Michael Chaturantabut (born April 30, 1975) is a

Thai American Thai Americans ( th, ชาวอเมริกันเชื้อสายไทย; formerly referred to as Siamese Americans) are Americans of Thai ancestry. History in the US The 1930 Census recorded just 18 ‘Siamese’ Americans. Acco ...

actor, martial artist and stuntman, best known for his role as

Chad Lee The protagonists and antagonists of '' Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue'' are all residents of planet Earth with no alien characters appearing as a part of the cast. This series features the battle between the Lightspeed Rescue squad and the demons ...

, the Blue Ranger in ''

Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue ''Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue'' is a television series and the eighth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 23rd ''Super Sentai'' series ''Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive'' (1999). ''Lightspeed Rescue'' had, for the first time, a ...

''. He was born in

Rayong Province Rayong province ( th, ระยอง, ) is one of seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in eastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Chonburi, and Chanthaburi. To the south is the Gulf of Thailand. , per capita ear ...

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 b ...

Extreme martial arts

''Xtreme Martial Arts'' or ''XMA'' is a brand name owned by Chaturantabut. Chaturantabut's XMA is a combination of elements from martial arts,

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

, with an emphasis on showmanship. The concept of adding gymnastics-like tumbling moves to elements of traditional martial arts is otherwise known as "tricking". XMA makes these exhibition moves the focus of the sport. Open hand and weapons choreography are often accompanied by dramatic dance or programmatic music. The goal is to command the attention of the audience."XMA News". ''XMA Revolution'' (2006). Retrieved on 10 July 2009

/ref> Currently there are schools of martial arts or similar XMA styles based in the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the World Headquarters being in North Hollywood, California. Many of the moves are high-flying aerial acrobatic maneuvers. These stunning movements attain the goal of capturing the crowd, improving physical agility, balance, strength, coordination, and endurance, as well as performing an artistic display of talent. He feels that there are many basic moves that can be specialized to be more acrobatic, flashy and artistic, so as to give the impression of complexity and difficulty for showmanship purposes. It is for this reason that he feels that even the basic athlete or beginner can learn the progression from basic moves to highly complex acrobatic sequences.

Filmography

Personal life

Chaturantabut was trained at Sharkey's Karate Studios located in Naperville, Illinois, Naperville and

Momence, Illinois Momence is a city and capital of Momence township, Illinois it is located in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,171 at the 2000 census, and 3,310 in 2010. It is part of the Kankakee– Bradley Metropolitan Statist ...

. He was formerly married to McKenzie Satterthwaite and is also the founder of Extreme Martial Arts. Chaturantabut is also the father of two sons, Talin and Gaige. Chatrantabut attended Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois.

Notable facts

Chaturantabut was also

Taylor Lautner Taylor Daniel Lautner (; born February 11, 1992) is an American actor. He is best known for playing shapeshifter Jacob Black in '' The Twilight Saga'' film series. Lautner began his acting career playing bit parts in comedy series such as '' ...

's martial artist coach and encouraged him to get into acting.

References

External links

*
XMA Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaturantabut, Michael 1975 births American male film actors American male television actors American people of Chinese descent American people of Thai descent Living people Martial arts school founders Michael Chaturantabut Michael Chaturantabut Michael Chaturantabut Michael Chaturantabut