Scott Adkins
Scott Edward Adkins was born in Sutton Coldfield, England on 17 June 1976 into a family of butchers. He has Spanish descent because of his grandmother. He first became interested in martial arts at the age of ten, when he visited a local Judo club with his father and older brother.
After being robbed at age 13, his interest in martial arts grew even more. That same year, he began to practice Taekwondo, receiving his black belt at the age of 19. Since the age of 16, Scott also started to practice Kickboxing with Anthony Jones, eventually becoming a kickboxing instructor for the Professional Karate Association (PKA). Scott Adkins also has experience in Ninjutsu, Karate, Wushu, Jiujitsu, Muay Thai, Capoeira and Acrobatic Gymnastics.
His first break came when he was offered a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Dei Seung Chui Keung (2001) (aka Extreme Challenge). Spotted by Head of the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Wei Tung and English-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan, Adkins found himself in the East for the first time.
He got the chance to work with some of Hong Kong cinema’s leading action directors including Woo-ping Yuen, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung Kam-Bo and the legendary Jackie Chan.
Starring roles in films and Yuri Boyka Last Man Standing (2006). After this Scott had guest starring roles in bigger budget films like The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Tournament (2009), and played Jean-Claude Van Damme’s main adversary in Sony Pictures The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008). Adkins appears in the role of King Amphitryon in The legend Hercules.