Rogues’ Gallery of Martial Arts Movie Villains
By Jay de Leon

Originally Published in WorldBlackBelt, 2006

     There is an axiom in action movies that without dastardly villains, there can be no great heroes. In fact, in some movies, the villain gets even more top billing and attention than the hero. These villains we are featuring have the following things in common : a huge physical presence, a natural menacing look, tremendous martial arts powers, and on-screen credibility. And sometimes, they actually steal the thunder from their adversaries, at least in the beginning. Of course, in the end, they get their comeuppance, but not before they have menaced, bloodied and sometimes battered the hero.
     Please enter and view the rogues’ gallery of cinematic villains whose knowledge of martial arts have made them some of the most formidable foes and recognizable villains in cinematic history.

Bolo Yeung in “Enter theDragon.”

     Bolo Yeung was a competitive bodybuilding champion and shotokan karate expert in Hong Kong. After over a decade in working in Chinese films, he shot to fame in the 1973 Bruce Lee classic, Enter the Dragon. His other notable U.S. films include Bloodsport (1987) and Double Impact (1991) with Jean-Claude Van Damme. His filmology lists almost fifty films, most of them Chinese films. With his unique massive appearance, he has made his mark as one of the strongest and most imposing martial arts villains in film.

Al Leong

     Al Leong is a stuntman and actor who has acted in more than twenty films as an Asian “heavy.”  He has squared off with the best of them, including Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon (1987), Brandon Lee in Rapid Fire (1992) and Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1998). His other film credits include Big Trouble in Little China (1986), The Perfect Weapon (1991), The Replacement Killers (1998) and the Scorpion King (2002). Al continues his villainous work in films and television, and had his directorial debut in the year 2000.

Bob Wall

     Bob Wall’s place in the rogues gallery of cinematic villains is secure with his role as O’Hara, the bearded villain in Enter the Dragon who meets an ignominious death at the hands (and feet) of Bruce Lee. He was in three of Bruce Lee’s movies, cast as a villain, including the Game of Death. When I asked him why he made such a good villain in those films, Bob Wall answered “I let Bruce really hit me.” Bob Wall continues to act in films, notably with friend Chuck Norris in movies like Hero and the Terror (1988) and Sidekicks (1991), and episodes of the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
     Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa has one of the most recognizable faces among the current crop of Asian actors, which is not surprising considering he specializes in playing the vilest of dastardly villains. His film credits include blockbuster hits such as Licence to Kill (1989), Rising Sun (1993), Mortal Kombat (1995), The Art of War (2000) and Elektra (2005). His TV appearances have included starring roles in Space Rangers (1993), Nash Bridges (1996) and Hawaii (2004), as well as numerous guest appearances in other series. In real life, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is the antithesis of the villains he portrays, displaying a calm demeanor, spirituality, wisdom, courtesy and willingness to help others.

Harold Sakata (1920-1982)

     You might not recognize the name, but you will surely recognize his screen character and name, Oddjob, one of James Bond’s most famous and formidable adversaries. Oddjob was Goldfinger’s golf caddy, chauffeur, bodyguard and killer, using a metal-tipped hat and karate skills to dispose of opponents. Trivia quiz: How did James Bond finish off this almost invulnerable adversary? A stocky muscle man, Hawaiian-born Harold Sakata was a martial artist and professional wrestler before he became an actor. He capitalized on his screen role by appearing in a number of programs and shows in his Oddjob character.

Soon-Tek Oh

     Born in Japan but raised in Korea, Soon-Tek Oh came to the United States as a teen-ager. After performing on stage on Broadway and guest starring in TV shows like M*A*S*H, he got his big break in movies in the James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun. Since then, he has had good guy roles as well as villainous roles in movies like Good Guys Wear Black, Missing in Action 2, Death Wish 4 and others. He continues to work in theatre and TV, and is known for his efforts to present more accurate portrayals of Asian-American culture on stage.

Bill Wallace

     Bill “Superfoot” Wallace was both a champion karate point-fighter and a professional kickboxing champion. He captured the World Middleweight Championship and retired undefeated with a record of 23-0. With the help and encouragement of his friend Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace appeared in his first movie with Chuck Norris as the villain Sparks in A Force of One. Since then, he has compiled a modest filmology playing the “heavy” in martial arts films, displaying his trademark high kicks.

Khigh Dhiegh (1910-1991)

     Again, you might not recognize the name but you will probably recognize the face if you are a Hawaii Five-O fan. For several seasons and in eleven episodes, Khigh Dhiegh played the recurring role of Wo Fat, Steve McGarrett’s wily arch-enemy, initially the top espionage agent for the Peoples Republic of China and later an independent operator. Khigh Dhiegh spent his career playing Asians but was not even Asian, but actually of Anglo-Egyptian-Sudanese descent. Khigh Dhiegh made Wo Fat into an exciting villain and a world-class adversary for the no-nonsense, relentless McGarrett. He also played the brain-washing Chinese Agent Yen Lo in the original film Manchurian Candidate starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey.

Tak Kubota

     Tak Kubota is one of the true grandmasters and living legend in karate. Born in Japan, he has spent his entire life teaching karate in both Japan and the United States, including law enforcement academies all over the world. He is also an actor who has appeared in over 300 movies, television shows and commercials. His movies include The Mechanic, Killer Elite, Black Rain, Rising Sun and The Hunted. In the 1980’s when I lived in Glendale, California, I used to drop by and “talk shop” with him in his dojo. He seemed to enjoy my visits in spite of the fact I was training in a shotokan dojo near-by. This villainous killer on the screen turned out to be one of the most pleasant, friendly, humble and interesting karate masters I have ever met.

James Lew

     In the 1970’s, James Lew held sway in the martial arts tournament world as a kata champion. In the 1980’s, James Lew entered a different arena and established himself as one of Hollywood’s top stuntmen and villain actors. He has acted in more than forty movies since appearing in Going Berserk as a kung fu fighter in 1983. Since then, he has appeared in numerous major films such as Action Jackson (1988), Timecop (1994), The Replacement Killers (1998), Traffic (2000) and Rush Hour 2 (2001). He is also considered one of the foremost experts in the world on stretching and kicking techniques.

Charles Kalani, better known as Professor Toru Tanaka.

Professor Toru Tanaka (1930-2000)

     Born Charles Kalani in Honolulu, Hawaii, he was a Danzan Ryu blackbelt and later became known to wrestling fans as World Wide Wrestling Federation world tag-team champion Professor Toru Tanaka. An imposing physical specimen with a menacing glower probably developed from his wrestling days, he later appeared in more than 20 films, and has battled and battered the best of them, from Chuck Norris in An Eye for An Eye (1981), to Jeff Speakman in The Perfect Weapon (1991) and to Arnold Schwarzenegger in Running Man (1987) and The Last Action Hero (1993).
     So there you have it, my rogues’ gallery of the most unsavory and despicable villains on film. Undoubtedly, their martial arts expertise added to the realism of their cinematic persona. But it is also probably safe to assume that, in real life, they were nothing like the rogues they portrayed. On the contrary, I happen to have the pleasure of meeting a few of these gentlemen (Kubota, Wallace, Tagawa, Lew, Leong and Wall) and they represent a true fraternity of hardworking actors, superb martial artists and all-around nice guys.