Tony Jaa

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Image:Tonyjaa.jpg

Phanom Yeerum (read: Pha-nom Yee-rum)(Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์) (born on February 5, 1976), better known in the West as Tony Jaa, is a martial arts actor and choreographer who is skilled in Muay Thai, taekwondo, Krabi Krabong, and gymnastics. He was born in the Surin Province of northeastern Thailand.

Jaa initially worked as a stuntman, appearing in the movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. His first major movie, in which he played the lead character, was Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003). Jaa did all the stunts in this movie without mechanical assistance or computer-generated effects. He claims to have been inspired by the Chinese action movie stars Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and Jackie Chan, although his fighting style in Ong-Bak remains loyal to his Thai roots.

His next movie is Tom-Yum-Goong (ต้มยำกุ้ง; see also Tom yum kung (ต้มยำกุ้ง)). This movie enjoyed even greater success in Thailand and Hong Kong than Ong-Bak when released.

Selected Filmography

• Sword (2006)
• Tom-Yum-Goong (2005)(as Tony Ja) .... Kham
• The Bodyguard (2004)(as Panom Yeerum) .... Supermarket fighter
• Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior aka "Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior" (2003) .... Ting

External links

• Tony Jaa Unofficial fan site
• Suicide Girls Interview
• Time Asia Interview
• Tom-yum-goong
  • IMDB
  • SWF (SWF)
  • Teaser 1(WMV)
  • Teaser 2 (WMV)
• Tony Jaa at Reims, France. (WMV)

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