James Lew, “Hot Shots! Part Deux” Actor, Martial Artist, and Stuntman, Dies at 73
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, James Lew—the veteran stuntman, stunt coordinator, and actor who collaborated with John Carpenter on landmark films like “Big Trouble in Little China,” “They Live,” and “Escape from L.A.,” alongside appearances in dozens of film and television productions—has passed away at the age of 73.
His wife, Jordanna Potter, announced that he passed away on Sunday. A cause of death has not been disclosed.
In one of the most recognizable acting roles of his career, he faced off against Charlie Sheen’s Topper Harley in a fierce—yet hilarious—fight sequence in the 1993 Jim Abrahams-directed Rambo parody, “Hot Shots! Part Deux”. He also performed stunts across all three installments of the “Rush Hour” franchise (1998, 2001, and 2007).
In 2017, Lew won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie for his work on Netflix’s “Luke Cage”.
Lew’s stunt credits span numerous major productions, including “Black Rain” (1989), “Showdown in Little Tokyo” (1991), “Undercover” (1993), “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory” (1995), “The Last Samurai” (2003), “Tropic Thunder” (2008), “Star Trek” (2009), “Inception” (2010), “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013), and “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).
Born on September 6, 1952, Lew grew up in South Los Angeles. Reflecting on his origins in an interview, he noted: “My lifelong adventure in martial arts began at age 14. It was part of a natural discovery and curiosity that led me to try martial arts training. That school was a combination of Tae Kwon Do and Tang Soo Do.”
He played a monk and performed stunts in a 1974 episode of the ABC series “Kung Fu,” subsequently appearing in John Cassavetes’ “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” (1976) and the Hong Kong feature “Young Dragon” (1979).
For John Carpenter, he served as stunt coordinator on “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986) and performed stunt work on “They Live” (1988) and “Escape from L.A.” (1996).
Lew portrayed a martial arts instructor in “Action Jackson” (1988) starring Carl Weathers, and played a deadly assassin in “Red Sun Rising” (1994). His feature film acting credits also include “Timecop” (1994), “Lethal Weapon 4” (1998), and “Traffic” (2000).
On the small screen, he appeared in a wide array of series, including “T.J. Hooker,” “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “The A-Team,” “Falcon Crest,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “Roseanne,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Alias,” and “Westworld.”
Lew wrote and directed the 2006 mockumentary “18 Fingers of Death!”, drawing from his experiences in Hollywood. He also co-directed the 2021 comedy feature “Made in Chinatown,” starring Vincent Pastore.
In 2024, the late artist was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame.
