Katalin Zamiar

Last updated
Katalin Rodriguez-Ogren
(Katalin Zamiar)
Born
Katalin Rodriguez Zamiar

(1971-08-12) August 12, 1971 (age 51)
Chicago, United States
Height5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)

Katalin Rodriguez-Ogren (maiden name Katalin Rodriguez Zamiar, best known as Katalin Zamiar) (born August 12, 1971 in Chicago) is an American [1] martial artist, sportswriter, fitness instructor, gym owner and martial arts actress.

Contents

Life and career

Katalin Zamiar holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she became a forensic science teacher. [2]

She has studied martial arts since 1982 and is an accomplished martial artist holding Black Belts in Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Shorin Ryu and Gōjū-ryū Karate. and . She has owned POW! Mixed Martial Arts [3] and Chicago Krav Maga [4] training centers since 2001. Along with teaching at her training center in downtown Chicago, she has often covered the UFC for Grappling magazine, focusing primarily on features and interviews. She has published more than 150 articles in various martial arts magazines including Black Belt and Inside Kung Fu , and has been featured in magazines such as Shape , Allure and Self . She has worked as an international fitness and martial arts presenter and has spent some time as a spokesperson for the Martial Arts brand Revgear. She has also written conditioning materials and manuals and can be seen in more than a number of workout fitness/martial arts videos. Her other endeavors have included a summer training camp for upcoming basketball players and she working with non-for-profits. In 2014, she wrote the book Weight Training for Martial Arts. [5]

Acting

Zamiar remains best known for her characterizations of the three female ninja characters Kitana, Mileena, and Jade in the 1993 fighting video game Mortal Kombat II . [6] [7] MKII creators Ed Boon and John Tobias were members of Zamiar's fitness club, and Zamiar's younger brother Alex (who was a Mortal Kombat fan) contacted Boon and Tobias suggesting Zamiar for the role. [8] She learned kung fu for the role and filmed moves for both Kitana and Mileena, although the video shoot costume was Kitana's blue so John Tobias created Mileena by altering the character colors to purple. The character of Jade was Zamiar's own idea, and that was created with a palette swap from blue to green. [1] In 1997, Zamiar, together with Philip Ahn (Shang Tsung in MKII) and Elizabeth Malecki (Sonya in Mortal Kombat ), filed a lawsuit against Midway Games for royalties for the home ports of the game, a case in which Midway emerged victorious. [9] [10]

In 1995, she and fellow Mortal Kombat actors Ho Sung Pak (Liu Kang in MKII and her boyfriend at the time [2] ), Daniel Pesina, and Phillip Ahn appeared in Thea Realm Fighters , a never-released fighting game produced exclusively for the Atari Jaguar, as well having been in the also unreleased game Chi Yong that was planned for the PlayStation in 1994. [11] In 1996, she portrayed a Jade-like ninja woman character named Chae Lee in the fighting game Catfight . [12]

In 2003, she played a minor part in the low-budget martial arts film Book of Swords; in a cameo nod to her Mortal Kombat alter egos, Katalin once again portrayed a female ninja character, dressed in similar clothing as her MKII counterparts and even wielding two sai as Mileena does (the movie also starred Pesina, Pak, and another Mortal Kombat actor, Richard Divizio, [13] all of whom are seen in MK-style clothing/roles throughout the movie). [14] She has reunited with the rest of the MKII cast for the 20th anniversary event at the Galloping Ghost Arcade. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Mortal Kombat: Annihilation</i> 1997 martial arts fantasy film

Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a 1997 American martial arts fantasy film directed by John R. Leonetti in his directorial debut. Based on the Mortal Kombat video game franchise, it is the second installment in the Mortal Kombat film series and a sequel to the original 1995 film, of which Leonetti served as cinematographer. Largely an adaptation of the video game Mortal Kombat 3 (1995), Annihilation follows Liu Kang and his allies as they attempt to stop the malevolent Shao Kahn from conquering Earthrealm. It stars Robin Shou as Liu, Talisa Soto as Kitana, James Remar as Rayden, Sandra Hess as Sonya Blade, Lynn Red Williams as Jax, and Brian Thompson as Kahn. Only Shou and Soto reprise their roles, with the rest of the characters recast from the previous film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shao Kahn</span> Mortal Kombat character

Shao Kahn is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Depicted as emperor of the fictional realm Outworld, he is one of the franchise's primary villains. Feared for his immense strength, which he complements with a large hammer, and knowledge of black magic, Shao Kahn seeks conquest of all the realms, including Earth. He serves as the final boss of Mortal Kombat II (1993), Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) and its updates, and the 2011 reboot, as well as the action-adventure spin-off Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (2005). An amalgam of Shao Kahn and DC Comics villain Darkseid also appears as the final boss of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2009) under the name Dark Kahn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mileena</span> Mortal Kombat character

Mileena is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Introduced in Mortal Kombat II (1993), she is a clone of the Edenian princess Kitana, created with the blood of the fictional Tarkatan species. Her creation results in her developing the deformed facial features of the Tarkatan, which she conceals with a veil. A power-hungry, unstable villain throughout most of the series, Mileena uses a pair of sai as her primary weapons. She is also the love interest of the Tarkatan warrior Baraka or Edenian traitor Tanya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitana</span> Mortal Kombat character

Kitana is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. Debuting in Mortal Kombat II (1993), she is a royal from the fictional realm of Edenia. Her primary weapon is a pair of steel fans, which she uses for most of her special attacks.

<i>Mortal Kombat 3</i> 1995 video game

Mortal Kombat 3 is a 1995 arcade fighting game developed by Midway Games and first released into arcades in 1995. It is the third main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 1993's Mortal Kombat II. As in the previous games, it has a cast of characters that players choose from and guide through a series of battles against other opponents. The game avoids the tournament storyline of its predecessors, as various warriors instead fight against the returning Shao Kahn, who has resurrected his bride Sindel and started an invasion of Earthrealm.

Scorpion (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

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<i>Mortal Kombat Trilogy</i> Fighting video game

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is a fighting game released by Midway in 1996 as the second and final update to Mortal Kombat 3 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn and PCs. Further versions were also released for the Game.com and R-Zone. It features a similar basic gameplay system and the same story as Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but adds characters and stages restored from Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. New additions to the game included the "Aggressor" bar. The Brutality mechanic from the Super NES and Genesis versions of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 was incorporated. The game was met with positive to mixed reviews upon release.

<i>Mortal Kombat II</i> 1993 video game

Mortal Kombat II is a 1993 arcade fighting game originally produced by Midway for the arcades in 1993. It was ported to multiple home systems, including MS-DOS, Amiga, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, 32X, Sega Saturn, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and PlayStation only in Japan, mostly in licensed versions developed by Probe Entertainment and Sculptured Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment.

Fatality (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Classic finishing move that kills

Fatality is the name given to a gameplay feature in the Mortal Kombat series of fighting video games, in which the victor of the final round in a match inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto their defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him/Her", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick combination, while positioned at a specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are notable features of the Mortal Kombat series and have caused a large cultural impact and controversies.

Reptile (<i>Mortal Kombat</i>) Mortal Kombat character

Reptile is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise by Midway Games and NetherRealm Studios. He debuted in the original 1992 game as a hidden opponent, establishing him as the first secret character in fighting game history. He became playable in the follow-up Mortal Kombat II (1993), and has remained a mainstay of the franchise. As implied by his name, he is a Saurian, a fictional species of reptilian humanoids, and is depicted throughout the series as the last surviving member of his race; he aligns himself with the series' primary villains in the hope that his service will lead to the Saurians' revival.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Deception</i> 2004 video game

Mortal Kombat: Deception is a 2004 fighting video game developed and published by Midway and it is the sixth main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and a sequel to 2002's Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. It was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in October 2004, for the GameCube in March 2005 and later ported for the PlayStation Portable under the title Mortal Kombat: Unchained in November 2006. Mortal Kombat: Deception follows the storyline from the fifth installment, Deadly Alliance. Its story centers on the revival of the Dragon King Onaga, who attempts to conquer the realms featured in the series after defeating the sorcerers Quan Chi and Shang Tsung, the main antagonists in the previous game, and the Thunder God Raiden, defender of Earthrealm. The surviving warriors from the previous titles join forces to confront Onaga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonya Blade</span> Mortal Kombat character

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<i>Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3</i> Fighting video game

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game in the Mortal Kombat series, developed and released by Midway to arcades in 1995. It is a standalone update of 1995's earlier Mortal Kombat 3 with an altered gameplay system, additional characters like the returning favorites Kitana and Scorpion who were missing from Mortal Kombat 3, and some new features.

<i>Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm</i> American animated series

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Pesina</span> American actor

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Ho-Sung Pak is a Korean-American film actor, stunt performer, martial artist, action choreographer, game character, writer, and producer.

<i>Thea Realm Fighters</i> Video game

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liu Kang</span> Mortal Kombat character

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<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (Malibu Comics)

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References

  1. 1 2 "The On Blast Show! Ep10: Katalin Zamiar (Kitana/Mileena) Part 1". Youtube.com. 6 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 25 June 2016– via YouTube.
  2. 1 2 Mortal Kombat II Behind the Scenes, Video Games, April 1994.
  3. ↑ "POW! Mixed Martial Arts". Powkickboxing.com. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  4. ↑ "Chicago Krav Maga". Chicago Krav Maga. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  5. ↑ Katalin Rodriguez-Ogren (2014-04-01). Weight Training for Martial Arts: The Ultimate Guide: Katalin Rodriguez-Ogren: 9781932549713: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   978-1932549713.
  6. ↑ Katalin Rodriguez Ogren. "Video Gamer News: Mortal Kombat's Kitana - POW! Mixed Martial Arts". Chicagonow.com. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
  7. ↑ "Mortal Kombat On The Spot: Katalin Zamiar (Kitana, Mileena and Jade) [HD]". Youtube.com. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 25 June 2016– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "My Personal Experience with Fight Scene Training". Archived from the original on 2017-07-09.
  9. ↑ "Mortal Kombatants killed in kourt". IP Councillors. 1997-06-16. Archived from the original on 2007-10-06.
  10. ↑ "ahn.html". Cyber.law.harvard.edu. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  11. ↑ "Secret Service Magazine (October 1996)". October 1996. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  12. ↑ "CatFight: The Ultimate Female Fighting Game - Windows Cover Art". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  13. ↑ "¿Que fue de los actores de Mortal Kombat?". Eurogamer.es. 27 October 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Far East Films - Reviews - Book Of Swords". Fareastfilms.com. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Original Mortal Kombat Cast, Still Kicking Ass Two Decades Later". Kotaku.com. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
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