Iko Uwais
| Iko Uwais | |
|---|---|
 Uwais at the New York City premiere of The Raid 2 in March 2014 | |
| Born | Qorny Uwais February 12, 1983 Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Occupation | Actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, martial artist |
| Spouse | Audy Item (2012–present) |
Iko Uwais (born Qorny Uwais; February 12, 1983) is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist.[1]
He is best known for starring in the action films Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), and The Raid 2 (2014), as well as a brief role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).[2]
Career
In 2007, Iko was discovered by director Gareth Evans, who was filming a documentary about silat in Iko's training hall. Iko's natural charisma and great camera presence encouraged Evans to cast him as the leading role for his first martial art movie, Merantau.[3] After signing a five-year contract with Gareth Evans and his production company, Iko resigned from his daytime job as an operational driver in a telecom company, Esia.[4]
In his first acting experience in Merantau, Iko played the role of a young Minang (West-Sumateran), which led him to learn the Minang style of silat harimau (tiger style) from Master Edwel Datuk Rajo Gampo Alam. Merantau was released in Indonesia on 6 August 2009. The film was featured in Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea and South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas with highly positive reviews. Merantau won the Best Film award at ActionFest 2010.[5]
Risingsuntokusatsu.com movie reviewer Inui Takumi said of Iko's performance in Merantau: "...he brings a bit of innocent charm that adds a lot to his performance. Apparently the director, Gareth Evans, was drawn to this quality as well as his enthusiasm when he encountered Iko years before while shooting a documentary on the art of Silat. He says that he saw a star quality in him and immediately worked to get him working on his first film. Granted, he may not have done too much as far as intense acting in this movie, but he shows sparks of something more in his talent that once honed, I think his talent and personality could definitely raise him to martial arts legend status".[6]
Iko's second collaboration with Gareth Evans was The Raid (known as The Raid: Redemption in the United States), which began filming in mid-March 2011 and was released in mid-2012.[7] The movie has been hailed by critics and audiences in various festivals as one of the best martial art movies in years.[8]
Iko collaborated on a third movie with Evans, The Raid 2. Iko also appeared briefly in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), alongside The Raid 2 costar Yayan Ruhian.[2][9]
Personal life
Uwais was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, the son of Maisyaroh and Mustapha Kamaluddin. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a silat master and founded a silat school.[10]
On June 25, 2012, at the Hotel Gran Mahakam in Jakarta, Uwais married singer Audy Item.[11] The couple have one daughter named Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais.[12][13]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Merantau | Yuda | |
| 2012 | The Raid | Rama | |
| 2013 | Man of Tai Chi | Gilang Sanjaya | |
| 2014 | The Raid 2: Berandal | Rama | |
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Razoo Qin-Fee | |
| 2016 | Beyond Skyline | Sua | Post-production |
| Headshot | Ishmael | ||
| Mile 22 |
See also
References
- ^ "Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais talk Merantau". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
- ^ a b "Iko Uwais and the Indonesian heroes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens". BBC News. BBC. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
- ^ "From the valleys of Wales to the hills of Hollywood: Fledgling director Gareth Evan's meteoric rise to fame as critics praise 'The Raid'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
- ^ Brown, Todd. "Reviews: Fantastic Fest 09: MERANTAU Review". Twitchfilm.net. Retrieved 2011-10-15.
- ^ Twitch.com: Undisputed 3, 14 Blades and Merantau win at ActionFest 2010. Chuck Norris declines Lifetime Achievement Award!
- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW: Merantau". Rising Sun Tokusatsu.
- ^ Gareth (2011-02-06). "The Raid: An Introduction". Theraid-movie.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
- ^ Jones, Gareth (2012-05-15). "UK Readers: Check Out This Bullet-Ridden New Clip from The Raid and Win a Limited Edition Bag!". Dread-Central.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ "THE RAID Trio To Appear In STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 - THE FORCE AWAKENS". TwitchFilm.
- ^ "Iko Uwais juggles films and fatherhood". thejakartapost.com.
- ^ "KapanLagi.com: Audy Item - 'Pulau Kapuk' Idaman Bulan Madu Audy dan Iko". KapanLagi.com.
- ^ "Iko Uwais-Audy Item Dikaruniai Anak Pertama". KOMPAS.com.
- ^ http://www.merdeka.com/artis/audy-item-lahirkan-anak-perempuan-secara-caesar.html
