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Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa prepares for a martial arts demonstration at the American Museum of the Moving Image on August 20, 2006.
Born	Jaa Panom Yeerum February 5, 1976 (1976-02-05) (age 32) Surin, Thailand
Official website

Panom Yeerum (Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์; Khmer: ចាភ្ំ យីរុាំ; IPA: [pʰanom jiːrɑm]) born on February 5, 1976 in Surin Province, Thailand, better known in the West as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Panom, is a Thai martial art film actor, choreographer and director. His films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior and Tom-Yum-Goong (also called Warrior King or The Protector). Image File history File links Example. ... The UTF-8-encoded Japanese Wikipedia article for mojibake, as displayed in ISO-8859-1 encoding. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (760x1268, 302 KB) // Tony Jaa prepares for a martial arts demonstration at the American Museum of the Moving Image on August 20, 2006. ... Located at the site of the former Astoria Studios (now operating as the Kaufman-Astoria Studios) in the borough of Queens in New York City (USA), the Museum of the Moving Image (originally named the Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation) was founded in 1977. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Surin (Thai: ) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Surin (Thai: ) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Occident redirects here. ... Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Look up Choreography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Director Herbert Brenon with actress Alla Nazimova on the set of War Brides, 1916 A director is a person who directs the making of a film. ... The cinema of Thailand has a history that stretches back to early days of filmmaking, when King Chulalongkorns 1897 visit to Berne, Switzerland was recorded by Francois-Henri Lavancy-Clarke. ... Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003) is an action film from Thailand in the mold of old school Jackie Chan-styled kung-fu flicks. ... Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง; IPA: , distributed as Warrior King in the UK, as The Protector in the US) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa. ...

Biography

Early life

Born in Surin Province in the Isan region of Thailand, near the border with Cambodia. Jaa grew up in a rural area and watched films by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li at temple fairs. While doing chores or playing with friends, he would imitate the martial arts moves he had seen in the films. He would practice in his father's rice paddy or, when bathing the family's elephants, he would somersault off their backs into the river. Surin (Thai: ) is one of the north-eastern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... For other uses, see Isan (disambiguation). ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ... Jet Li (Simplified Chinese: 李连杰; Traditional Chinese: 李連杰; pinyin: Lǐ Liánjié; born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Asian Elephant range The Asian or Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus), sometimes known by the name of its nominate subspecies (the Indian Elephant), is one of the three living species of elephant, and the only living species of the genus Elephas. ...

In Tom-Yum-Goong, Tony Jaa demonstrated a style of muay Thai that has moves that imitate an elephant. Jaa was able to draw on his childhood for experience, because his family raises elephants.

"What they did was so beautiful, so heroic. I wanted to do it, too," Jaa told Time in a 2004 interview. "I practiced until I could do the move exactly as I had seen the masters do it."^[1] Image File history File links Tonyjaaelephant. ... Image File history File links Tonyjaaelephant. ... Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง; IPA: , distributed as Warrior King in the UK, as The Protector in the US) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa. ... TIME redirects here. ...

At age 15, he looked up Panna Rittikrai, begging the veteran Thai stuntman and action-film director to take him on as a protege. Panna instructed Jaa to attend Maha Sarakham College of Physical Education in Maha Sarakham Province. Panna Rittikrai (born in 1961 in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand) is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor. ... Protege is when ou are good at something at a young age ... Maha Sarakham (Thai มหาสารคาม) is one of the provinces (changwat) of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. ...

First films

He initially worked as a stuntman on Panna's team, Muay Thai Stunt, appearing in many of Panna's films. He doubled for Sammo Hung when the martial-arts actor made a commercial for an energy drink that required him to grasp an elephant's tusks and somersault onto the elephant's back.^[2] He also appeared in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, as a stunt double for Robin Shou (Liu Kang), and was a stunt double in the Thai television series Insee Daeng (Red Eagle).^[3] A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television (such as jumping out of a building, jumping from vehicle to vehicle, or other similar actions), and for other sophisticated stunts (especially fight scenes). ... Muay Thai Stunt is a Thailand based group of stuntmen, formed by Panna Rittikrai to work alongside with him on his action films. ... Sammo Hung Kam-Bo (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Cantonese: Hung4 Gam1 Bou2) (born January 7, 1952, Hong Kong) is a Chinese actor, producer and director known for his work in many kung fu films and Hong Kong action cinema. ... Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) was directed by John R. Leonetti. ... Robin Shou (Chinese: , born July 17, 1960 in Hong Kong), has made a name for himself in the American movie industry. ...

Together, Panna and Jaa developed an interest in Muay Boran, an ancient style of Muay Thai and worked and trained for 1 year at the art with the intention of developing a film around it. Eventually they were able to put together a short film showing what Jaa could do. One of the people they showed it to was producer-director Prachya Pinkaew, who was duly impressed. This does not cite its references or sources. ... For the drink with a similar-sounding name, see Mai Tai. ... From left, stunt choreographer Panna Rittikrai, director Prachya Pinkaew, producer Somsak Techaratanaprasert and actor Tony Jaa are on stage for the press screening of Tom-Yum-Goong on August 4, 2005 at Major Ratchayothin in Bangkok. ...

This led to Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (องค์บาก) in 2003, Jaa's break-out role as a leading man. Jaa did all the stunts without mechanical assistance or computer-generated effects and it showcased his style of extreme acrobatics and speedy, dance-like moves. Injuries suffered in the filming included some kind of injury to one of his ligaments and a sprained ankle. One scene in the film involved fighting with another actor while his own trousers were on fire. "I actually got burned," he said in a 2005 interview. "I really had to concentrate because once my pants were on fire the flames spread upwards very fast and burnt my eyebrows, my eyelashes and my nose. Then we had to do a couple more takes to get it right."^[4]. Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003) is an action film from Thailand in the mold of old school Jackie Chan-styled kung-fu flicks. ... The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. ...

With the film, he was hailed as Asia's next martial-arts film superstar. And as Jaa has gained popularity, older films he made with Panna began to be released on DVD and VCD and become available internationally. These include Spirited Killer and Mission Hunter 2. DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc - see Etymology) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... VCD can stand for: Video CD Voice command device Value Change Dump (IEEE 1364 Verilog) Value-Centered Design This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Rise to fame

Tony Jaa and his mentor, Panna Rittikrai, check the playback on the Sydney, Australia location of Tom-Yum-Goong.

His second major movie was Tom-Yum-Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง; also the name of a hot and sour soup, Tom yum kung (ต้มยำกุ้ง)). This movie enjoyed even greater success in Thailand and Hong Kong than Ong-Bak when released, and was subsequently picked up for release in the United States by the Weinstein Company, which retitled the film as The Protector. Image File history File links Tonyjaapannarittikrai. ... Image File history File links Tonyjaapannarittikrai. ... Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง; IPA: , distributed as Warrior King in the UK, as The Protector in the US) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa. ... Tom yum goong Tom yum (Thai: , IPA: , also sometimes romanized as tom yam or dom yam) is a soup originating from Thailand. ... The Weinstein Company is an independent American film studio founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 2005 after the pair left the Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979. ...

As he did to promote the release of Ong-Bak, Jaa was again busy travelling the world to promote The Protector. In August 2006, he was in New York to promote the US release of The Protector, including an appearance at the Museum of the Moving Image.^[5] Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง; IPA: , distributed as Warrior King in the UK, as The Protector in the US) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa. ... Located at the site of the former Astoria Studios (now operating as the Kaufman-Astoria Studios) in the borough of Queens in New York City (USA), the Museum of the Moving Image (originally named the Astoria Motion Picture and Television Center Foundation) was founded in 1977. ...

Next projects

Sahamongkol Film International advertised that Tony Jaa's third film would be called Sword or Dab Atamas, about the art of Thai two-sword fighting, with a script by Prapas Chonsalanont.^[6] But due to falling out between Prachya and Jaa, which neither have publicly commented on, Sword has been cancelled.^[7] Sahamongkol Film International Co. ...

On March 2006 it was reported that there would be a sequel to Ong-Bak, Ong-Bak 2. With Tony both directing and starring, it started pre-production in fall 2006 and is expected to be released sometime in 2008.^{[8][9][10][7]} Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003) is an action film from Thailand in the mold of old school Jackie Chan-styled kung-fu flicks. ... Ong Bak 2 is the working title for a martial arts film from Thailand to be directed by and to star Tony Jaa. ...

While Tony was working on Ong-Bak 2, director Prachya Pinkaew and action choreographer Panna Rittikrai were working on Chocolate, starring a female martial artist, Nicharee Vismistananda, and also due for a 2008 release.^[7] Tony, meanwhile, has been cast in a small role in a third installment of the King Naresuan film series directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol. Filming is expected to begin in early 2008, with Tony in role of a slave.^[11] From left, stunt choreographer Panna Rittikrai, director Prachya Pinkaew, producer Somsak Techaratanaprasert and actor Tony Jaa are on stage for the press screening of Tom-Yum-Goong on August 4, 2005 at Major Ratchayothin in Bangkok. ... Panna Rittikrai (born in 1961 in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand) is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor. ... This article is about a 2007 Thai historical drama film. ... Chatrichalerm Yukol on the set of The Legend of Suriyothai Prince Chatrichalerm Yukol (Thai หม่อมเจ้า ชาตรีเฉลิมยุคล, born November 29, 1942) is a Thai film director and screen writer. ...

Other developments

Tony's name is often included on the "wish lists" of various directors. He was at one time rumored to be the villain in Live Free or Die Hard, gossip that he was quick to deny. Live Free or Die Hard (released as Die Hard 4. ...

His films captured the attention of his hero, Jackie Chan, who asked director Brett Ratner to cast Tony in Rush Hour 3. "I gave the director videos of Tony Jaa because I think Tony Jaa is the most well-rounded of all action stars," Chan told the Associated Press.^[12] "The director liked him a lot," Chan said.^[12] However, Tony said he'd be unable to participate because of scheduling conflicts with the shooting of Ong Bak 2.^[12][13] Chan Kong-Sang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer. ... Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and music-video director. ... Rush Hour 3 is a 2007 film and the third installment in the martial arts/action-comedy Rush Hour franchise starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker that began with the 1998 film Rush Hour and continued with the first sequel Rush Hour 2 in 2001. ...

In Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior there is a spray-painted message in the background in one scene that says "Hi Spielberg, let['s] do it together", which states Tony Jaa's wish to work with Steven Spielberg. Tony has further stated a desire to be cast in the upcoming Indiana Jones 4 sequel. ^[14] Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003) is an action film from Thailand in the mold of old school Jackie Chan-styled kung-fu flicks. ... Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946)[1] is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. ... Indiana Jones 4 is the working title of the fourth film in the Indiana Jones series, which is planned to be released worldwide on May 22, 2008. ...

Additionally, veteran Hong Kong martial arts coordinator Lau Kar-leung has mentioned Tony as someone he'd like to work with. ^[15] Lau Kar-Leung (Chinese: ; Mandarin: Liu Jialiang, Liu Chia-Liang; born August 1936) is a famous Hong Kong Chinese martial arts film director, choreographer and actor. ...

Tony Jaa demonstrates martial arts at the American Museum of the Moving Image on August 20, 2006, during a promotional tour for The Protector.

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 294 KB) // Tony Jaa demonstrates martial arts at the American Museum of the Moving Image on August 20, 2006. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 294 KB) // Tony Jaa demonstrates martial arts at the American Museum of the Moving Image on August 20, 2006. ...

Skills

Tony Jaa is skilled in Muay Thai, Muay Boran, Krabi Krabong, Tae Kwon Do, and gymnastics.^{[citation needed]} For the drink with a similar-sounding name, see Mai Tai. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Krabi Krabong is a Thai fighting system which makes use of various weapons and also incorporates the empty-hand techniques of Muay Thai. ... Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of sequences of movements requiring physical strength, flexibility, balance, endurance, gracefulness, and kinesthetic awareness, and includes such skills as handsprings, handstands, split leaps, aerials and cartwheels. ...

Languages

Jaa speaks Thai, Khmer, Lao and is learning English. Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Selected filmography

• Mission Hunter 2
• Spirited Killer
• Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior aka Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior (2003)
• The Bodyguard (2004) (as Panom Yeerum)
• Tom-Yum-Goong (aka Honor of the Beast or Warrior King (UK) or The Protector (US)) (2005)
• Crying Tiger (2005) (uncredited footage from Ong-Bak, Spirited Killer and Tom-Yum-Goong)
• The Bodyguard 2 (2007)
• Ong-Bak 2 (2008) (in production)

Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003) is an action film from Thailand in the mold of old school Jackie Chan-styled kung-fu flicks. ... The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. ... The Bodyguard is a 2004 wire fu action-comedy co-directed by Thai actor Petchtai Wongkamlao and stunt choreographer Panna Ritikrai. ... The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. ... Tom-Yum-Goong (Thai: ต้มยำกุ้ง; IPA: , distributed as Warrior King in the UK, as The Protector in the US) is a 2005 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa. ... The year 2005 in film involved some significant events. ... The Bodyguard 2 (Thai: ) is a 2007 Thai action-comedy film written, directed by and starring Petchtai Wongkamlao. ... 2007 has been referred to, by film and media critics, as the year of the threequels, a nickname referring to both the 2004 summer movie season and several film franchises which premiered or had installments released in 2004, which appear again this year: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Ocean... Ong-Bak 2 is a martial arts film from Thailand starring Tony Jaa. ...

See also

Tony Jaa in an alternate poster for his break-out film, Ong-Bak.

• Panna Rittikrai
• Muay Thai Stunt

Image File history File links Ong-bak3. ... Image File history File links Ong-bak3. ... Panna Rittikrai (born in 1961 in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand) is a Thai martial arts action choreographer, film director, screenwriter and actor. ... Muay Thai Stunt is a Thailand based group of stuntmen, formed by Panna Rittikrai to work alongside with him on his action films. ...

References

The Bangkok Post is a broadsheet English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. ... The Star is the leading English-language newspaper in Malaysia. ... External Links: MangoDaily. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

External links

• Tony Jaa at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tony Jaa

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

Official Site

• Welcome to Tony JAA Official website, online since 5 February 2007

Fan sites

• The International Tony Jaa Fansite

Interviews

• Suicide Girls Interview
• retroCrush interview
• Kicking Butt with Tony Jaa FilmJerk.com
• Tony JAA answer to Fan's questions - Tonyjaa.blog.fr

Photos

• Pictures from a traditional ceremony made in honor to Tony JAA - Thailand November 2006 by Tonyjaa.blog.fr

Reviews

• Spirited Killer review at Hitch magazine
• Ong-Bak review at cityonfire.com
• Tom Yum Goong review at cityonfire.com

Videos

• Promotional video for Thai longan growers.
• CTN interview in Khmer
• Tony Jaa at Reims, France (WMV)
• Toad Katine Ceremony with Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai - Thailand October 2006, Special report on Tonyjaa.blog.fr
• TV Commercial with Tony Jaa - for Mitsubishi Triton +