Radames Pera | |
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| Born | September 14, 1960 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1968–present [1] |
| Website | Radames Pera on YouTube |
Radames Pera (born September 14, 1960) is an American actor best known for his role as "Grasshopper", the student Kwai Chang Caine in the 1972 to 1975 television series Kung Fu .
Pera was born in New York City, the son of actress Lisa Pera and Spin Art's inventor, Eugene R. Pera. The couple split shortly after moving to Hollywood with their son in 1963. Over the next five years Lisa reached some notable success as an actor in film and network TV.
In 1968, at age eight, Radames was discovered by classic film Director Daniel Mann to play the role of Anthony Quinn and Irene Papas' dying son in the feature A Dream of Kings (1969). The two met at a dinner party Radames' mother held and he got cast in the role of Stavros. [2]
After numerous young character roles, between 1972 until 1975 Radames appeared as Young Caine (better known as "Grasshopper") in the ABC television series Kung Fu. Caine was an orphan from Hunan Province in China who had an American father and a Chinese mother. He appeared throughout the original 4-year run of the hit Warner Bros./ABC series and for many more years in worldwide re-runs. [2] For the role, Radames had to have his head shaved in the Pilot and Second Season, opting for bald-cap makeup during the 1st and 3rd seasons.
In Kung Fu Radames mainly worked with veteran Asian-American actors Philip Ahn (Master Kan), Keye Luke (blind Master Po, who named him "Grasshopper") and Richard Loo (Master Sun). His "flashback" scenes mostly took place in a Shaolin Monastery where he was taught by monks to be a Shaolin priest and kung-fu master. He is depicted as the first person to be welcomed into a Shaolin Monastery who was not of full Chinese birth. Kwai Chang Caine as an adult was played by David Carradine.
Radames also had a recurring role on Little House on the Prairie as John (Jr.), eldest adopted son of Mr. Edwards, and became Mary Ingalls' love interest during the show's second and third seasons. [2]
Pera's other acting roles include a disturbed pre-teen in an episode of Night Gallery , "Silent Snow, Secret Snow", narrated by Orson Welles; guest appearances on The Six Million Dollar Man ; and as Don Ameche's son in the telefilm Gidget Gets Married . Between 1969 and 1985 other guest-starring credits include Lassie , Marcus Welby, M.D. , Family Affair , Hawaii Five-O and The Waltons among many others.
Radames withdrew from the acting business entirely after 1987. [2] His final television appearances were on Mickey Spillane's The New Mike Hammer , and Starman . His last film role of the 20th century was as a Soviet soldier, Sgt. Stepan Gorsky in John Milius' Red Dawn (1984).
Pera developed other interests in video and electronics, forming his own company, All Systems Go! in L.A. in 1988, designing and installing home theaters and residential sound systems for clients like Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Sharon Stone, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey,Jr., Ben Stiller, Chuck Norris and others. [2] [4] Six years later he successfully relocated his life and business to Portland, Oregon for the next ten years, then to Austin, Texas, for another eight years. [5] He continued to specialize in eliminating remote control clutter and other AV and WiFi solutions at his San Diego–based company, Remotalize (2012–2015). [6] After retiring from the AV business Radames moved to France in 2017, where he wrote his memoirs and is currently seeking a literary agent and publisher. [7]
Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, operating from 1925 to 2011.
Shaolin kung fu, also called Shaolin Wushu, or Shaolin quan, is the largest and most famous style of kung fu. It combines Zen philosophy and martial arts. It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China during its 1500-year history. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven," which indicates its superiority among martial arts, and "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin," which indicates its influence on other martial arts. The name Shaolin is also used as a brand for the so-called external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin.
Kung Fu is an American action-adventure martial arts Western drama television series starring David Carradine. The series follows the adventures of Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin monk who travels through the American Old West, armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts, as he seeks Danny Caine, his half-brother.
David Carradine was an American actor, director, and producer, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage, spanning more than four decades. He was widely known to television audiences as the star of the 1970s television series Kung Fu, playing Kwai Chang Caine, a peace-loving Shaolin monk traveling through the American Old West.
Chang Cheh was a Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them with the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong. Most of his films are action films, especially wuxia and kung fu films filled with violence.
Alexander Fu Sheng, also known as Fu Sing, was a Hong Kong martial arts actor. One of Hong Kong's most talented performers, Fu rose to prominence in the 1970s starring in a string of movies with the Shaw Brothers that accrued him international stardom throughout Asia and parts of North America.
Bak Mei is said to have been one of the legendary Five Elders—survivors of the destruction of the Shaolin Monastery by the Qing dynasty (1644–1912)—who, according to some accounts, betrayed Shaolin to the imperial government. He shares his name with the South Chinese martial art attributed to him.
Gordon Liu ; born Sin Kam-hei is a Chinese actor and martial artist best known for his martial arts films.
Kung Fu: The Movie is a 1986 made-for-television film and the first in a series of sequels which continued the story of the Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine, first introduced in the 1972–1975 television series Kung Fu. David Carradine reprises the role of Caine. The role of his son, Chung Wang, is portrayed by Brandon Lee in his acting debut. The film aired on Brandon's 21st birthday on February 1, 1986. The role of Master Po is also reprised by Keye Luke and The Manchu is portrayed by Mako. In the film, the show's hero, Kwai Chang Caine (Carradine), is forced to fight his hitherto unknown son, Chung Wang (Lee).
Kung Fu: The Next Generation is a 1987 television pilot which was intended to be a follow-up to the 1972–75 television series, Kung Fu. It was the second follow-up to the series after Kung Fu: The Movie (1986). It tells the story in present day of the great-grandson of the Shaolin monk played by David Darlow and his son Johnny Caine, portrayed by Brandon Lee. The main supporting cast includes Miguel Ferrer as Mic, Paula Kelly as Lt. Lois S. Poole, and Dominic Barto as Carl Levin.
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues is an action/crime drama series and sequel to the original 1972–75 television series Kung Fu. While the original Kung Fu series was set in the American old west, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was set in modern times. It starred David Carradine and Chris Potter as a father and son trained in kung fu – Carradine playing a Shaolin monk, Potter a police detective. The series aired in syndication for four seasons from January 27, 1993, to January 1, 1997, and was broadcast in over 70 countries. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario.
Kwai Chang Caine is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC 1972–1975 action-adventure western television series Kung Fu. He has been portrayed by David Carradine as an adult Caine, Keith Carradine as a younger Caine, Radames Pera as the child Caine, and Stephen Manley as the youngest Caine.
Chang Dsu Yao was a teacher of the martial arts Meihuaquan and tai chi.
Hung Yan-yan is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, stuntman and action director originally from Liuzhou, Guangxi, China. He was the stunt double for martial arts superstar Jet Li.
Kung Fu Cult Master is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber. Directed by Wong Jing, it featured fight choreography by Sammo Hung and starred Jet Li, Sharla Cheung, Chingmy Yau, and Gigi Lai in the lead roles.
Snake kung fu is a Shaolin boxing style, one of several Chinese martial arts known as "snake boxing" or "fanged snake style" that imitate the movements of snakes. Proponents claim that adopting the fluidity of snakes allows them to entwine with their opponents in defense and strike them from angles they would not expect in offense. Snake style is said to especially lend itself to applications with the Chinese straight sword. The snake is also one of the animals imitated in Yang-style tai chi, Baguazhang and Xingyiquan. The sinuous, fluid motion of the snake lends itself to the practical theory that underlies the "soft" martial arts.
Carter Wong is a Hong Kong actor and martial artist, who is mainly known for roles in Kung Fu action movies. The biggest movies he was featured in are Big Trouble in Little China (1986), and Yong zheng ming zhang Shao Lin men (1977). As an actor, he contributed to more than seventy martial arts films. He also worked as a stuntman in films, and was the fighting instructor for the movie Rambo III. Wong is still active in martial arts.
Kam Yuen, (simplified Chinese: 金源; pinyin:Jīn yuan; born in Hong Kong, was a Chinese-born American martial arts expert who was the consultant and stunt coordinator for the original television series Kung Fu. He also played the roles of Wong Ti and Lin Wu in the series and was the double for Keye Luke, who played Master Po in the series. Yuen was David Carradine's martial arts instructor. He credited Yuen as the inspiration for the series' main character, Kwai Chang Caine; Carradine's book, The Spirit of Shaolin, was dedicated to Kam. A grandmaster of the Tai Mantis style of Shaolin kung fu and known as the "Praying Mantis of North America" for his skill in the fighting style, Yuen's film credits included the role of Red Band in Circle of Iron, co-written by Bruce Lee which was produced posthumously and also stars Carradine, and Project Eliminator.
Lee Hoi-sang is a Hong Kong martial arts film actor and martial artist, known for his roles in The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978), Shaolin Challenges Ninja (1978), The Incredible Kung Fu Master (1979), The Young Master (1980), The Prodigal Son (1981), Project A (1983), Shaolin and Wu Tang (1983) and Disciples of the 36th Chamber (1985), alongside actors such as Jackie Chan, Gordon Liu, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Bolo Yeung.
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