Iko Uwais is an Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist.
He is best known for starring in the action films Merantau, The Raid: Redemption, and
The Raid 2: Berandal.
Early life Born in Jakarta, Uwais is of Betawi descent.
He is named after the Muslim mystic Uwais Qarni, founder of the Uwaisi tradition.
He has been learning silat betawi since he was 10 years old at his uncle's pencak silat
training hall, Tiga Berantai.
In 2003, he won third place at the Jakarta Provincial Tournament.
In 2005, he won first place at the National Pencak Silat Championship as the best performer
in the demonstration category.
Apart from silat, his main interest was soccer.
Once a midfielder in an Indonesian B-League soccer club, he stopped his dream of becoming
a soccer star after his club went bankrupt.
Career In 2007, Iko's talent was discovered by Welsh
director Gareth Evans, who was filming a documentary about silat in Iko's training hall.
Iko's natural charisma and great camera presence encouraged Evans to cast him as the leading
role for his first martial art movie, Merantau.
After signing a five year contract with Gareth Evans and his production company, Iko resigned
from his daytime job as an operational driver in a telecom company, Esia.
In his first acting experience in Merantau, Iko played the role of a young Minang, which
led him to learn the Minang style of silat harimau 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
South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas with highly positive reviews.
Merantau won the Best Film award at ActionFest 2010.
Risingsuntokusatsu.com movie reviewer Inui Takumi said of Iko's performance in Merantau:
"...he brings a bit of innocent charm that adds a lot to his performance.
Apparently the director, Gareth Evans, was drawn to this quality as well as his enthusiasm
when he encountered Iko years before while shooting a documentary on the art of Silat.
He says that he saw a star quality in him and immediately worked to get him working
on his first film.
Granted, he may not have done too much as far as intense acting in this movie, but he
shows sparks of something more in his talent that once honed, I think his talent and personality
could definitely raise him to martial arts legend status".
Iko's second collaboration with Gareth Evans was The Raid, which began filming in mid-March
2011 and was released in mid-2012.
The movie has been hailed by critics and audiences in various festivals as one of the best martial
art movies in years.
Iko also served as the co-fight choreographer of the movie along with fellow actor/martial
artist Yayan Ruhian.
Iko collaborated on a third movie with Evans, The Raid 2, a sequel to The Raid.
It was filmed during 2013 and was released internationally during March-April 2014.
The Raid 2 starts off at the point where The Raid ended.
Evans has stated in interviews that there will be a third Raid film in the future.
Personal life On June 25, 2012, at the Hotel Gran Mahakam
in Jakarta, Uwais married Audy Item.
The couple have one daughter named Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais.
Filmography See also
Cinema of Indonesia Martial arts film
References
12.
http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAczRvQuItc, Satu Jam Lebih Dekat Bersama Iko Uwais [full]
13.
http:www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDpW3EUvVd0, The Raid On Hitam Putih [Trans7] /w Eng Sub
External links Iko Uwais at the Internet Movie Database
Iko Uwais on Twitter Articles
Hollywood Elsewhere: Merantau – Indonesia – Directed by Gareth Evans
A Nutshell Review: Merantau/Merantau Warrior Twitch.com: Merantau Review
Pifan.com: A Sumatran Tiger Flashes His Claws: Merantau