American actor and martial artist (born 1972)
This article is about the actor and martial artist. For his father, the martial artist and stuntman, see
Ernie Reyes Sr.
Ernie Reyes Jr.
Born Ernie E. Reyes Jr.
(1972-01-15 ) January 15, 1972 (age 52) Occupation(s) Actor, martial artist Years active 1985–present
Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972)[1] is an American actor and martial artist , known for his acting work in films such as The Last Dragon , Red Sonja (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991), Surf Ninjas (1993) and The Rundown (2003). He has also done stunt work in films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull , as well as motion capture stunts in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland . His TV work includes season 3 episode 4 of Highway to Heaven , dramas such as the short-lived Sidekicks (in which he co-starred with Gil Gerard ), and NCIS: Los Angeles and reality TV series such as Final Fu .
Early life
Reyes was born in San Jose, California , to actor/stuntman Ernie Reyes Sr. and is the grandson of Filipino immigrants.[2] He has three brothers and two sisters, one of whom, Lee, is a boxer and another, Santino Ramos , is a filmmaker/artist. By age 6, Reyes had joined his father's West Coast Demo Team.[citation needed ]
Career
Reyes made his film debut at age 13 in the 1985 film The Last Dragon . The same year he shared the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen in Red Sonja . During this time, he also had his own television series, Sidekicks , a spin-off of the original Walt Disney one-time special The Last Electric Knight , alongside Gil Gerard presented by Michael Eisner .[2] He also appeared in an episode of the hit television series MacGyver in 1988.[3] Reyes had starring roles in Surf Ninjas , the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, The Secret of the Ooze , as Keno, the pizza delivery boy. He also served as the martial arts stunt double for Donatello in the first Ninja Turtles film.[4] He later appeared in films such as Rush Hour 2 playing Zing[5] and in The Rundown alongside WWE wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson .[4] Reyes guest starred in three episodes of the TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues alongside David Carradine .[6]
In 2006, Reyes hosted the MTV martial arts reality show Final Fu .[7]
Reyes has a professional fight record of 3–0 in Strikeforce which was a large mixed martial arts organization but started out as a Muay Thai and kickboxing organization. Ernie fought Anthony Elkaim the WKA ISKA Champion. Reyes knocked out the champion in the 3rd round. His next two fights would be won by decision, including a unanimous decision over Veasna Thach,[8] which aired on ESPN. Ernie Reyes Jr.'s fight against the champion Anthony Elkaim also aired on ESPN .[9] [10] [11] [12]
Reyes has done motion capture stunts for blockbuster films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland .[13] He also played a cemetery warrior in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull who gets killed by his own poison dart. Reyes guest starred on NCIS: Los Angeles "The Frozen Lake" playing "Jay Thapa", a Nepalese soldier who is an expert in knife-fighting.
Personal life
In June 2015, it was reported that Reyes was suffering from kidney failure and was in need of a transplant. According to his sister, Reyes undergoes dialysis three times per week for four hours each day. His family set up a GoFundMe campaign to help raise $75,000 for his medical expenses.[14] [15] In August 2022, Reyes revealed that the transplant had been successful and that he was healthy.[citation needed ]
Reyes married his wife Lisa in 2009. The have two children, Lotus Blossom and Phoenix.[16]
Filmography
As actor
As stunt performer
Kickboxing record
See also
References
^ "Ernie Reyes Jr" . AllMovie . Retrieved 2018-07-22 .
^ a b Wiltens, Jim (June 1987). "Big and Little Ernie Reyes: Sidekicks for Life" . Black Belt . 25 (6): 59.
^ Rizzo, Francis (2005-08-25). "MacGyver - The Complete Third Season" . DVD Talk . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ a b Dornbush, Jonathon (2015-06-12). "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II's Ernie Reyes Jr. needs kidney transplant" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ Rothman, Michael (2015-06-12). " 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Star Ernie Reyes Jr. Needs Kidney Transplant" . ABC News . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ Remer, Justin (2014-07-07). "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues: The Complete First Season" . DVD Talk . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ Iverson, Dan (2006-07-16). "The Final Fu" . IGN . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ Fight Sports Championship Kickboxing – 'Ernie Reyes, Jr. vs. Veasna Thach' Episode Info – MSN TV Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine . Tv.msn.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
^ Ernie Reyes Jr. the fighter – Ernie Reyes Jr. Fan Site Archived 2010-10-01 at the Wayback Machine . Officialerniereyesjr.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
^ ISKA Karate Ernie Reyes, JR fight . karateforums.com
^ Ernie Reyes Jr. – Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine . Sherdog.net (2007-02-13). Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
^ Ernie Reyes, Jr. – MMA News Forums Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine . Mmanews.com. Retrieved on 2011-07-25.
^ West, Jay (2011-03-10). " 'Star Tours' flashback: The rapping C-3PO of 1987" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2016-01-03 .
^ Takeda, Allison (June 12, 2015). "Ernie Reyes Jr., Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Actor, Needs a Kidney Transplant" . Us Weekly . Retrieved June 13, 2015 .
^ " 'TMNT' Actor Ernie Reyes Jr. Needs Kidney Transplant" . ABC News . 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2015-10-29 .
^ https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0721205/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
External links