Ernie Reyes Jr.

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Ernie Reyes Jr.
Ernie Reyes Jr cropped.jpg
Ernie Reyes Jr. at a 2009 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th anniversary
Born
Ernie E. Reyes Jr.

(1972-01-15) January 15, 1972 (age 52)
San Jose, California, United States
Occupation(s)Actor, martial artist
Years active1985–present

Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) [1] is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as The Last Dragon , Red Sonja (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Surf Ninjas (1993) and The Rundown (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , as well as motion capture stunts in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland . His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 of Highway to Heaven , dramas such as the short-lived Sidekicks (in which he co-starred with Gil Gerard), and NCIS: Los Angeles and reality TV series such as Final Fu .

Contents

Early life

Reyes was born in San Jose, California, to actor/stuntman Ernie Reyes Sr. and is the grandson of Filipino immigrants. [2] [3] He has three brothers and two sisters, one of whom, Lee, is a boxer and another, Santino Ramos, is a filmmaker/artist. By age 6, Reyes had joined his father's West Coast Demo Team.[ citation needed ]

Career

Reyes made his film debut at age 13 in the 1985 film The Last Dragon . The same year he shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja . During this time, he also had his own television series, Sidekicks , a spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special The Last Electric Knight, alongside Gil Gerard presented by Michael Eisner. [2] He also appeared in an episode of the hit television series MacGyver in 1988. [4] Reyes had starring roles in Surf Ninjas , the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, The Secret of the Ooze , as Keno, the pizza delivery boy. He also served as the martial arts stunt double for Donatello in the first Ninja Turtles film. [5] He later appeared in films such as Rush Hour 2 playing Zing [6] and in The Rundown alongside WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. [5] Reyes guest starred in three episodes of the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues alongside David Carradine. [7]

In 2006, Reyes hosted the MTV martial arts reality show Final Fu . [8]

Reyes has a professional fight record of 3–0 in Strikeforce which was a large mixed martial arts organization but started out as a Muay Thai and kickboxing organization. Ernie fought Anthony Elkaim the WKA ISKA Champion. Reyes knocked out the champion in the 3rd round. His next two fights would be won by decision, including a unanimous decision over Veasna Thach, [9] which aired on ESPN. Ernie Reyes Jr.'s fight against the champion Anthony Elkaim also aired on ESPN. [10] [11] [12] [13]

Reyes has done motion capture stunts for blockbuster films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland . [14] He also played a cemetery warrior in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull who gets killed by his own poison dart. Reyes guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles "The Frozen Lake" playing "Jay Thapa", a Nepalese soldier who is an expert in knife-fighting.

Personal life

In June 2015, it was reported that Reyes was suffering from kidney failure and was in need of a transplant. According to his sister, Reyes undergoes dialysis three times per week for four hours each day. His family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise $75,000 for his medical expenses. [15] [16] In August 2022, Reyes revealed that the transplant had been successful and that he was healthy.[ citation needed ]

Reyes married his wife Lisa in 2009. They have two children, Lotus Blossom and Phoenix. [17]

Filmography

As actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985 The Last Dragon Tai (Karate Student)
Red Sonja Prince Tarn
1986 Sidekicks Ernie Lee
1988 MacGyver Luke Chen
1989Ernie and Master KimErnie
1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DonatelloAs martial arts stunt double
1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Keno
Secret BodyguardErnie Rey
1993 Kung Fu: The Legend Continues Emperor Sing Ling
Surf Ninjas JohnnyAlso associate producer
1995 White Wolves II: Legend of the Wild Steve
1996Paper Dragons
Small TimeMarty
1998The Ultimate Fight a.k.a. The ProcessJesseAlso Director
2001 Rush Hour 2 Zing
2002 Poolhall Junkies Tang
2003 The Rundown Manito
2007 Redline Ernie
2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Cemetery Warrior
2009 The Red Canvas a.k.a. The Art of Submission Johnny SanchezAlso Executive Producer
2013–15 NCIS: Los Angeles Jay Thapa2 episodes: "The Frozen Lake" and "Expiration Date"
2014 Ninja Apocalypse Hiroshi
2017 The Librarians Monkey King Episode: "And the Fatal Separation"
2018 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Bob #2Episode: "The Negotiation"
2018The Next KillBadass Blue-Shirt-Wearing Pizza-Loving Surfer Dude
2018-2021 Superstore Customer; Ernesto; Candle customer3 episodes: "Toxic Workplace" "Cloud 9 Academy" and "Perfect Store"
2018 Uncharted Live Action Fan Film El Tigre

As stunt performer

YearTitleRole
1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fight/Stunt Double: Donatello
1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze Fight/Performer: Keno
2009 Avatar Utility Stunts
2010 Alice in Wonderland Stunt Double: Tweedledee
2011 Act of Valor Stunts

Kickboxing record

Kickboxing record
3 Wins (1 KO), 0 Losses
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTimeRecord
2005-10-00Win Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Fotheringham Strikeforce San Jose, California, US Decision53:003-0
1999-00-00Win Flag of Cambodia.svg Veasna Thach Strikeforce San Jose, California, US Decision (unanimous)53:002-0
1998-00-00Win Flag of France.svg Anthony Elkaim Strikeforce Milan, Italy KO31-0
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Ernie Reyes Jr". AllMovie . Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-07-22.
  2. 1 2 Wiltens, Jim (June 1987). "Big and Little Ernie Reyes: Sidekicks for Life". Black Belt . 25 (6): 59.
  3. ↑ Mendoza, Mariecar (April 24, 2017) [April 24, 2017]. "Martial arts demo showcase 'real-life little superheroes' at Silicon Valley Comic Con". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ Rizzo, Francis (2005-08-25). "MacGyver - The Complete Third Season". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  5. 1 2 Dornbush, Jonathon (2015-06-12). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II's Ernie Reyes Jr. needs kidney transplant". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2015-11-28. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  6. ↑ Rothman, Michael (2015-06-12). "'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Star Ernie Reyes Jr. Needs Kidney Transplant". ABC News . Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  7. ↑ Remer, Justin (2014-07-07). "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues: The Complete First Season". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  8. ↑ Iverson, Dan (2006-07-16). "The Final Fu". IGN . Archived from the original on 2019-04-23. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  9. ↑ Fight Sports Championship Kickboxing – 'Ernie Reyes, Jr. vs. Veasna Thach' Episode Info – MSN TV Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine . Tv.msn.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  10. ↑ Ernie Reyes Jr. the fighter – Ernie Reyes Jr. Fan Site Archived 2010-10-01 at the Wayback Machine . Officialerniereyesjr.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  11. ↑ ISKA Karate Ernie Reyes, JR fight Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine . karateforums.com
  12. ↑ Ernie Reyes Jr. – Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine . Sherdog.net (2007-02-13). Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  13. ↑ Ernie Reyes, Jr. – MMA News Forums Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine . Mmanews.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
  14. ↑ West, Jay (2011-03-10). "'Star Tours' flashback: The rapping C-3PO of 1987". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  15. ↑ Takeda, Allison (June 12, 2015). "Ernie Reyes Jr., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Actor, Needs a Kidney Transplant". Us Weekly . Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  16. ↑ "'TMNT' Actor Ernie Reyes Jr. Needs Kidney Transplant". ABC News. 2015-06-13. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2015-10-29.
  17. ↑ "Ernie Reyes Jr. - Biography". IMDb .
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