Iko Uwais

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Iko Uwais
Born Uwais Qorny
(1983-02-12) February 12, 1983
Jakarta, Indonesia
Years active 2007–present
Occupation Actor, martial artist (pencak silat)
Spouse Audy Item
(m. 2012)[1]

Iko Uwais (born Uwais Qorny) is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer and martial artist.[2] He is best known as the leading star of the action films Merantau (2009) and The Raid: Redemption (2012).

Early life

Born in Jakarta, Indonesia on 12 February 1983, Uwais Qorny (nickname: Iko) is of Betawi (native Jakartan) descent. He is named after the Muslim mystic Uwais Qarni, founder of the Uwaisi tradition. He has been learning silat Betawi since he was 10 years old at his uncle's pencak silat training hall, Tiga Berantai. In 2003, Iko won third place at the Jakarta Provincial Tournament. In 2005, he won first place at the National Pencak Silat Championship as the best performer in the demonstration category.

Apart from silat, his main interest was soccer. Once a midfielder in an Indonesian B-League soccer club, Iko has stopped his dream of becoming a soccer star after his club went bankrupt. Meanwhile his silat skill has given him chances to travel abroad in several exhibitions in the United Kingdom, Russia, Laos, Cambodia and France.

Career

In 2007, Iko's talent was discovered by Welsh director Gareth Evans, who was filming a documentary about silat in Iko's training hall. Iko's natural charisma and great camera presence encouraged Evans to cast him as the leading role for his first martial art movie, Merantau.[3] After signing a five year contract with Gareth Evans and his production company, Iko resigned from his daytime job as a driver in a telecom company.[4]

In his first acting experience in Merantau, Iko played the role of a young Minang (West-Sumateran), which led him to learn the Minang style of silat harimau (tiger style) from Master Edwel Datuk Rajo Gampo Alam. Merantau was released in Indonesia on 6 August 2009. The film was featured in Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea and South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas with highly positive reviews. Merantau won the Best Film award at ActionFest 2010.[5]

Risingsuntokusatsu.com movie reviewer Inui Takumi said of Iko's performance in Merantau: "...he brings a bit of innocent charm that adds a lot to his performance. Apparently the director, Gareth Evans, was drawn to this quality as well as his enthusiasm when he encountered Iko years before while shooting a documentary on the art of Silat. He says that he saw a star quality in him and immediately worked to get him working on his first film. Granted, he may not have done too much as far as intense acting in this movie, but he shows sparks of something more in his talent that once honed, I think his talent and personality could definitely raise him to martial arts legend status".[6]

Iko's second collaboration with Gareth Evans was The Raid (known as The Raid: Redemption internationally), which began filming in mid-March 2011 and was released in mid-2012.[7] The movie has been hailed by critics and audiences in various festivals as one of the best martial art movies in years.[8] Iko also served as the co-fight choreographer of the movie along with fellow actor/martial artist Yayan Ruhian.

Iko has a third movie planned with Evans, Berandal ("Thugs" in Indonesian), a sequel to The Raid. It was filmed during 2013 and is expected to be released in 2014 with the international title The Raid 2: Berandal.

Personal life

On 25 June 2012, at the Hotel Gran Mahakam, Jakarta, Uwais married Audy Item.[9] The couple have one daughter named Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais.[10][11]

Filmography

Year Title Role
2009 Merantau Yuda
2012 The Raid: Redemption Rama
2013 Man of Tai Chi Gilang Sanjaya
2014 The Raid 2: Berandal Rama

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.kapanlagi.com/showbiz/selebriti/pulau-kapuk-idaman-bulan-madu-audy-dan-iko-2022f2.html
  2. ↑ "Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais talk Merantau". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2011-03-21. 
  3. ↑ "From the valleys of Wales to the hills of Hollywood: Fledgling director Gareth Evan's meteoric rise to fame as critics praise 'The Raid'". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  4. ↑ Brown, Todd. "Reviews: Fantastic Fest 09: MERANTAU Review". Twitchfilm.net. Retrieved 2011-10-15. 
  5. ↑ Twitch.com: Undisputed 3, 14 Blades and Merantau win at ActionFest 2010. Chuck Norris declines Lifetime Achievement Award!
  6. ↑ http://risingsuntokusatsu.com/2012/12/10/movie-review-merantau/
  7. ↑ Gareth (2011-02-06). "The Raid: An Introduction". Theraid-movie.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17. 
  8. ↑ Jones, Gareth (2012-05-15). "UK Readers: Check Out This Bullet-Ridden New Clip from The Raid and Win a Limited Edition Bag!". Dread-Central.com. Retrieved 2012-05-15. 
  9. ↑ http://www.kapanlagi.com/showbiz/selebriti/pulau-kapuk-idaman-bulan-madu-audy-dan-iko-2022f2.html
  10. ↑ http://entertainment.kompas.com/read/2013/10/12/1608294/Iko.Uwais-Audy.Item.Dikaruniai.Anak.Pertama
  11. ↑ http://www.merdeka.com/artis/audy-item-lahirkan-anak-perempuan-secara-caesar.html>

External links

Articles

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