Top Black Martial Artist You May Or May Not Know About

1. Taimak

Taimak was born on June 27, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Last Dragon (1985), Dreamers (1999) and Repeat Offenders: Jamais Vu (2011).

Studied Chinese goju, goju-ryu, taekwondo and jujitsu

Studied Chinese Goju under martial arts legend and fight choreographer Ron Van Clief.

Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn. White ...

Holds black belts in following martial arts: Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Okinawan Kobudo, Goju Ryu, Tang Soo Do, Wushu and Kyokushin Karate.

3. Djimon Hounsou

Actor | Blood Diamond

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in west Africa to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He moved to Lyon, France, when he was 13. Hounsou has graced the catwalks of Paris and London as a popular male model. He has since left his modeling career and has worked on Gladiator (2000) by ...

4. Marrese Crump

Actor | Welcome to Sudden Death

Marrese Crump was born on January 4th, 1982 in Lakeland, Florida. Grew up as an athlete,participating in the sports of basketball, football, track and martial arts. He started his training at the age of 7 when his brother introduced him to Master Kim-Jae. Marrese has studied Muay Thai, Capoeira, ...

Studied in Karate, Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Capoeira, western boxing, Filipino Martial Arts, Taekwondo and Ninjutsu

5. Chuck Jeffreys

Stunts | Twelve Monkeys

Born William Charles Jeffreys (III) on July 23, 1958 in Washington, D.C., Chuck Jeffreys found his interest in the martial arts at the age of 8 and started training in Western Boxing and Tae Kwon Do. He began training in Northern (Tien Shan Pai) Shaolin Kung fu in the early 70s. He was well known ...

In 1980, Chuck began training in Kali which is a Filipino style of martial arts and learned numerous other styles that include Long Fist, Nan Chuan, Indonesian Pentjak Silat, Shoot Boxing, Chin-Na, Grappling and a variety of weapons.

He holds a Black Sashes in many styles of martial arts such as a 5th-degree Black Sash in Shaolin Wushu under Sifu Dennis Brown, 5th-degree Black Sash in Shaolin Long Fist under Sifu Mike Barry and was an apprentice instructor of Jun Fan kickboxing & Kali (Filipino Martial Arts) in 1990 that was certified by the legendary Dan Inosanto.

6. Wesley Snipes

Actor | Blade

Wesley Trent Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, to Marian (Long), a teacher's assistant, and SMSGT Wesley Rudolph Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up on the streets of the South Bronx in New York City, where he very early decided that dance and the theatre were to be his career. He attended ...

He is a 5th degree black belt in Shotokan karate. He also studies a few forms of Kung Fu.

Practices Capoeira, Brazilian martial arts.

7. T.J. Storm

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Born in Indiana, raised in Hawaii, Storm is a world class martial artist who has trained in various styles for over 19 years. Storm holds belts in Arashi-Ryu Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.

If you ask three time "Martial Art Masters Hall of Fame" inductee Storm ...

Storm holds belts in Arashi-Ryu Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Ninjitsu, Jujitsu and Northern Shaolin Kung Fu.

8. Joey Ansah

Actor | The Bourne Ultimatum

Joey Ansah was born in 1982 in Hammersmith, London, England, 2nd in line to an older brother, Ryan, 3 years his senior. He is of mixed ethnicity, with his mother Nicola, originating from Plymouth, Devon, England and his father Kofi, originally from Ghana, west Africa. Joey grew up and spent the ...

He has 15 years of martial arts training. At the time was the youngest person in the UK to receive a black belt in Ninjutsu. Has trained with the Ninjutsu Grandmaster Hatsumi Sensei.

9. Billy Blanks

Actor | The Last Boy Scout

Muscular African American sports star, actor, media identity and inventor of the phenomenally popular "Tae Bo" fitness system, derived from his extensive martial arts training. Blanks was born in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1955 amongst humble backgrounds and grew up as one of 15 children, battling ...

Seventh degree black belt in tae kwon do and fourth degree black belt in kung fu

10. Lateef Crowder

Actor | Tekken

Lateef Crowder was born on November 23, 1977 in San Jose, California, USA. He is an actor, known for Tekken (2010), Wonder Woman (2017) and The Mandalorian (2019). He was previously married to Andressa Vallotti.

knows caporeira

11. Jim Kelly

Actor | Enter the Dragon

With his funky Afro hairstyle, super cool attitude and superb karate skills, Jim Kelly was instantly identifiable, and one of the top martial arts film stars of the early 1970s. After appearing in a minor film role, Kelly's second screen effort was as one of the invited guests to the deadly Han's ...

International Middle Weight Karate Champion (1971)

12. Michael Clarke Duncan

Actor | The Green Mile

Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let ...

Was a blue belt in Brazilian JuJutsu.

13. Lee Thompson Young

Actor | Friday Night Lights

Lee Thompson Young was born as the son of Velma Love and Tommy Scott Young. When he was in second grade his parents split up and he went to live with his mother. At age ten, he portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in a play called "A Night of Stars and Dreams". That's when Lee decided he wanted to be ...

He has studied many different styles of martial arts throughout his life and is training Wun Hop Kuen Do and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

14. Brad James

Actor | Prisoners

In the span of just a few short years, Brad James has gone from US Marine to one of the most exciting faces in television and film today. Although widely praised for his comedic role as 'Todd' on the hit series "Tyler Perry's For Better Or Worse," Brad has shown himself to be much more than just a ...

Spent four years as a U.S. Marine serving in combat units. During his time, he studied the hand to hand combat, line-training and Brazilian ju-jitsu.

15. Walter Jones

Actor | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Walter is an actor, dancer and singer. Walter is internationally known for his creation of the character Zack The Black Ranger from the Children's Action Adventure Phenomenon Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993). He has been featured as a series regular or guest star in over 150 episodes of various ...

Takes Tae Kwon Do

16. Neil Brown Jr.

Actor | SEAL Team

Born in a rough neighborhood to strict, but loving parents. Neil Brown, Jr, who was a gifted martial artist and self proclaimed "knucklehead ", received his first role in film purely by chance, when a producer Patty Thomas Robinson walked into his karate Dojo looking for a kid to be in the TV ...

Has also trained in Wing Chung gung fu, Wah Lum, Jujutsu, Judo, Tae Kwan Do, and Capoeira.

17. Nathan Lewis

Stunts | The Legend of Tarzan

Nathan Lewis is known for The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Ben-Hur (2016) and Kick-Ass (2010).

Trains in and teaches Lau Gar martial arts.

3 times World Kickboxing Champion.

18. Winston Ellis

Actor | The Dark Knight

Winston Ellis is known for The Dark Knight (2008), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

Practices shaolin eagle claw kung fu.

19. Mark Hicks

Stunts | Avengers: Endgame

Mark Hicks is known for Avengers: Endgame (2019), Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

fight choreographer

20. Peter Mensah

Actor | Jason X

Peter Mensah has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old, growing up in St. Albans, England, just north of London. A former engineer, Mensah came to Canada 11 years ago. He'd worked for British Gas developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay and had done theatre in school. He comes from an ...

has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old,

21. Michael Woods

Stunts | Blade II

Michael Woods is known for Blade II (2002), Tiger Cage (1988) and Ballistic Kiss (1998).

Ex-U.S. Navy Seal

22. Fred Williamson

Actor | From Dusk Till Dawn

Former Oakland Raiders/Kansas City Chiefs football star who rose to prominence as one of the first African-American male action stars of the "blaxploitation" genre of the early 1970s, who has since gone on to a long and illustrious career as an actor, director, writer, and producer! Burly, yet ...

Has black belts in the following martial arts: Kenpo, Shotokan Karate, and Tae-Kwon-Do.

23. Greg Maye

Actor | Moving Target

Greg Maye is known for Moving Target (1999), Open Mind (2022) and Young Survivor (1999).

Boxing, Martial Arts,

24. Kevin 'Kimbo Slice' Ferguson

Actor | Blood and Bone

Kevin 'Kimbo Slice' Ferguson was born on February 8, 1974 in Nassau, Bahamas. He was an actor, known for Blood and Bone (2009), Locked Down (2010) and The Motherfucker (2015). He died on June 6, 2016 in Coral Springs, Florida, USA.

Trained in mix martial arts & boxing

25. Rashad Evans

Actor | Boss Level

Rashad Anton Evans is an American mixed martial artist. Evans started his professional career in 2003, he was the Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2 and is also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, and a 2019 inductee of the UFC Hall of Fame. In 29 fights in MMA he won twenty, lost ...

is a black belt in Gaidojustu and BJJ, he also studied karate as a child.

26. Robbie Alexander

Stunts | Bright

Robbie Alexander is known for Bright (2017), Blood and Bone (2009) and Awake (2012).

Boxing & Martial Arts

27. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson

Actor | The A-Team

Quinton Ramone "Rampage" Jackson is an American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler, who most recently fought in the Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and unified the Pride Middleweight Championship belt. Due to his eccentric personality and ...

28. Bob Sapp

Actor | The Longest Yard

Robert Malcolm "Bob" Sapp born September 22, 1973] is an American professional wrestler, actor, comedian and former American football player best known for his career as a kick boxer and mixed martial artist. He is under contract with Rizin Fighting Federation. Sapp has a combined fight record of ...

Mixed Martial Arts and K1 fighter in Japan.

29. Forest Whitaker

Actor | The Last King of Scotland

Forest Steven Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking 6' 2", 220 lb. frame. He won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland (2006), and has also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. He is the fourth African-American male to...

Holds a Black belt in Karate.

30. Phil Morris

Actor | Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Phillip Morris is an African-American actor from Ohio who is known for playing Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld. He is also known for playing Dr. Joshua Sweet from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Merc from Ratchet: Deadlocked, Martian Manhunter from Smallville, Silas Stone from Doom Patrol, Vandal Savage ...

Phil is a student and teacher of Chun Wing.

31. Chuck Johnson

Actor | Almost There

Chuck Johnson is an actor, stuntman and motion-capture artist based in Tokyo, Japan. A native of Michigan, he began martial arts training with Olympic Taekwondo at the age of 15. With a fanatic training schedule, he received his black belt in 2 1/2 years, and 6 days later became the Michigan State ...

martial arts training in Korea, Japan and China

32. Marjean Holden

Actress | Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

Actress, stunt woman, and martial artist Marjean Holden was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in Vail, Colorado. She started acting from the age of 9, well being from the family of entertainers, she already knew her profession. As a youngster, she showed multiple skills in her school plays,...

33. Howard Jackson

Stunts | The Last of the Mohicans

Howard Jackson was born on June 27, 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Walker, Texas Ranger (1993) and The Delta Force (1986). He died on March 7, 2006 in Duarte, California, USA.

6th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do under Chuck Norris

34. Anderson Silva

Actor | Jiu long bu bai

Anderson is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Middleweight Champion. Silva was the UFC's longest reigning champion and also holds the longest winning and title defense streak in UFC history, with 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses, and is the consensus No. 1 pound-for-pound ...

35. Thunderwolf

Actor | Lionheart

Raised in Dover, Delaware and now living in Southern California, "Wolf", as he is known by many, has always believed in following his dreams, and attributes his work ethics and strong belief in compassion to his parents. Wolf has two kids, Paul and Monica, from a previous marriage. His present wife...

36. Ron Van Clief

Stunts | F/X

Ron "The Black Dragon" Van Clief is a martial arts legend. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he started martial arts training in his early teens. At 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds, Van Clief was fast, powerful, and tough. He won 10 New York State Full-Contact Karate Championships. He won ...

37. Nathan Chukueke

Actor | Bloodsport

Nathan Chukueke was born on August 5, 1959 in New York, USA. He is an actor, known for Bloodsport (1988), Hitman the Cobra (1987) and The Dragon from Russia (1990).

38. Brian White

Actor | Ambitions

Brian White was born on April 21, 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ambitions (2019), Stomp the Yard (2007) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Paula Da Silva since August 28, 2010. They have one child.

39. Robbie Jones

Actor | Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor

Robbie Jones was born on September 25, 1977 in California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), Hellcats (2010) and Hurricane Season (2009).

40. Erik Betts

Stunts | Eagle Eye

Born 22 November, 1967 in Boston, Massachusetts, Erik Betts is a self taught gymnast and martial artist since the age of 11. His fascination with movement and the arts was inspired by his favorite comic book hero, Spiderman. Insecure and very shy, Betts could relate to the problems experienced by ...

41. Roger Cross

Actor | Coroner

Roger Cross is known for Coroner (2019), Continuum (2012) and Dark Matter (2015).

42. Barack Obama

Producer | Leave the World Behind

U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama II was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was a white American from Wichita, Kansas. His father, Barack Obama Sr., who was black, was from Alego, Kenya. They were both young college students at the University of Hawaii. When his father left...

43. Ice-T

Actor | New Jack City

The legendary gangsta hip-hop emcee Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow on February 16, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles, California, to live with his paternal aunt after the death of his father while he was in the sixth grade; his mother had died earlier when he was in the third grade....

44. Herschel Walker

Actor | One Nation Under God

Herschel Walker was born on March 3, 1962 in Wrightsville, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for One Nation Under God (2020), Superfights (1995) and Necessary Roughness (1991). He has been married to Julie Blanchard since May 2021. He was previously married to Cindy DeAngelis.

45. Shaquille O'Neal

Actor | Steel

Shaquille O'Neal is a retired professional American basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA on TNT. He is considered one of the greatest players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history. He was one of the tallest and heaviest players ever. O'Neal ...

46. Kobe Bryant

Producer | Dear Basketball

Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Bryant won five NBA championships, ...

47. Eugene Thomas

Actor | Hong men jue e zhe

Eugene Thomas is known for Hong men jue e zhe (1985), USA Ninja (1985) and Ninja the Final Duel (1986).

48. Carl Scott

Actor | Li Xiao Long zhuan qi

Carl Scott is known for Bruce Lee: The Man, the Myth (1976), Shou zhi ao chu (1981) and Soul Brothers of Kung Fu (1977).