Diana Lee Inosanto
Diana Lee Inosanto | |
|---|---|
 Diana Lee Inosanto in 2008 | |
| Born | May 29, 1966 |
| Other names | D. Lee Inosanto |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) | Ron Balicki (m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) |
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| Website | dianaleeinosanto |
Diana Lee Inosanto (born May 29, 1966) is an American actress, stuntwoman, and martial artist.[1] She also wrote and directed the film The Sensei (2008),[2] as well as having written a children's book titled The Curious Mind of Sebastian in 2020.[3]
Life and career[]
Inosanto was born in Torrance, California and was raised in Carson, California and later, Harbor City, California, where she attended Narbonne High School. Her father is Dan Inosanto and she is married to fellow martial artist Ron Balicki.
Martial arts[]
Inosanto grew up surrounded by the martial arts world, studying many forms, including Jeet Kune Do and Eskrima, which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto, a student of Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce Lee, who was also her godfather.[4] She has appeared on the cover of numerous martial arts magazines, including Black Belt Magazine, Martial Arts, Inside Karate, Self Defense, and Inside Kung Fu. She was named Woman of the Year by Black Belt Magazine in 2009.
Film and television[]
Apart from doing stunt work and choreography in numerous films and television productions, Inosanto has also acted in a number of movies and series. Her directorial debut, The Sensei, was released in 2008.[2]
In 2020, Inosanto appeared in one episode of the second season of Disney's The Mandalorian, playing the role of Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth.[5]
Theatre[]
Inosanto is active in Southern California theatre as a member of the Asian American theatre group Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. In 2008 she worked with East West Players, serving as martial arts choreographer on the world premiere of Dan Kwong's play Be Like Water.
Writing[]
In 2020, Inosanto published her first book, the children's story The Curious Mind of Sebastian.[3] The same year, she also contributed a foreword to the book Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend.[6]
Selected filmography[]
- Moonlighting (1986–87) (Actress - 7 episodes)
- Barb Wire (1996) (Stunts)
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2002) (Stunts - 7 episodes)
- Spy Game (1997) (Stunts)
- Face/Off (1997) (Stunts)
- Team Knight Rider (1997) (Stunts)
- Red Corner (1997) (Stunts)
- The Roseanne Show (1997) (Stunts)
- Walker, Texas Ranger (1997–98) (Stunts - 4 episodes)
- Blade (1998) (Stunts, actress)
- The Patriot (1998) (Stunts)
- The Last Man on Planet Earth (1999) (Stunts)
- Wild Wild West (1999) (Stunts)
- Mystery Men (1999) (Stunts)
- MADtv (1999) (Actress - 1 episode)
- Life Streams (2000) (Actress, co-producer)
- Black Scorpion (2001) (Stunts)
- Fists of Cheese (2002) (Assistant stunt coordinator, associate producer)
- The Time Machine (2002) (Actress)
- On Sundays (2002) (Co-producer)
- A Ribbon of Dreams (2002) (Associate producer)
- Modern Warriors (2002) (Herself)
- Star Trek: Enterprise (2002–05) (Stunts)
- Hulk (2003) (Actress)
- 10-8: Officers on Duty (2003) (Stunts)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) (Fight choreographer)
- The Vault (2005) (Actress)
- Rent (2005) (Actress)
- The Prodigy (2006) (Actress, associate producer)
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) (Actress)
- The Sensei (2008) (Writer, director, producer, actress)[7]
- Sinners and Saints (2010) (Co-producer, assistant stunt coordinator)
- I, Frankenstein (2014) (Martial arts trainer to Aaron Eckhart / Socratis Otto)
- Spy (2015) (Martial arts trainer to Melissa McCarthy)
- The Mandalorian (2020) (Actress - 1 episode)
References[]
- ^ "The Sensei" profiled by Jane Mee Wong in Northwest Asian Weekly
- ^ Jump up to: a b "A Different Kind of Martial Arts Film: D. Lee Inosanto's 'The Sensei' battles prejudice and homophobia in 1980s small town in Colorado". asianweek.com. May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Adventure Theatre honors API Heritage Month with streaming special events". dcmetrotheaterarts.com. May 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Bruce Lee - Die Faust Hollywoods, documentary by Annette Baumeister in the series Too Young To Die, ZDF / Arte, Germany 2015
- ^ "Who Plays The Magistrate In The Mandalorian? Bruce Lee Connection Explained". screenrant.com. November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ "Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend". bookdepository.com. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ "THE SENSEI—The Evening Class Interview With Diana Lee Inosanto". theeveningclass.blogspot.com. May 24, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
External links[]
- 1966 births
- American Jeet Kune Do practitioners
- American stunt performers
- American film actresses
- American actresses of Filipino descent
- Actors from Torrance, California
- Living people
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses of Filipino descent
- People from Carson, California
- People from Harbor City, Los Angeles
- American television actresses