Phillip Rhee

Last updated
Phillip Rhee
Philip Rhee (face cropped).jpg
Philip Rhee in 2008
Born
Phillip Rhee

(1960-09-07) September 7, 1960 (age 65)
OccupationActor

Phillip Rhee (born September 7, 1960) is a Korean American martial artist, actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer, best known for his role as Tommy Lee in the 1989 American martial arts film Best of the Best , and its sequels Best of the Best 2 (1993), Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995), and Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998). [1] [2] [3] Rhee's 1980 representation of the United States' Taekwondo Team against the South Korean team in the championships of the Asia Games formed the basis of his screenplay for the film Best of the Best.

Contents

Rhee has advanced training in taekwondo (sixth-degree black belt), hapkido (third-degree black belt), wing chun and boxing.

Life and career

Rhee was born in South Korea and raised in San Francisco, California. [4] He is a martial artist, actor, director and film producer who has created, produced and starred in numerous films including the Best of the Best film series. The first Best of the Best film spawned three sequels: Best of the Best 2 , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back and Best of the Best 4: Without Warning .

Family

Philip's brother Simon is also a martial artist and actor; Simon co-starred in the Best of the Best films and runs a taekwondo studio in Woodland Hills, California. [5]

In 1990, Philip Rhee married his wife Amy, a former actress and model in Korea. Their son Sean appeared in his father's 2015 film Underdog Kids and is a professional stuntman.

Rhee announced in August 2025 plans to make the fifth installment of the Best of the Best series, "Best of the Best: Honor the Brave." [6]

Filmography

Personal life

He has advanced black belts in Taekwondo (sixth dan) and Hapkido (third dan) and trained in Wing Chun and Boxing. [7]

References

  1. ↑ "Plot Defeats 'Best' Karate Sequences". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  2. ↑ "A BLEND OF TWO GENRES FOUND IN 'NINJA TURF'". The Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2011-01-13.
  3. ↑ "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. 1 May 1994 – via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Zirogiannis, Marc (July 2015). "Phillip Rhee Underdog Master". Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine (July 2015): 58. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Simon Rhee". www.simonrheetkd.com. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  6. ↑ https://maactioncinema.com/archives/27168#:~:text=After%20more%20than%20two%20decades,Related
  7. ↑ Martial Arts & Action Movies: Top 100 Martial Arts Movie Stars and their Training Backgrounds (Updated!)
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