It’s always fun to find celebrities who practice and enjoy martial arts. It’s an even better treat if they are good at it. This is almost a must for action stars so it can be really disappointing when you find out a particular action star doesn’t know what they are doing.
At any rate, this article will start with 10 celebrities who do martial arts. Please feel free to recommend an addition to the list by contacting me.
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Henry Cavill
Superman himself trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with some of the best practitioners in the world. Sometimes he trains at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and rolls with Roger Gracie himself.
Check out his Instagram to see some photos, like this one, of him in between training or when rolling.
Keanu Reeves
One of the reasons why Keanu Reeves is such an incredible action star is that he does a ton of training.
What’s interesting is that he doesn’t showcase his progress on social media. That’s not to say there aren’t behind-the-scenes shots of his training floating around.
Ed O’Neill
Not only has Al Bundy thrown 4 touchdowns in one game, but he has also trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu! O’Neill has trained under Rorian Gracie for almost 20 years and earned his black belt in 2007.
The best part is, even in his 70s, he is still training. People have compared earning a black belt from the Gracie family is like winning an Oscar in acting.
“Receiving a black belt was the greatest achievement of my life, apart from my children.”
Ed O’Neill
Tom Hardy
Hardy is no stranger to MMA and has been around professional fighters like Nathan Jones, Nate Marquardt, and Yves Edwards. This includes training for movie roles and overall martial arts training.
Here’s a photo from his Instagram that looks to be right after a nice workout.
Wesley Snipes
You could tell action movie star Wesley Snipes had at least some type of training. What may surprise you is that he is:
- a fifth dan black belt in Shotokan Karate
- a third dan black belt in Taekwondo
- and a second degree black belt in Hapkido
He also practices Capoeira, Eskrima, Kung Fu, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Wow, what a well-rounded fighter. He started his journey at 12 years old and never stopped training.
Jason Statham
You may have first discovered Jason Statham in The Transporter. Not only is he a big fan of MMA, but he has also trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wing Chun, Karate, and Kickboxing.
Robert Downey Jr
When you watched both Sherlock Holmes movies, you may have been surprised at some of his skills. Robert Downey Jr. trains Wing Chun Kung Fu under Master Instructor Eric Oram.
Training for those movies was not the only reason why he started his martial arts journey. On an episode of Oprah’s show, he revealed how Wing Chun grounded him and helped him recover from his past.
Herschel Walker
You may know Herschel Walker from his football days. Have you heard about his cage fighting days? His debut was pretty impressive. His record is 2-0 professionally.
Phil Mickelson
This pro golfer was criticized for being out of shape in the past. He has remedied that by practicing Kung Fu and Taekwondo.
Joe Rogan
Last on my inaugural list is none other than Joe Rogan. You may know him as an entertainer or UFC broadcaster, but Rogan has a long history of martial arts training.
He trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Eddie Bravo. Prior to that, he has trained and competed in Taekwondo since he was a kid.
And not just entered competitions, he won the US Open Taekwondo Championship and later won the grand championship after defeating the middleweight and heavyweight champions as the lightweight champion.
Ashton Kutcher
There have already been a few comedians on this list, but would you have ever guessed that Ashton Kutcher is part of the martial arts community? He has trained under Rigan Machado in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Kutcher is also an MMA fan. Every once in a while, he shows up at UFC and wrestling events.
Who Else?
Fun stuff. Let me know who else should be added to the list. Please provide a link to a picture or video if you can.