Introduction
Tiger Chen (simplified Chinese: 陈虎; traditional Chinese: 陳虎; pinyin: Chén Hǔ; born 3 March 1975) is a Chinese martial artist and actor. Tiger Chen is Yuen Wo Ping's protege and Keanu Reeves's teacher and friend. He was also Uma Thurman's stunt double.
Life
Early life
Tiger Chen was born on 3 March 1975 in Chengdu, Sichuan, where he studied the Chinese martial arts. By age 18, he enrolled into Sichuan Wushu Team. He won the National Youth Martial Arts Competition in China.
At the age of 19, Tiger Chen went to the United States, where he lived in a small wooden shack. He said: "In China, at least you can practice kung fu and attend martial arts competitions, but in the United States, you will find that most of your time in washing the dishes and being a porter." Tiger Chen became a student of Hong Kong martial artist Yuen Woo-ping in 2000s.
Film career
In 1998, Tiger Chen began his film career by holding a post on the fight choreography team as an assistant under Yuen in The Matrix, a science fiction action film starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano. At the same time, he became best friends with Keanu Reeves. Chen also held the post of choreographer in Charlie's Angels (2000), Once in the Life (2000) and Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003).
Tiger Chen had a minor role as a ronin in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), the second film of the Matrix trilogy. In 2005, he appeared as a martial artist in House of Fury with Anthony Wong, Gillian Chung, Stephen Fung and Charlene Choi.
In 2012, Tiger Chen played the lead role in Kung Fu Man, alongside Vanessa Branch and Jiang Mengjie.
After years in minor and supporting roles, Tiger Chen played the titular character in Man of Tai Chi, opposite the film's director Keanu Reeves, Karen Joy Morris and Yam Tat-wah.
Works
Film
| Year | English Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Matrix | 《黑客帝国》 | Choreographer | |
| 2000 | Charlie's Angels | 《霹雳娇娃》 | Choreographer | |
| Once in the Life | 《一生一次》 | Loe | ||
| 2003 | Kill Bill: Volume 1 | 《杀死比尔》 | Choreographer | |
| The Matrix Reloaded | 《黑客帝国2：重装上阵》 | Ronin | ||
| 2005 | House of Fury | 《精武家庭》 | Martial artist | |
| 2012 | Kung Fu Man | 《功夫侠》 | Chen Ping | |
| 2013 | Man of Tai Chi | 《太极侠》 | Chen Linhu | |
| 2015 | Monk Comes Down the Mountain | 《道士下山》 | ||
| 2016 | Revenge of Gold | 《流金》 | ||
| 2017 | Kung Fu Traveler | 《功夫机器侠》 | Chen Wu/General Chen | |
| Kung Fu Traveler 2 | 《功夫机器侠2》 | A Jie/General Chen | ||
| Romantic Assassin | ||||
| 2018 | PASKAL: The Movie | Sgt. Chen Han | Malaysian Produced with Royal Malaysian Navy and Special Appearance | |
| 2019 | Triple Threat | Long Fei | ||
| John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum | Triad | Uncredited Cameo | ||
| Special Forces King 3 |
Awards
- Champion of National Youth Martial Arts Competition
- All Around Champion of San Francisco International Martial Arts Tournament
- Champion of National Karate (Men's -60 kg)
- World Stunt Awards nominations for Matrix 2