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James Lew

James Lew's film credits read like a history of late 20th- and early 21st-century action movies. The martial arts master was the fight coordinator, stunt man, actor, and occasionally all three at once for over 100 big-screen productions in his storied career. Lew was certainly qualified for the job. After receiving his Kung Fu black belt in 1972, he won championships not only in that discipline but in several others, including tae kwon do and submission grappling. He was based in Los Angeles, so film and TV work were a logical next step. He used his training in bit parts as combative men in such testosterone-heavy punch-'em-up films as 1988's "Action Jackson" and "Escape from L.A." (1996). The bulk of his work was behind the scenes, however, either as a stuntman, stunt coordinator (as in the 1991 action-fest "Double Impact," starring Jean-Claude Van Damme), or the martial arts trainer (for the 1992 teenager-vs.-undead black comedy "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"). Lew kept himself in prime shape throughout his career, and even when approaching the age of 60 he still ably handled the physical demands of his job. The best example of this is his stunt work in the surreal, martial arts-flavored thriller "Inception" (2010).