Robin Shou Hollywood actor of Chinese descent Date of Birth: 17.07.1960 Country: USA

1. Biography of Robin Shou
2. Early Life and Career
3. Discovering Martial Arts
4. Transition to Acting
5. Breakthrough Role in "Mortal Kombat"
6. Later Career

Biography of Robin Shou

Robin Shou is a Hollywood actor of Chinese descent, best known for his role as Liu Kang in the films "Mortal Kombat" and "Mortal Kombat 2: Annihilation".

Early Life and Career

Robin was born in Hong Kong on July 17, 1960. His father was one of the best tailors in Hong Kong, while his mother stayed at home, taking care of their five children. Robin was the fourth child, with two older sisters and an older and younger brother.

In 1971, the family moved from Hong Kong to America, and Robin, being the most talented among the siblings, quickly learned English. He had a strong bond with his mother, and even after her death in October 1997 (during the filming of "Mortal Kombat 2"), he still speaks of her in the present tense. Despite not approving of his acting aspirations, his mother never tried to discourage him from pursuing his dreams. Robin describes his father as a strict and sometimes unfair and unkind person.

Discovering Martial Arts

At the age of 15, Robin started practicing karate but soon gave it up. A few years later, he attended a demonstration of wushu and realized that it was exactly what he wanted to do. He excelled in martial arts training and won a silver medal for hand-to-hand combat and a gold medal for weapon combat at the National Championships in 1982-83. He became a Wushu Master, with his training overseen by Eric Chen, the coach of the US national wushu team.

Transition to Acting

Robin's talent in martial arts and his appealing appearance caught the attention of filmmakers in Hong Kong, where he initially took on small roles as villains or "friends of the main character". In the late 1980s, he decided to pursue a career in Hollywood and appeared in the TV movie "Forbidden Nights". However, this venture did not go as planned, and after completing the filming in December 1989 (before the movie was even edited), he returned to Hong Kong, putting his hopes of working in Hollywood on hold.

Despite landing a role as the main villain in the film "Tiger Cage 2" by renowned martial arts director Yuen Woo-ping, with Donnie Yen as his opponent, his career took a downturn in the early 1990s. He ended up starring in cheap action films shot in the Philippines, which tarnished his overall image as an actor. Disappointed with his career, Robin decided to return to the United States.

Breakthrough Role in "Mortal Kombat"

Robin opened an import-export business of sports goods with a colleague to support himself financially and almost abandoned the idea of continuing his acting career. However, he received a call from his agent offering him a role in the new film "Mortal Kombat". Initially skeptical, thinking he would be cast as a disposable villain, Robin reluctantly auditioned and was ultimately chosen for the role of Liu Kang, beating out actors like Dustin Nguyen, Russell Wong, and Jason Scott Lee.

The result was the birth of a cult phenomenon. Robin takes great pride in his work, saying, "I didn't have a stunt double. I performed all the stunts and choreographed all my fight scenes, including the reptile fight with Liu Kang and the Scorpion fight with Johnny Cage." Despite the success of "Mortal Kombat", Robin's career gradually declined.

Later Career

Although he appeared in the comedy film "Beverly Hills Ninja" alongside Chris Farley, which was moderately successful, it did not significantly advance Robin's career as an actor and martial artist. "Mortal Kombat 2" also suffered a sharp drop in box office rankings after an impressive start. Since then, Robin has not appeared in any major films, focusing on traveling between Thailand and the United States.