James Lew, the iconic Hollywood stuntman, actor, and fight choreographer whose career spanned some of the most memorable action movies and television shows of the past several decades, has died. He was 73.
Lew died Sunday in Los Angeles, according to his wife, who confirmed his death to TMZ. He had been battling unspecified health issues, according to TMZ. His cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Lew was a lifelong martial artist and became one of Hollywood’s most respected action specialists. He worked as a stunt performer, stunt coordinator, fight choreographer, and actor for dozens of projects.
Lew’s wife, Jordanna, wrote an emotional tribute to the late stuntman on Instagram. “Honey I imagine you walking the beach with Dudley, sparring with Bruce Lee and finally getting to hug your Dad again. James MF Lew you are loved and will be deeply missed. Rest in peace.”
A Decades-Long Career On and Offscreen
His path into the entertainment industry began with martial arts. He started studying the discipline at just 14 years old and eventually developed expertise across multiple styles. Lew was trained in kung fu, Tae Kwon Do, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido and boxing. His skills allowed him to become a familiar face in action productions, beginning with an early-career highlight for his role in James Carpenter’s “Big Trouble in Little China” (1986). Lew was handpicked as the film’s martial arts choreographer, helping create the larger-than-life fight sequences that are so quintessential to the film’s identity.
From there, his resume continued to grow. Lew worked on major productions, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Inception” and “Star Trek” (2009). He also worked extensively in television, eventually working as stunt coordinator on Marvel’s “Luke Cage.” His work on the series earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination in a Drama Series in 2017.
The stuntman’s career put him in the orbit of some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Lew worked with Jackie Chan on the “Rush Hour” franchise for the first time in 1998. He also worked with Mel Gibson when he appeared in “Lethal Weapon 4” as a freighter captain. Lew trained Brad Pitt in sword fighting and choreography between 2003 and 2004 when working on “Troy,” released in May 2004.
Work Beyond the Screen
Beyond film and television, Lew assembled the Hong Kong Wire Action Team. The organization brings together martial artists and stunt professionals to create increasingly elaborate action sequences for the screen. The team specialized in making the gravity-defying, superhuman martial arts scenes in action’s most iconic films possible.
Lew is to thank for the ‘wire-fu’ genre, a term that combines the terms ‘wire work’ and ‘kung fu.’ Wire work refers to the equipment that suspends performers and other stage equipment. The most notable films in the wire-fu genre are “The Matrix” (1999), “X-Men” (2000), “Spider-Man” (2002) and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (2021). The technology used on stage combined with the martial arts techniques, makes these films all the more engaging on-screen.
