Taimak
American actor (born 1964) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American actor (born 1964) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Taimak Guarriello[1] (born June 27, 1964), known mononymously as Taimak (/ˈtaɪmɑːk/), is an American actor, martial artist and stuntman, known for his lead role as Leroy Green ("Bruce Leroy") in the 1985 martial arts film The Last Dragon.[2]
Taimak | |
|---|---|
Taimak at the 2014 Florida Supercon | |
| Born | June 27, 1964 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1982–present |
Taimak was born on June 27, 1964, in Los Angeles, California, to an Italian father and an African-American mother.[3] He currently lives in New York City.
Taimak's leading role in Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon, in which he played Leroy Green, a Bruce Lee-inspired martial artist in search of "The Glow," was his first major break in acting. The film was a financial success and grossed more than $25 million at the box office.[4]
Since The Last Dragon, Taimak has appeared in a number of TV roles and over a dozen plays.[5]
Taimak later appeared in a number of TV roles and music videos including the lead male in Janet Jackson's "Let's Wait Awhile" music video and Debbie Allen's "Special Look" video. He played a date rapist in an episode of the TV show A Different World. He appeared in 36 Crazyfists' music video "Bloodwork."
Taimak has worked with a number of celebrities, including Madonna, and starred in the play Cheaters, which toured the United States. He starred in a hit Off-Broadway show called Roadhouse The Comedy, based on the Patrick Swayze film Road House, from December 9, 2003, to February 1, 2004, at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York.[6]
In 2002, Taimak opened a gym called Fitness Concepts on the East Side of Manhattan.[7] He published a fitness DVD titled Taimak FIT (Find Inner Transformation), intended to be the first of a series.[7]
He is an accomplished martial artist and has received black belts in Goju Ryu Karate, Jeet Kune Do, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Jujutsu, Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He studied Chinese Goju under "The Black Dragon", Ron Van Clief.[8]
He officiated the preliminary MMA bouts at UFC 6 and UFC 7.[8]
In 2006 he made a few appearances alongside Jimmy Yang in Ring of Honor.[9] Yang's character at the time had adopted some of Leroy Green's traits as his own.
In November 2015, Taimak and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa were honorees for the Fists of Legends Legacy Award at the Urban Action Showcase & Expo at HBO.[10]
In March 2016, Incorgnito Publishing Press published Taimak's autobiography, Taimak, The Last Dragon.[1]
In 2018, Taimak starred in Sean Stone's martial arts comedy film Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece.
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