at an early age and later studied ...

in biographical mini series ''

''. Also, Daniels made a one-fight comeback in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

at the age of 45 and he lost by decision after 5 rounds. That year, he acted in ''Dark Secrets'', ''Cold Earth,'' and ''Kiss of the Vampire.'' In 2009 he acted in '' La Linea,'' and played the character

Bryan Fury is a player character from the ''Tekken'' fighting game franchise by Namco Bandai Games, and has been a mainstay in the series since his debut in '' Tekken 3'' (1997). A power-hungry kickboxer, Bryan was once an Interpol officer until he was kill ...

in the

video game adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography ...

''.

2010 to present day: Current roles

In 2010, Daniels played a supporting role in '' The Expendables.'' Also in 2010, Daniels acted in ''

Hunt to Kill ''Hunt to Kill'' is a 2010 Canadian-American direct-to-video action film starring Steve Austin, Gil Bellows, and Eric Roberts. Plot The film begins with border patrol agent Jim Rhodes and his partner Lee exploring a seemingly abandoned trailer ...

,'' ''The Lazarus Papers,'' and '' Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright.'' In 2011, he acted in ''Game of Death'' and ''Johnny's Gone''. In 2012, Daniels acted in '' The Encounter: Paradise Lost,'' ''The Mark'', and ''Santa's Summer House''. That year he starred in ''Forced to Fight.'' In 2013, Daniels acted in ''The Mark 2: Redemption,'' ''

Payday 2 ''Payday 2'' is a cooperative first-person shooter video game developed by Overkill Software and published by 505 Games. The game is a sequel to 2011's '' Payday: The Heist''. It was released in August 2013 for Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox ...

,'' and '' A Stranger in Paradise.'' In 2014, he returned to the role of Bryan Fury in '' Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge''. Also that year, he played the lead in '' Misfire''. In 2015 he acted in ''Zero Tolerance'', and '' Dancin': It's On!''. That year, he played the lead in ''

''. In 2016, he acted in ''The Wrong Child,'' and starred in ''Rumble''. In 2018, he acted in '' I Am Vengeance,'' and ''Astro.'' In 2021, he acted an episode of ''

''.

Martial arts and fitness

Daniels studied

, ninjitsu, and

Northern Shaolin In its broadest sense, Northern Shaolin () is the external (as opposed to internal) martial arts of Northern China, referring to those styles from the Northern Shaolin Monastery in Henan and specifically to the style practice by ''Gù Rǔzhāng ...

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

. In his films, he employs a mixed martial arts style, leading with strong, sweeping kicks and sometimes engaging in close quarters fights with complex hand to hand choreography. Daniels said his main discipline is Siu Lum Wong Gar Kune (Shaolin Wong Family Fist), and studies with Sifu Winston Omega.''''

Titles

Professional Karate Association The Professional Karate Association (PKA), later Professional Karate & Kickboxing Association, now--effective March 1, 2022 PKA Worldwide--was originally a martial arts sanctioning organization, now transformed into a martial arts promotion compa ...

**PKA World Light Heavyweight Championship *World Kick Boxing Association **WKBA California State Light Heavyweight Championship

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Professional kickboxing record

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Gary Living people 1963 births English male kickboxers Middleweight kickboxers Light heavyweight kickboxers English male taekwondo practitioners English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors