Keith Vitali is an American

Karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

, former number one ranked full-contact fight champion,

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 ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, producer,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and child activist, best known for films such as Revenge of the Ninja, Wheels on Meals, No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers, and American Kickboxer. His introduction into

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

came in 1975 at the University of South Carolina, where he was awarded his first black belt after two years. Over the course of the next ten years, Vitali competed in a large number of martial arts tournaments, winning most of them, as well as being ranked the "#1 Karate Fighter in the USA". His number of wins landed him an honored place in ''

Black Belt Magazine ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

's'' Black Belt Hall of Fame in 1981. The magazine also named Vitali as one of the ten best fighters of all time. Vitali has appeared in a number of martial arts films, including ''

Superfights ''Superfights'' is a 1995 martial arts film directed and choreographed by Tony Leung Siu-Hung. The film stars newcomer Brandon Gaines, Chinese actress Yu Feihong, and martial artists Keith Vitali, Chuck Jeffreys, Cliff Lenderman, and Brian Ruth a ...

'', ''

Revenge of the Ninja ''Revenge of the Ninja'' is a 1983 American martial arts– thriller film directed by Sam Firstenberg, and starring martial artist Sho Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye and Kane Kosugi. The plot follows a ninja trying to protect his only son fr ...

'', ''

Wheels on Meals ''Wheels on Meals'' () is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez and José ...

'', ''The Cut Off'', '' No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers'', and '' American Kickboxer''. Vitali has since focused on producing child safety videos and writing children's literature. His book on bullying entitled, "Bullyproof Your Child" was released in fall 2007. Vitali has also written a screenplay on

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

's life. Trajen Pictures was scheduled to shoot the film in 2012.

References

External links

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Archive of old website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitali, Keith 1952 births American male actors American children's writers American martial artists Living people University of South Carolina alumni