Phillip Rhee (born September 7, 1960) is an American

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, director, screenwriter, and film producer, most famous for his role in the ''

Best of the Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

'' movie series.

Life and career

Rhee was born in South Korea and raised in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. He is a martial artist, actor, director and film producer who has created, produced and starred in numerous films, including the ''Best of the Best'' film series. The first ''

'' film spawned three sequels; ''

Best of the Best 2 ''Best of the Best II'' is a 1993 martial arts film directed by Robert Radler, and starring Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee. It is the first sequel to the 1989 film ''Best of the Best''. The plot follows four of the characters from the original ...

'', '' Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back'' and '' Best of the Best 4: Without Warning''. Rhee's 1980 representation of the United States' Taekwondo Team against the South Korean team in the championships of the Asia Games formed the basis of his screenplay for the film ''Best of the Best''.

Family

Philip's brother, Simon Rhee, is also a martial artist and actor; he co-starred in the Best of the Best films. Philip Rhee married his wife, Amy, in 1990.

Filmography

* 2017 ''Two Bellmen Three'' (short) * 2015 ''

Underdog Kids ''Underdog Kids'' is a film directed by Phillip Rhee that premiered on July 7, 2015. Plot At the Mid-County Community Center, a coach quits teaching a ragtag team martial arts. Community Center leader Charlie is looking for a new coach when for ...

'' — also director, producer and screenwriter * 1998 '' Best of the Best 4: Without Warning'' — also director, producer and screenwriter * 1995 '' Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back'' — also director and producer * 1993 ''

'' — also producer * 1989 ''

'' — also producer and storywriter * 1988 ''Silent Assassins'' * 1987 '' Hell Squad'' * 1986 '' L.A. Streetfighters'' * 1985 ''Crime Killer'' * 1984 ''Furious'' * 1983 ''Firefight'' (short) * 1977 ''

The Kentucky Fried Movie ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' is a 1977 American independent sketch comedy film, produced by Kim Jorgensen, Larry Kostroff, and Robert K. Weiss, and directed by John Landis. Among the numerous star cameos are George Lazenby, Bill Bixby, Henry Gi ...

'' Klahn's Guard (segment "A Fistful of Yen")

Personal life

He is trained in various martial arts such as

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 is a 6th dan black belt),

Hapkido Hapkido ( , , also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do''; from Korean 합기도 ''hapgido'' ) is a hybrid Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other stri ...

(where he is a 3rd dan black belt),

Wing Chun Wing Chun (Chinese: 詠春 or 咏春, lit. "singing spring"), sometimes spelled Ving Tsun, is a concept-based fighting art, form of Nanquan (martial art), Southern Chinese kung fu and close-quarters system of self-defense. In Mandarin, it is ...

and

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 ...

.Martial Arts & Action Movies: Top 100 Martial Arts Movie Stars and their Training Backgrounds (Updated!)
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References

External links

* * * 1960 births American film directors of Korean descent American male film actors American Wing Chun practitioners American Jeet Kune Do practitioners American wushu practitioners American male taekwondo practitioners American hapkido practitioners Living people American kendoka American male actors of Korean descent {{hapkido-bio-stub