Scott Edward Adkins (born 17 June 1976[1]) is a British actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his villainous portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American martial arts film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), a role he reprised in its sequels Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), which won him an Action on Film Award for Breakout Action Star, and Boyka: Undisputed (2017), which won him a Jackie Chan Action Movie Award for Best Action Movie Actor.
Scott Adkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Adkins in December 2023 | |
| Born | 17 June 1976 Sutton Coldfield, England |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | scottadkins |
Born in Sutton Coldfield, Adkins began practising martial arts at age 13, taking up taekwondo and earning his black belt at age 19. His early acting credits include minor roles in the Hong Kong films The Accidental Spy (2001), Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002), and The Medallion (2003), and the American films Special Forces (2003), Unleashed (2005), and The Pink Panther (2006). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film Ninja (2009), a role he reprised in the sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013).
Adkins is known for his collaborations with Jean-Claude Van Damme, starring in The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008), Assassination Games (2011), Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning and The Expendables 2 (both 2012). He also collaborated with Wu Jing in Wolf Warrior (2015), Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019), Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais in Triple Threat (2019), and Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
Early life
editScott Edward Adkins was born into a family of butchers in Sutton Coldfield on 17 June 1976.[1] 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.[2] After being robbed at age 13, his interest in martial arts grew even more. That same year, he began to practice taekwondo. At age 16, he started to practice kickboxing and eventually became a kickboxing instructor for the Professional Karate Association. He also ran weekly classes at the Fitness First in Bearwood. He has since gained experience in aikido, capoeira, gymnastics, jujutsu, karate, Krav Maga, MMA, ninjutsu, and wushu.
Adkins was inspired by Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.[1] He said in 2012, "I wanted to be an actor first because I grew up idolising action stars. The first one for me was Bruce Lee, and then there was Stallone and Arnold, and then Van Damme came along in '88 and really inspired me."[3]
Career
editAdkins secured a role in a Hong Kong martial arts film called Dei Seung Chui Keung (2001), known in English as Extreme Challenge. He was spotted by Head of the Hong Kong Stuntmen Association and director Stephen Tung and British-born Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan.[4][5] He had the opportunity to work with some of Hong Kong cinema's leading action directors including Yuen Woo-ping, Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung, and Jackie Chan. He was soon offered a guest role in the BBC series Doctors (2000) and appeared in a few episodes of the BBC series City Central (1999) and EastEnders (2003), and a lead role in the Sky One comedy-drama Mile High (2003), followed by a regular role in BBC's Holby City (2006).[citation needed]
Starring roles in feature films soon followed with Adkins' portrayal of Talbot in Special Forces (2003) and Yuri Boyka in Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006). It was this film that broke him into the mainstream with his villainous portrayal of the Russian MMA underground fighter Yuri Boyka. After this, he 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 The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008). He shared the role of Weapon XI with Ryan Reynolds in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). His first lead role was as Casey Bowman in the American martial arts film Ninja (2009),[1] a role he reprised in the sequel Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013).[citation needed]
In 2012, Adkins was cast to star in Métal Hurlant Chronicles, a television adaptation of the popular French comic book Metal Hurlant.[citation needed] He has worked in four films with his idol Jean-Claude Van Damme: The Shepherd: Border Patrol (2008), Assassination Games (2011), Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, and The Expendables 2 (both in 2012).[citation needed] In 2014, he played King Amphitryon in The Legend of Hercules.[6][7] He was reunited with action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in 2019 when he starred alongside Donnie Yen in Ip Man 4: The Finale as the main antagonist Barton Geddes.[8] According to Adkins, Yen personally requested him to star in the film.[9] He also starred in Day Shift (2022) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).[10]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Accidental Spy | Lee's bodyguard / Turkish leader | Credited as Scott Edward Adkins |
| Extreme Challenge | Isac Borman | Direct-to-video | |
| Pure Vengeance | Dany | Short film | |
| 2002 | Black Mask 2: City of Masks | Dr. Lang | |
| 2003 | Special Forces | Talbot | Direct-to-video |
| The Medallion | Snakehead's Henchman | ||
| 2005 | Danny the Dog | Swimming Pool Fighter | |
| Pit Fighter | Nathan | Direct-to-video | |
| 2006 | The Pink Panther | Jacquard / Footballer | |
| Undisputed II: Last Man Standing | Yuri Boyka | Direct-to-video | |
| 2007 | The Bourne Ultimatum | Agent Kiley | |
| 2008 | The Shepherd: Border Patrol | Karp | Direct-to-video |
| Stag Night | Carl | ||
| 2009 | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Weapon XI | Shared role with Ryan Reynolds |
| The Tournament | Yuri Petrov | ||
| Ninja | Casey Bowman | Direct-to-video | |
| 2010 | Undisputed III: Redemption | Yuri Boyka | |
| 2011 | Assassination Games | Roland Flint | |
| 2012 | El Gringo | The Man | |
| The Expendables 2 | Hector | ||
| Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning | John | Direct-to-video | |
| Zero Dark Thirty | John Simmons | ||
| 2013 | Legendary | Travis Preston | Direct-to-video |
| Green Street 3: Never Back Down | Danny Harvey | ||
| Ninja: Shadow of a Tear | Casey Bowman | ||
| 2014 | The Legend of Hercules | King Amphitryon | |
| 2015 | Zero Tolerance | Steven | Direct-to-video |
| Wolf Warrior | Tom Cat[11] | ||
| Close Range | Colton MacReady | Direct-to-video | |
| Re-Kill | Parker | ||
| 2016 | Home Invasion | Heflin | |
| Jarhead 3: The Siege | Gunny Raines | ||
| Grimsby | Pavel Lukashenko | ||
| Criminal | Pete Greensleeves | ||
| Hard Target 2 | Wes Baylor | Direct-to-video | |
| Doctor Strange | Lucian / Strong Zealot | ||
| Eliminators | Martin Parker / Thomas Mackenzie | Direct-to-video | |
| 2017 | Savage Dog | Martin Tillman | |
| Boyka: Undisputed | Yuri Boyka | ||
| American Assassin | Victor | ||
| 2018 | Accident Man | Mike Fallon | Direct-to-video; also producer and screenwriter |
| Deadpool 2 | Weapon XI | Archive footage; shared role with Ryan Reynolds | |
| The Debt Collector | French | Direct-to-video | |
| Incoming | Reiser | ||
| No Surrender | The Crazy One | ||
| 2019 | Abduction | Quinn | |
| Triple Threat | Collins | ||
| Avengement | Cain Burgess | Direct-to-video | |
| Ip Man 4: The Finale | Barton Geddes | ||
| 2020 | Debt Collectors | French | Direct-to-video |
| Legacy of Lies | Martin Baxter | ||
| Seized | Nero | ||
| Dead Reckoning | Marco | ||
| The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud | Max Cloud | ||
| 2021 | One Shot | Jake Harris | |
| Castle Falls | Mike Wade | ||
| 2022 | Day Shift | Diran Nazarian | |
| Section Eight | Leonard Locke | Direct-to-video | |
| Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday | Mike Fallon | Direct-to-video; also producer, screenwriter and fight choreographer | |
| 2023 | John Wick: Chapter 4 | Killa Harkan | |
| Wherever You Go | Joseph | ||
| 2024 | One More Shot | Jake Harris | direct-to-video |
| Lights Out | Don 'The Reaper' Richter | ||
| The Killer's Game | Angus Mackenzie | [12] | |
| Take Cover | Sam Lorde | Direct-to-video | |
| 2025 | Skyline: Warpath† | Eric Corley | Post-production; Direct-to-video |
| Diablo † | Kris Chaney | Post-production; direct-to-video; also producer | |
| TBA | Death March† | James Wright | Post-production, direct-to-video; also screenwriter |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Television
edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Dangerfield | Episode: "Paths" | |
| 1999 | City Central | Jake Clanton | Episode: "Life Liberty and Pursuit" |
| 2000 | Doctors | Ross | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | The Big Breakfast | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2002 | Mutant X | Marko | Episode: "Sign from Above"; uncredited |
| 2003 | EastEnders | Joel | 6 episodes |
| 2005 | Mile High | Ed Russell | 12 episodes |
| Hollyoaks: Let Loose | Ryan | 2 episodes | |
| 2006 | Holby City | Bradley Hume | 9 episodes |
| 2012, 2014 | Métal Hurlant Chronicles | Guillame / Joe Manda | 3 episodes |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Undisputed III: Redemption | Action on Film Award | Breakout Action Star | Won |
| 2017 | Boyka: Undisputed | Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards | Best Fight | Won |
| 2017 | Boyka: Undisputed | Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards | Best Action Movie Actor | Won |
References
edit- ^ a b c d "About Scott Adkins". ScottAdkins.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Interview | Scott Adkins on 'Close Range' and 'Doctor Strange' - CraveOnline". CraveOnline. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
- ^ "Scott Adkins Interview: 'Universal Soldier,' Fighting van Damme, and 'Zero Dark Thirty'". 24 September 2012.
- ^ Francisco, Eric (21 February 2024). "Scott Adkins is the Last of the Great Action Stars". Inverse. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Travis (4 October 2021). "Enter the world of action star Scott Adkins with 'Ninja: Shadow of a Tear'". SBS Australia. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
- ^ Peter Martin. "Scott Adkins Crowned King In Renny Harlin's HERCULES 3D". TwitchFilm. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013.
- ^ "'Kickboxer' Reboot Punches Up Cast With Scott Adkins, Tony Jaa". Variety. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ^ "Meet Scott Adkins, Donnie Yen's nemesis in Ip Man 4". South China Morning Post. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Topel, Fred (1 January 2020). "'Ip Man 4: The Finale' Villain Scott Adkins Reveals One Big Change in His Fight with Donnie Yen". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (29 June 2021). "'John Wick 4': Scott Adkins In Talks To Join Keanu Reeves In Next Installment". Deadline. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Scott Adkins". Archived from the original on 21 April 2014.
- ^ Fuge, Jonathan (11 July 2023). "John Wick 4 Stars Scott Adkins & Marko Zaror Join Dave Bautista in Action Flick The Killer's Game". MovieWeb. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
External links
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