Jeff Speakman
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| Jeff Speakman | |
| Occupation | actor martial artist in Kenpo |
|---|---|
| Website http://www.jeffspeakman.com |
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Jeff Speakman born on November 8, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois is an American actor and an accomplished martial artist in the art of kenpo.
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[edit] Early life
Speakman was a springboard diver in high school and achieved All-American status. He broke several records and never had a coach. His grades while at John Hersey High School did not allow him a scholarship, so he had to work for his tuition to get into college. He graduated from Missouri Southern State College with a degree in psychology and a minor in biology six years after graduating high school.[citation needed]
He has said that the television show Kung Fu got him interested in martial arts, and spent years training in American Kenpo under his principal instructor, Larry Tatum, as well as under Ed Parker, the founder of the system. He received his 1st degree black belt in American Kenpo in 1984. He has subsequently obtained a seventh-degree rank in kenpo with other instructors, and also currently holds a 7th-degree black belt in the Goju-Ryu Karate style which he began to study under Grandmaster Lou Angel starting in 1978.[citation needed] It is known that in a lot of his sparring he uses a lot of groin attacks such as the testicular claw, low blow, as well as kicks, elbows, knees, slaps, and punches to the groin.
[edit] Acting career
He started acting in 1988 and became an action movie star in 1991 with the release of The Perfect Weapon, which still features the best-known application of kenpo techniques and principles in popular film.[citation needed] He followed this up with Street Knight in 1993.
[edit] Current
He holds training camps (Jeff Speakman International Kenpo Camp) for American kenpo and still acts in minor action movies. He was inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 1994[1]
[edit] Filmography
- 1988 Side Roads
- 1988 Slaughterhouse Rock, bit part
- 1990 Lionheart, bit part
- 1991 The Perfect Weapon
- 1993 Street Knight
- 1995 The Expert
- 1996 Deadly Outbreak
- 1996 Timelock
- 1997 Scorpio One
- 1997 Plato's Run
- 1998 Memorial Day
- 1998 Escape from Atlantis
- 1998 Land of the Free
- 1999 Hot Boyz
- 1999 Running Red (also Executive Producer)
- 2002 Night Terror
- 2004 The Gunman
- 2006 Bloodlines
[edit] External links
- Jeff Speakman Website: Jeff Speakman website
- Jeff Speakman at the Internet Movie Database
- USA Dojo Biography: http://www.usadojo.com/martial-artists-biographies/martial-artist-jeff-speakman.htm
- Jeff Speakman Photos: http://jeffspeakmankenpo.tripod.com/
