Tony Jaa! wah!

Tony Jaa aka Tatchakorn Yeerum or formerly Panom Yeerum as he was known was Born February 5, 1976 in Surin province, Isaan, Thailand. Tony Jaa was raised in a rural area and as he grew up he watched films by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li at temple fairs, which was his inspiration to learn martial arts. He was so inspired by them that while he was doing chores or playing with friends, he would imitate the martial arts moves that he had seen, practicing in his father’s rice paddy. Also, he would give baths to the family’s elephants and somersault off their backs into the river.

“What they did was so beautiful, so heroic that I wanted to do it too,” Jaa told Time in a 2004 interview. “I practiced until I could do the move exactly as I had seen the masters do it.”

At age 15 he requested to become a protege of stuntman and action-film director Panna Rittikrai. Panna had instructed Jaa to attend Maha Sarakham College of Physical Education in Maha Sarakham Province.

He initially worked as a stuntman on Panna’s team, Muay Thai Stunt. Eventually Together, Panna and Jaa developed an interest in Muay Boran, an ancient style of Muay Thai and worked and trained for 1 year at the art with the intention of developing a film around it.

His films captured the attention of his hero, Jackie Chan, who asked director Brett Ratner to cast Jaa in Rush Hour 3. “I gave the director videos of Tony Jaa because I think Tony Jaa is the most well-rounded of all action stars,” Chan told the Associated Press.

Though he is a action star his martial arts truly stand out as a very dangerous and probably the ultimate of all art forms. I say this because of the way Tony Jaa has perfected his art. If u see the video, it involves everything Kung Fu, jujutsu, Parkour Muay Boran and Muay Thai, and Kali. Now seriously someone who’s nearly perfected all of these together must have some physical abnormality of pain endurance. Besides, Jackie Chan’s compliment only further substantiates his mastery over martial arts.