Phillip Rhee

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Phillip Rhee
Philip Rhee.jpg
Philip Rhee (left) in 2008
Born
Phillip Rhee

(1960-09-07) September 7, 1960 (age 63)
OccupationActor

Phillip Rhee (born September 7, 1960) is an 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. Rhee is trained in various martial arts such as Taekwondo (where he is a 6th dan black belt), Hapkido (where he is a 3rd dan black belt), Wing Chun and Boxing.

Contents

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 .

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. [5]

Family

Philip's brother, Simon, is also a martial artist and actor; he co-starred in the Best of the Best films.

Philip Rhee married his wife, Amy, in 1990. Their son, Sean, appeared in Rhee's 2015 film Underdog Kids and works professionally as a stuntman these days.

Filmography

Personal life

He is trained in various martial arts such as Taekwondo (where he is a 6th dan black belt), Hapkido (where he is a 3rd dan black belt), Wing Chun and Boxing. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taekwondo</span> Korean martial art

Taekwondo, also spelled tae kwon do or taekwon-do, is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.

Hapkido is a Korean martial art. It is a form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. It also teaches the use of traditional weapons, including knife, sword, rope, nunchaku, cane, short stick, and middle-length staff, gun, and bō (Japanese), which vary in emphasis depending on the particular tradition examined.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to martial arts:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tang Soo Do</span> Korean martial art

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art based on karate and may include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by some Kwans to identify the traditional Korean fusion of martial arts styles. In the mid 1950s, Tang Soo Do became the basis for the martial art Taekwondo when the Korean Nine Kwans united.

Han Bong-soo, also known as Bong-soo Han, was a Korean martial artist, author, and the founder of the International Hapkido Federation. He was one of the foremost and recognized practitioners of hapkido through his participation in books, magazine articles, and popular films featuring the martial art. He is often referred to as the "Father of Hapkido" in America.

Rhee Taekwon-Do, also known as Rhee Tae Kwon-Do, Rhee Tae Kwon Do, or Rhee Taekwondo, is a martial art school in Australia teaching the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Its full name is "Rhee International Taekwon-Do (Australia)". Chong Chul Rhee, one of the original masters of taekwondo, founded the school in the mid-1960s. Two of Rhee's brothers, Chong Hyup Rhee and Chong Yoon Rhee, later came to assist him in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Taekwondo Association</span> Taekwondo Association

Korea Taekwondo Association, originally the Korea Tang Soo Do Association (1961), is the first taekwondo organisation. It was founded in 1959, although official South Korean sources give 1961 as its year of establishment. In 1966, some members of the KTA, led by H. H. Choi, broke off from the KTA and formed the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF). The Kukkiwon and the then-World Taekwondo Federation were created by the KTA in the early 1970s. The KTA sits under the Korea Sports Council, is aligned with Kukkiwon, and is a Member National Association (MNA) of the WT. Its goal is to promote the martial art taekwondo as a national sport within South Korea.

Chung Do Kwan, created by Won Kuk Lee in 1944, is one of the first of nine schools or kwan teaching Tang Soo Do. Later, the school began to teach what came to be known as taekwondo. This style of Tang Soo Do is known for its overall power and emphasis on kicks to the head.

Rhee Jhoon-goo, commonly known as Jhoon Rhee, was a Korean-American taekwondo partitioner. He is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art to the United States of America, after arriving in the 1950s. He was ranked 10th dan, and held the title of Grandmaster.

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<i>When Taekwondo Strikes</i> 1973 film by Huang Feng

When Taekwondo Strikes is a 1973 Hong Kong martial arts film directed and written by Feng Huang, and produced by Raymond Chow. The film is known for the collective martial arts experience of its cast and the high-quality fight choreography. The film stars an international cast of martial arts film actors, including Angela Mao, Jhoon Rhee, Anne Winton, Wong In Sik, Carter Wong, Kenji Kazama, Sammo Hung, Biao Yuen, and Golden Harvest producer Andre Morgan. This was Jhoon Rhee's only film, and Anne Winton's debut film.

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Tommy Chang is a South Korean martial artist, stunt performer and actor. Chang is a 8th dan black belt in Taekwondo and 8th dan in Hapkido. He is the founder of the ReelStunts Action Team and the president of the Black Belt World Canada Taekwondo school.

Allen R. Steen is an American martial arts practitioner, teacher, and promoter. He was taught by Jhoon Rhee, the "Father of American Taekwondo", and was the first of Rhee's American students to reach black belt standing.

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Son Duk-sung was a martial artist, Grand Master, 9th degree black belt, co-founder of the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do, successor of Lee Won-kuk and leader of the Chung Do Kwan school (1950–1959). He was also the chief Instructor of the South Korean Army and the Eighth U.S. Army, founder and president of the World Tae Kwon Do Association and author of the books "Korean Karate, the Art of Tae Kwon Do” and “Black Belt Korean Karate ".

Park, Yeon-Hwan is a South Korean Grandmaster of Taekwondo. He currently has earned a ninth-degree black belt and holds the title kwan jang-nim (Grandmaster) under the direction of the Kukkiwon. Park was the undefeated Korean national champion of Tae Kwon Do from 1971 to 1975 and the former coach of the U.S. Olympic and Pan-American Tae Kwon Do team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun-hwan Chung</span> South Korean martial artist

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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. Inc, Active Interest Media (1 May 1994). "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. via Google Books.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. Zirogiannis, Marc (July 2015). "Phillip Rhee Underdog Master". Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine (July 2015): 58. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  5. Zirogiannis, Marc (July 2015). "Phillip Rhee Underdog Master". Tae Kwon Do Times (July 2015): 58. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  6. Martial Arts & Action Movies: Top 100 Martial Arts Movie Stars and their Training Backgrounds (Updated!)