Iko Uwais

Uwais Qorny (pronounced [uˈwaɪh ˈkorni]),[1] known professionally as Iko Uwais, is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist.[2][3] He is best known for acting in the action films Merantau (2009), The Raid (2011), The Raid 2 (2014), Headshot (2016), Mile 22 (2018), The Night Comes for Us (2018), Stuber (2019) and the Netflix series Wu Assassins (2019–present).[4][5]

Iko Uwais
Uwais at the New York premiere of The Raid 2 in March 2014
Born
Uwais Qorny

(1983-02-12) 12 February 1983
Jakarta, Indonesia
Occupations
  • Actor
  • stuntman
  • fight choreographer
  • martial artist
Years active2007–present
Spouse
​
(m. 2012)​
Children2
Signature

Early life

Iko Uwais was born Uwais Qorny in Jakarta, to Musthafa and Maisyaroh Kamaluddin.[6][7] His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a silat master and founded a silat school.[8] He is named after the 7th-century Islamic figure Owais al-Qarani.[9]

Career

In 2007, Uwais was discovered by director Gareth Evans, who was filming a documentary about silat, a form of martial arts, in Uwais's training hall. Uwais's natural charisma and great camera presence encouraged Evans to cast him as the leading role for his first martial art movie, Merantau.[10][11] After signing a five-year contract with Gareth Evans and his production company, Uwais resigned from his daytime job as an operational driver at Esia, an Indonesian telecom company.[12][13][14]

In his first acting experience in Merantau, Uwais played the role of a young Minang (West-Sumatran), 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 Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas with highly positive reviews.[15][16][17] Merantau won the Best Film award at ActionFest 2010.[18][19]

Uwais's second collaboration with Gareth Evans was The Raid (known as The Raid: Redemption in the United States), which began filming in mid-March 2011 and was released in mid-2012.[20] The movie has been hailed by critics and audiences in various festivals as one of the best martial art movies in years.[21]

Uwais collaborated on a third movie with Evans, The Raid 2. Uwais also appeared briefly in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), alongside The Raid 2 co-star Yayan Ruhian.[5][22]

In 2016, he appeared in the martial arts film Headshot, which received generally positive reviews.[23]

In 2017, he filmed the international martial arts film Triple Threat, together with Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Tiger Chen, and Scott Adkins—the film was released in early 2019.[24] In 2018, Uwais starred in the films, Mile 22 and The Night Comes for Us.[25][26] In the same year, it was announced that Uwais was cast in the lead role of Kai Jin on the Netflix series, Wu Assassins.[27] The series premiered on 8 August 2019.[28] Uwais reprised his role in the sequel film, Fistful of Vengeance.[29] It was released on 17 February 2022 to mixed reviews.[30]

In 2019, Uwais starred in the action comedy film Stuber alongside Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista.[31] In the same year, it was announced that Uwais will appear in a film called China Town Express playing a man who must fight through the gangland of New York to save his family after the disappearance of his son during a gang's killing spree.[32] Uwais is also attached to star in The Bellhop, one of the first five films in development by Balboa Productions, the new production company co-founded by Sylvester Stallone in 2018.[33]

Uwais played Hard Master in Snake Eyes, a spin-off from the G.I. Joe movie franchise.[34][35] The film was released on 23 July 2021.[36][37][38][39] He will next star in the action thriller, Chinatown Express.[40]

In October 2021, Uwais joined the cast of Expend4bles, set to be released in 2023.[41] In May 2023, Iko Uwais was announced to star in a sci-fi thriller Ash directed by Flying Lotus alongside Aaron Paul, Eiza González, Beulah Koale, and Kate Elliott.[42]

Personal life

On 25 June 2012, Uwais married singer Audy Item at the Hotel Gran Mahakam in Jakarta.[43] The couple have two daughters, Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais[44][45] and Aneska Layla Putri Uwais.[46]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Director(s) Notes Ref.
2009 Merantau (Wander) Yuda Gareth Evans [47]
2011 The Raid Rama Also action choreographer [48]
2013 Man of Tai Chi Gilang Sanjaya Keanu Reeves [49]
2014 The Raid 2 Rama/Yuda Gareth Evans Also fight choreographer [50]
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Razoo Qin-Fee J. J. Abrams [51]
2016 Headshot Ishmael/Abdi The Mo Brothers [4]
2017 Beyond Skyline Sua Liam O'Donnell Also action choreographer [52]
2018 Mile 22 Li Noor Peter Berg Also co-fight choreographer [53]
The Night Comes for Us Arian Timo Tjahjanto Also action coordinator [54]
2019 Triple Threat Jaka Jesse V. Johnson [55]
Stuber Oka Tedjo Michael Dowse Also action choreographer [56]
2021 Snake Eyes Hard Master Robert Schwentke
2022 Fistful of Vengeance Kai Jin Roel Reiné [29]
2023 Expend4bles Rahmat Scott Waugh [41]
TBA Ash
The Bellhop [57]
Chinatown Express [40][58]
The Blind of the Phantom Cave: Angel's Eyes
(Si Buta dari Gua Hantu: Mata Malaikat)		 Barda Mandrawata Timo Tjahjanto

Television series
Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2019 Wu Assassins Kai Jin Netflix Main role; also as producer and lead fight choreographer [59]

Awards and nominations
Year Organisation Award Work Result Ref.
2010 Indonesian Movie Awards Best Newcomer Actor Merantau Nominated [60]
Favorite Newcomer Actor Nominated [60]
2013 Indonesian Movie Awards Best Chemistry
(shared with Donny Alamsyah)		 The Raid Nominated [61]
2014 Indonesian Choice Awards Actor of the Year Himself Nominated [62]
Indonesian Yahoo! Celebrity Awards Most Wanted Male Nominated [63]
Republika Awards The Best Republika's Change Figure Won [64]
2016 Infotainment Awards Indonesian Celebrity of World Achievement Won [65]
JawaPos Group Awards Actor of the Year Won [64]

See also

References
  1. "Belajar Silat Dari Iko Uwais". Lapor Pak!. Trans7. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  2. Brown, Todd (4 February 2009). "Gareth Evans and Iko Uwais talk Merantau". Twitch Film. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  3. "Iko Uwais". Martial Arts & Action Entertainment. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  4. Harvey, Dennis (16 September 2016). "Film Review: 'Headshot'". Variety. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  5. "Iko Uwais and the Indonesian heroes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens". BBC News. BBC. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. "Biografi Iko Uwais – Dari Supir Truk Hingga Menjadi Aktor Laga Holywood". Biografi Ku (in Indonesian). 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  7. Liputan6.com (13 February 2018). "Rayakan Ultah Ayahnya, Iko Uwais Undang Kesedihan". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  8. Arditya, Andreas D. (5 April 2014). "Iko Uwais juggles films and fatherhood". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  9. "10 things you need to know about Iko Uwais". Movies.ie. Ireland. 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  10. Lee, Ann (11 April 2014). "The Raid 2 star Iko Uwais: Gareth Evans is like my ugly brother". Metro.co.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  11. Lambie, Ryan (14 May 2012). "The Raid Q&A: director Gareth Evans and star Iko Uwais". Den of Geek!. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  12. Brown, Todd (28 September 2009). "Reviews: Fantastic Fest 09: 'Merantau' Review". Twitchfilm.net. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  13. "Iko Uwais, Mantan Supir Merambah Dunia Akting" [Iko Uwais, a former driver who goes to acting world]. Pikiran Rakyat (in Indonesian). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  14. Saputra, Aditia (1 April 2014). "Iko Uwais, Sopir Truk yang Menjadi Aktor Laga" [Iko Uwais, a truck driver who becoming an action actor]. Liputan6.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  15. Soo-Mee, Park (23 July 2009). "Puchon film festival wraps, sets encore". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  16. Brooks, Brian (30 September 2009). "Fantastic Fest Thrills Up Prize Winners". IndieWire. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  17. Brown, Todd (25 September 2009). "Fantastic Fest 09: 'Merantau' Review". Screen Anarchy. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  18. Renninger, Bryce J. (22 April 2010). "Chuck Norris Passes on Lifetime Achievement Award at ActionFest". IndieWire. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  19. "'Undisputed 3', '14 Blades', and 'Merantau' win at ActionFest 2010, Chuck Norris declines Lifetime Achievement Award!". Twitchfilm.net. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  20. Deri (4 March 2011). "'Serbuan Maut' (The Raid) Lebih Dahsyat dari 'Merantau'" ['The Raid' will be more awesome than 'Merantau']. 21 Cineplex (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  21. Jones, Gareth (15 May 2012). "UK Readers: Check Out This Bullet-Ridden New Clip from The Raid and Win a Limited Edition Bag!". Dread Central. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  22. "The Raid trio to appear in Star Wars: Episode 7 – The Force Awakens". Twitch Film. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  23. "Headshot". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  24. Roxborough, Scott (5 November 2016). "AFM: Tony Jaa, Tiger Chen and Iko Uwais Are a 'Triple Threat'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  25. Kroll, Justin (2 March 2015). "Ronda Rousey, Peter Berg and Iko Uwais Team on Action Pic 'Mile 22' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  26. Donato, Matt (25 September 2018). "'The Night Comes for Us' Review: A Bloody, Action-Packed, Punch-a-Minute Thriller [Fantastic Fest]". Slash Film. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  27. Petski, Denise (20 July 2018). "'Wu Assassins': Katheryn Winnick, Lewis Tan, Tommy Flanagan & Tzi Ma Join Netflix Martial Arts Drama". Deadline. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  28. PacificRimVideoPress (19 April 2019), Juju Chen on working on NetFlix Wu Assassins and Lewis Tan, archived from the original on 20 December 2021, retrieved 8 May 2019
  29. Petski, Denise (26 February 2021). "'Wu Assassins' Standalone Movie Set At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  30. Massoto, Erick (20 January 2022). "'Fistful of Vengeance' Trailer Reveals the 'Wu Assassins' Standalone Movie Coming to Netflix". Collider. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  31. Fachriansyah, Rizki (25 June 2019). "Iko Uwais changes his game in 'Stuber'". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  32. Bona, J. J. "'The Raid' star Iko Uwais boards the 'Chinatown Express' | cityonfire.com". Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  33. Donnelly, Matt (23 July 2019). "Sylvester Stallone's Production Company Wants to Be the Blumhouse of Action Films". Variety. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  34. Borys, Kit (6 September 2019). "'The Raid' Star Iko Uwais in Talks to Join G.I. Joe Spinoff 'Snake Eyes' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  35. D'Alessandro, Anthony (14 October 2019). "G.I. Joe Spinoff 'Snake Eyes': Samara Weaving To Play Scarlett". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  36. D'Alessandro, Anthony (9 April 2021). "'Snakes Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins' Moves Up To Summer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  37. D'Alessandro, Anthony (1 May 2020). "'G.I. Joe' Sequel In Development With 'Seberg' Scribes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  38. Mancuso, Vinnie (27 July 2020). "'G.I. Joe' Spinoff 'Snake Eyes' Delayed Until 2021". Collider. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  39. LeBlanc, Wesley (29 August 2020). "Snake Eyes Delayed to 2021". IGN. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  40. Golden, Lee (19 June 2019). "CHINATOWN EXPRESS: Iko Uwais Boards New Action Thriller From Er Dong And Hollywood Gang". Film Combat Syndicate. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  41. Kroll, Justin (26 October 2021). "'The Raid' Star Iko Uwais To Play Villain In 'The Expendables 4'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  42. Ntim, Zac (15 May 2023). "'Ash': Flying Lotus's Sci-Fi Thriller Starts Production And Rounds Out Cast". Deadline. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  43. Daniel, Ruben (26 June 2012). "'Pulau Kapuk' Idaman Bulan Madu Audy dan Iko" [Pulau Kapuk, the dream honeymoon of Audy and Iko]. KapanLagi.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  44. Suhendra, Ichsan (12 October 2013). "Iko Uwais-Audy Item Dikaruniai Anak Pertama" [Iko Uwais-Audy Item blessed with the first child]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  45. "Audy Item lahirkan anak perempuan secara caesar" [Audy Item gave birth a baby girl by cesarean delivery]. Merdeka.com (in Indonesian). 11 October 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  46. Rismoyo, Mauludi (13 June 2018). "Lewat Persalinan Caesar, Ini Nama Anak Kedua Audy dan Iko Uwais" [Giving birth by cesarean delivery, this is Audy's and Iko's second child's name]. Detik.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  47. Elley, Derek (8 November 2009). "Merantau". Variety. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  48. Bradshaw, Peter (17 May 2012). "The Raid – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  49. "Man of Tai Chi (2013) – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  50. Chang, Justin (22 January 2014). "Sundance Film Review: 'The Raid 2: Berandal'". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  51. Robinson, Joanna (20 December 2015). "24 Delightful 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Cameos You Might Have Missed". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  52. Wira, Ni Nyoman (1 November 2017). "Uwais-Ruhiyan duo at it again in 'Beyond Skyline'". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  53. Kroll, Justin (2 March 2015). "Ronda Rousey, Peter Berg and Iko Uwais Team on Action Pic 'Mile 22' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  54. Sembiring, Ira Gita Natalia (19 September 2017). "Iko Uwais Jadi Aktor Sekaligus Koreografer di "The Night Comes for Us"" [Iko Uwais as actor and choreographer at "The Night Comes for Us"]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  55. "Triple Threat (2019)". IMDb. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  56. White, James (8 April 2018). "The Raid's Iko Uwais joins action comedy 'Stuber'". Empire. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  57. Donnelly, Matt (23 July 2019). "Sylvester Stallone's Production Company Wants to Be the Blumhouse of Action Films". Variety. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  58. "Chinatown Express (Iko Uwais)". Kung Fu Fandom. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  59. O'Connell, Michael (29 June 2018). "Netflix Orders Martial Arts Drama 'Wu Assassins'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  60. "Indonesian Movie Awards 2010 : Siap Digelar" [2010 Indonesian Movie Awards: Ready to be held]. 21 Cineplex (in Indonesian). 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  61. Yuniar, Nanien (21 May 2013). "Daftar nominasi Indonesian Movie Awards 2013" [List of the nominees of the 2013 Indonesian Movie Awards]. Antara News (in Indonesian). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  62. Effendi, Ahmad (7 May 2014). "Yuk, Intip Daftar Nominasi Indonesian Choice Awards 2014!" [Here is the nominees of the 2014 Indonesian Choice Awards!]. KapanLagi.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  63. "Daftar Pemenang dan Nominasi Yahoo Celebrity Awards 2014" [List of the nominees and winners of the 2014 Yahoo! Celebrity Awards]. Kios Media (in Indonesian). 7 December 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  64. "Penghargaan dan Nominasi yang Pernah Dicapai Iko Uwais". jatimnetwork.com (in Indonesian). 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  65. "Daftar lengkap pemenang Infotainment Awards 2016" [Complete list of the winners of the 2016 Infotainment Awards]. Rappler (in Indonesian). 22 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
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