Milla Jovovich
Milla Jovovich, known for playing the hero in Resident Evil, is a genuine martial artist and has been open about her love of MMA. She keeps training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so those action scenes she’s known for aren’t just movie magic.
John Cusack
John Cusack is pretty low key when it comes to publicity, so you might be surprised to know he holds a level six black belt in ukidokan kickboxing. He’s been into the sport for three decades and regularly talks about it on Twitter.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has stayed in great shape for years, and a lot of that comes down to Budokon, a mixed-movement practice she’s credited for her upper body strength. She’s even gotten her husband Justin Theroux into yoga-style workouts too.
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker is a pretty likable guy in real life, even though he played the brutal dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. That said, you probably don’t want to cross him, since he’s trained in Kenpo karate and has earned a 1st Dan black belt rank.
Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel came to martial arts through work rather than personal interest. She picked it up while learning routines for her role in Total Recall and ended up loving it so much that it became a regular part of her fitness routine. “I’m really into martial arts now – it’s the most amazing workout ever,” she told Look magazine in 2011.
Keanu Reeves
For John Wick in 2014, Keanu Reeves took his training to another level, spending months learning both judo and jiujitsu to pull off the character’s deadly fighting style. It’s not surprising given how much he’s always been into martial arts, whether that’s starring in The Matrix or directing the kung-fu film Man of Tai Chi.
Katheryn Winnick
Katheryn Winnick is seriously impressive when it comes to martial arts. She got her first black belt at 13, and by the time she was 21 she was already running three martial arts schools. The Vikings star specializes in taekwondo and karate, and she holds black belts in both.
James Caan
Takayuki Kuboto actually ended up teaching martial arts to the Culver City Police Department. James Caan, another legendary actor, was also no stranger to getting physical and earned an impressive 6th Dan in Gosoku-ryu karate.
Sean Connery
Sean Connery earned a first-degree black belt in Kyokushin karate. And while filming Never Say Never Again, he got into a real fight with his martial arts instructor, Steven Seagal, who ended up breaking his wrist. Connery seemed like a gentleman, but he wasn’t afraid to throw down when it came to it.
Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher is actually pretty serious about Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He earned his purple belt in 2014 and trains under Rigan Machado, who himself was trained by the Gracies, the legends who helped develop the martial art.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t just act the part of a fighter, she actually became one. She earned a 1st Dan rank in taekwondo and also trained in kickboxing, street fighting, and boxing, which made her a genuinely well-rounded martial artist for the role.
Naomi Watts
Naomi Watts might seem like the timid type after playing Rachel in The Ring, but don’t let that fool you. She’s been doing martial arts since she was a kid, competed in amateur judo in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and has since moved on to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which she still trains in today.
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes knows Shotokan karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. When The Independent asked him in 2010 if he’d ever used those skills in a real fight, he just said “It ended very quickly.” Pretty much says it all. Don’t mess with the man.
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay, star of Law & Order: SVU, has been into martial arts since the 1990s and even earned a first-degree black belt in Shotokan karate. She once described why she loves it, saying, “It exercises your discipline in a way I haven’t found in other sports.”
Jason Statham
Pretty interesting reasoning behind his choices though, he basically picks martial arts that keep his face out of harm’s way. In a 2014 interview with Combat Bear, Statham was straight up about it: “Because there’s not a lot of contact with the face, the face will not be injured, which is critical in my line of work.” Makes sense for an action star. He trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Wing Chun, karate, and kickboxing.
Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba is an actress and entrepreneur who actually loves doing battle scenes because she gets to show off her martial arts skills. She’s tried a bunch of different styles over the years, and in 2016 she got into Krav Maga. She talked about it on Today, saying, “It’s brutal, it’s fast, it’s to the point, and it was fun to do!”
Ed O’Neill
Ed O’Neill, known for his roles in Married… with Children and Modern Family, isn’t exactly who you’d picture as a martial artist. But he was trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by the legendary Rorion Gracie and eventually earned his black belt.
Ice-T
Ice-T is not someone you want to mess with. When he’s not playing detective Fin Tutuola on Law & Order: SVU or performing with his heavy metal band Body Count, you might find him on the mat training jiujitsu.
Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback is one of Hollywood’s best redemption stories, and while most people know about his addiction struggles, not everyone knows that Wing Chun martial arts played a big part in his recovery. He trained directly under Eric Oram, the man who created the fighting style, and he’s been open about how much it changed his life. He even told Oprah, “Martial has just been… I can’t tell you how much it has affected my capacity to stay healthy and focused.”
Ralph Macchio
Ralph Macchio mentioned on the DVD commentary for The Karate Kid that the bruise you can spot on his chin was actually real, caused by a stray roundhouse kick during the Halloween skeleton fight scene. He may not be the most skilled martial artist out there, but hey, he was the Karate Kid!
Jack Black
Jack Black trained in kung fu specifically to prepare for Kung Fu Panda. He’s also studied judo over the years and has been known to bust out some of those moves on stage, like the tiger roll.
Gisele Bundchen
Gisele Bundchen, who is Tom Brady’s wife and has been known to criticize his wide receivers, trained in kung fu and tai chi under Yao Li at the Boston Kung Fu Tai Chi Institute.
Courtney Cox
Jennifer Aniston got into Budokon through one of her Friends co-stars, and it even caught on with David Arquette, who worked out with Courteney Cox back when they were still married. The practice was created by Cameron Shayne, and the name Budokon translates to “the way of the spiritual warrior.”
D’Brickashaw Ferguson
D’Brickashaw Ferguson, the New York Jets offensive tackle standing 6’6″ and weighing 310 pounds, has a black belt in karate and also trains in taekwondo. His dad is a licensed karate instructor, and a lot of people credit his martial arts background for his footwork, dexterity, and discipline on the field.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama holds a green belt in taekwondo, which he earned after four years of training while serving as a junior senator from Illinois from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak awarded him an honorary black belt.
Dave Mustain
Dave Mustaine has been training in martial arts since he was 12 years old. He holds black belts in both taekwondo and karate and serves as a goodwill ambassador for the World Taekwondo Federation.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq has been into MMA for a while now and is a huge fan of the sport. He recently agreed to fight another big name on this list.
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth, the frontman and certified wild man of Van Halen, has studied multiple martial arts including karate and kung fu. He even teaches classes, and there’s a video out there of him putting those skills to use in real life.
Jose Canseco
Jose Canseco, the former baseball slugger who admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs, actually challenged Shaq to an MMA fight. He’s even competed in professional MMA himself.
Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan, the comedian and UFC broadcaster, has a solid martial arts background. He’s a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo, and he’s been doing taekwondo since he was a kid. In taekwondo he holds a black belt and won four straight state championships in Massachusetts. He also won the US Open Taekwondo Championship at 19, then took the grand championship by beating both the middleweight and heavyweight champions.
Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke got his biggest critical praise for the Charles Bukowski film Barfly. He had studied boxing as a kid but shifted to acting, becoming a big name in the 1980s through movies like Diner, Rumble Fish, and 9 And A Half Weeks. By 1989, though, he felt he had “had little respect for [himself] as an actor” and felt more known for his personal life than his work, so he quit acting and turned to professional boxing, which shocked a lot of people.
Jean Claude Van Damme
It’s no surprise that Jean-Claude Van Damme is a serious martial artist. He started Shotokan karate at age 10 and was training with the national karate team by 12. By 15, he was competing in semi-contact karate and racked up an impressive 44 wins. He got his black belt at 18. On top of that, he picked up bodybuilding to build his physique, which earned him the title of Mr. Belgium Bodybuilding, and started dancing at 16 to work on his balance and overall physicality. While he also trained in taekwondo and Muay Thai, most of his signature moves blend karate and kickboxing.
Dolph Lundgren
After becoming Grace Jones’ bodyguard, the two started dating and eventually moved to New York together. He has a degree and master’s in chemical engineering, but he also trained in karate and earned a 3rd dan black belt in Kyokushin karate. When Jones was cast in the James Bond film A View to a Kill alongside Roger Moore and Christopher Walken, Lundgren landed a small role as a KGB operative. He’s said many times that his difficult relationship with his father is what drove him to keep pushing himself.
Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner started karate at six years old, earned his black belt at eight, and was ranked number one in his division by the American Sports Karate Association. He was also into dance and football growing up, and played Sharkboy in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl at a young age. Before landing the role of Jacob Black in the Twilight series, he combined his martial arts training with serious weight lifting and put on over 30 pounds of muscle to prepare for the part.
Neil Brown Jr.
Neil Brown Jr. spent 26 years training in boxing and martial arts before landing a spot on the WMAC Masters TV show. The show ran for two seasons and featured real martial artists in staged fights. It never really took off in terms of popularity, but he got enough screen time to get noticed.
Mark Dacascos
Mark Dacascos has been training in martial arts since he was seven years old, competing in kung fu and karate competitions from age 7 to 18. Over the years he’s trained in muay thai with Kru Puk, capoeira with Mestre Amen Santo, and wushu with coaches Eric and Debbie Chen, and that background has kept him in action roles throughout his career.
Michael Jai White
Most people know Michael Jai White from the Tyler Perry films Why Did I Get Married and Why Did I Get Married Too, along with For Better or Worse and its spin-off TV series. He’s also built a solid career in action movies over the past few decades. Back in 1997, he played the lead in Spawn, which made him the first black actor to play a major comic book superhero in a big Hollywood film, beating Wesley Snipes’ Blade by a year. On top of all that, White has been doing jiu-jitsu since he was seven years old and holds eight black belts across shotokan, taekwondo, kobudo, goju ryu, tang soo do, wushu, and kyokushin.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris joined the Air Force in 1958 and was stationed in Korea, where he got into tang soo do and eventually earned multiple black belts and even created his own fighting style called chun kuk do. Right now he holds a 10th degree black belt in chun kuk do, a 9th degree in tang soo do, an 8th degree in taekwondo, a 5th degree in karate, a 3rd degree in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and a black belt in judo. In 1990 he became the first westerner ever to earn an 8th degree black belt in taekwondo, which made him a Grand Master. So yeah, the whole “Chuck Norris does push-ups by pushing the Earth down” joke is silly, but the guy really did earn his tough guy reputation.
John Foo
John Foo is shaping up to be a solid action star. He started training in Kung Fu and Judo at age 8, then picked up Wushu at 15, which gave him a real leg up breaking into Hollywood. Add his stunt work and a natural knack for deadpan one-liners and you’ve got someone worth keeping an eye on. He got his start doing extra and stunt work in films like Batman Begins (2005), where he played a League of Shadows member, and Universal Soldier: Regeneration (2010).
Jason David Frank
No actor/martial artist list would be complete without a Power Ranger. The Power Rangers cast has changed a lot over the years, and some of them had real martial arts backgrounds before getting the role. Jason David Frank, who played Tommy Oliver on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, started training at a young age and had his black belt by 18, even teaching younger students. These days he trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and holds a 7th degree black belt in Shotokan karate. Nobody on this list comes close to his martial arts credentials.
Sho Kosugi
Sho Kosugi was basically the perfect movie ninja. His work in the 1980s is pretty much the reason people fell in love with the shinobi, and his skill set showed up in every film that needed a ninja with serious martial arts ability. On top of being a great fighter and weapons expert, he could actually act too.
Michael Dudikoff
Michael Dudikoff played the title role in the American Ninja film series from the 1980s. When he got cast, he already had some background in striking martial arts, but he trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the role, which wasn’t very well known in the US at the time those movies were made.
Steven Seagal
Seagal is a 7th Dan black belt in Aikido and used to teach it before getting into acting. He started out in Japan, then opened the first American Aikido dojo, and eventually moved to Los Angeles to see if he could turn his skills into a career. At 64, he’s still going strong and has earned a real reputation in Hollywood as a genuine tough guy, even if he’s had his share of conflicts with people over the years.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan had already been a big deal for a long time before he broke into American cinema. Rumble in the Bronx was one of his first movies made for the US market, though ironically it wasn’t meant for an American audience at all, and it wasn’t even filmed there. It was actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Still, it put Chan on the radar for a lot of Americans. He’s a seriously skilled martial artist trained in tae kwon do, judo, hapkido, and karate, and while he came up through Chinese martial arts cinema, the top stuntmen in Hollywood and beyond already had huge respect for his work.
Jet Li
Jet Li is another Chinese film legend who made it big in Hollywood. He’s a legit martial arts master, trained in multiple styles of wushu and won several gold medals at Chinese national competitions before he even turned 18. After building up a strong career in China, he got his big American break playing the unstoppable villain in Lethal Weapon 4 alongside Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, and from there went on to star in a bunch of American martial arts films playing both heroes and bad guys.
Bruce Lee
If you’re a fan of martial arts movies, you pretty much owe Bruce Lee a thank you. Sure, the genre probably would have existed without him, but it’s hard to imagine it being nearly as popular or profitable. Lee studied Wing Chun under the legendary Yip Man and went on to found Jeet Kune Do. Unlike a lot of martial artists, he didn’t start training as a kid but as a teenager, largely because he was getting beaten up by rival gangs. His legacy goes way beyond film, but it was the movies that introduced him to the rest of the world.
Cynthia Rothrock
Rothrock is probably the best example of female martial artistry we’ve ever seen on film. Fans of both martial arts and movies saw her as the perfect mix of beauty and toughness, and she was one of the very few Western performers to actually become a real star in China. She started training in martial arts at 13 and eventually mastered multiple disciplines, competing in both open and weapons tournaments. Over her career she won 32 first place titles, 12 of them in weapons competitions, and since there were no women’s divisions at the time, she regularly competed against men.
Billy Wayne Blanks
Billy Wayne was a big deal in underground martial arts films throughout the 1990s. Born in 1955 with abnormal hip joints that restricted his movement, he started training in Taekwondo and Karate as a young kid, even though his coaches didn’t think he’d go far. He proved them all wrong, eventually mastering taekwondo, kung fu, and karate through sheer determination. On top of that, he was a genuinely talented actor who never quite got the recognition he deserved.
Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson
He wasn’t a megastar like Jean Claude Van Damme, which is mostly why that’s the case. But he built a solid fan base from appearing in so many classic underground action films. A lot of people also consider him the greatest full-contact kickboxer in American history and the best kickboxer to ever appear on the big screen. Wilson is without a doubt the most underappreciated martial arts actor out there.
Michael Imperioli
Michael Imperioli is best known for his sharp dialogue in Goodfellas and The Sopranos, but he can also hold his own in a fight. He took up taekwondo as part of a healthier lifestyle and says it even helped him quit smoking. “Taekwondo teaches you that you can overcome any obstacle, that you can tackle anything,” he told the Associated Press.
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz is mostly known for his wild lifestyle, so it was pretty surprising to hear he started training Muay Thai. He’s put in serious work too, already showing some solid skills and packing on 40 pounds of muscle in the process. Snoop Dogg even said Wiz is the only person who can out-smoke him, which honestly might be the highest honor a smoker could ask for.
Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie is a well-known film producer and director who has a serious passion for martial arts. He started training in karate at just seven years old and eventually earned black belts in both karate and judo. He later got into BJJ and trained under Renzo Gracie himself, getting hooked on it immediately. After years of training, Renzo awarded him a black belt, making Guy a legitimate black belt in three different martial arts, which is pretty rare even among serious practitioners.
Paul Walker
Paul Walker was a huge part of the Fast and Furious franchise, and he was just as much of an adrenaline junkie in real life as he was on screen. Most people only knew him as the guy who loved fast cars, but he was also seriously into martial arts. He trained in Muay Thai for years and had earned a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. At his funeral, his BJJ instructor awarded him a black belt, which is a really moving tribute to how dedicated he was to the sport.
Christian Bale
Christian Bale starred in Batman Begins, which put a lot of focus on Bruce Wayne’s origins and how he became a martial artist. There are early scenes where he trains in Bhutan, and when he returns to Gotham, you can clearly see those skills in action. The fighting style is Wing Chun, the same one used in earlier Batman films, where he relied heavily on his arms to block and deflect hits. This movie kicked off a trilogy that ended with the Dark Knight films, which are widely considered the best Batman movies ever made.
Kevin James
James found that he really enjoyed training in mixed martial arts, especially getting to work with some of the best fighters out there. He says those top MMA fighters went easy on him, which gave him the chance to push himself as hard as he could.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey has started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, which is pretty funny to think about. I couldn’t track down any video of him actually on the mats, but I did find an old clip of him on In Living Color where he plays a martial arts coach.
Nicolas Cage
Royce Gracie, the legendary BJJ fighter, actually teaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to Nicolas Cage. If you want to see Cage using martial arts on screen, check out Bangkok Dangerous where he does Wing Chun.
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of Tool and A Perfect Circle, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Rickson Gracie.
Rikki Rockett
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and he earned it under Renato Magno.
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood earned her taekwondo black belt together with her mom.
Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker, who won an Oscar for acting, trains in the Filipino martial art of Kali and also holds a black belt in kenpo.
Christian Slater
Christian Slater took up karate because he always felt self-conscious about his height.
Ryan Phillippe
He has taught kids martial arts and competed in tournaments.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is a black belt in taekwondo. Here he is pictured working out with Sam Um, a taekwondo master.
Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu, known for her role in Kill Bill, actually trains in Kali-Eskrima-Silat, which is a knife-and-stick fighting martial art.
Tommy Lee
Tommy Lee, the Motley Crue drummer, trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with the Gracie Family. Do you think Celebrity MMA could blow up the same way Celebrity Boxing did a few years back?