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Scott Adkins
English actor and martial artist (born 1976) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976)[2] is an English actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), a role he reprised in its sequels Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), which won him an Action on Film Award for Breakout Action Star, and Boyka: Undisputed (2017), which won him a Jackie Chan Action Movie Award for Best Action Movie Actor.[3][4]
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His early acting credits include minor roles in the Hong Kong films The Accidental Spy (2001), Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002), and The Medallion (2003), and the American films Special Forces (2003), Unleashed (2005), and The Pink Panther (2006). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film Ninja (2009), a role he reprised in the sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013). He has since been cast in several mainstream films in supporting roles, such as The Expendables 2, Zero Dark Thirty (both 2012), Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), though most of his lead roles have been in direct-to-video films or limited theatrical releases, such as Close Range (2015), Savage Dog (2017), Accident Man (2018), Triple Threat, Avengement (both 2019), Legacy of Lies (2020), Castle Falls (2021), and Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday (2022).[5]
Adkins has been practising martial arts since the age of 13, when he took up taekwondo and earned his black belt at age 19. He is also trained in the styles of judo, kickboxing, capoeira, Krav Maga, Jeet Kune Do (JKD), and Wushu.[6]
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Early life
Scott Edward Adkins was born into a family of butchers in Sutton Coldfield on 17 June 1976.[2] He first became interested in martial arts at the age of ten, when he visited a local Judo club with his father and older brother.[7]
Adkins was inspired by Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Steven Seagal.[2][8]
Career
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Adkins had a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Dei Seung Chui Keung (2001), known in English as Extreme Challenge. He was spotted by Head of the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Stephen Tung and British-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan.[9][10] He worked with Hong Kong cinema action directors Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung, and Jackie Chan. He has a guest role in the BBC series Doctors (2000) and appeared in a few episodes of the BBC series Dangerfield (1998), City Central (1999), and EastEnders (2003), and a lead role in the Sky One comedy-drama Mile High (2003), followed by a regular role in BBC's Holby City (2006).[citation needed]
Starring roles in feature films followed with Adkins' portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces (2003) and Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006). In this film he portrayed the Russian MMA underground fighter Yuri Boyka. After this, he had guest starring roles in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Tournament (2009), and played Jean-Claude Van Damme's main adversary in The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008). He shared the role of Weapon XI with Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film Ninja (2009),[2] a role he reprised in the sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013).[citation needed]
In 2012, Adkins was cast to star in Métal Hurlant Chronicles, a television adaptation of the French comic book Metal Hurlant.[citation needed] He has worked in four films with Jean-Claude Van Damme: The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008), Assassination Games (2011), Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and The Expendables 2 (both in 2012).[citation needed] In 2014, he played King Amphitryon in The Legend of Hercules.[11][12] He worked again with action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in 2019 when he starred alongside Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4: The Finale as the main antagonist Barton Geddes.[13][14] He also starred in Day Shift (2022) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).[15]
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Filmography
Film
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
Video games
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Awards and nominations
References
External links
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