Tony Jaa Biography
Yeerum Tatchakorn (Thai: ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์, RTGS: Thatchakon Yiram; formerly Phanom Yeerum (Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์, [pʰā.nōm jīː.rām]); better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom (Thai: จา พนม, RTGS: Cha Phanom, [tšƕā\ pŰā.nōm]), is a Thai martial artist, actor, action choreographer, stuntman, director, and traceur.
Jaa spent 14 years working as a stuntman with Muay Thai Stunt before breaking out as a starring actor. During that time, he was in several of his trainer Panna Rittikrai’s films. The Thai combat styles of Muay Thai, Muay Boran, and “Muay Kotchasaan” (a fighting style Jaa and Rittikrai invented in 2005) are recognized for having been made popular by his martial arts films.
He has acted in several Thai films, such as Tom-Yum-Goong (2005), Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008), Ong Bak 3 (2010), and Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003). Following her departure from Sahamongkol Film International, a Thai film business, in 2013, Jaa joined Universal Studios, where she concentrated on building an international fan base. Jaa has since acted in movies such Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018), SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015), Furious 7 (2015), and Expend4bles (2023).
Tony Jaa Biography Facts
| Name | Tony Jaa |
| Other Names | Tatchakorn Yeerum |
| Famous Roles, Known For | Ong‑Bak: Muay Thai Warrior |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 05 February 1976 |
| Birth Place | Surin, Thailand |
| Residence | Thailand |
| Age | 47 Years |
| Height | 1.68 m (5′ 6″) |
| Weight (Approx.) | 61 kg |
| Body Measurements | Chest : 36 inches Waist : 31 inches Biceps : 14 inches |
| Education | |
| Nationality (Country) | Thailand |
| Food Diet | Non-Vegetarian |
| Hobbies | Acting, Travelling |
Family of Tony Jaa
| Father | Thongdee Yeerum |
| Mother | Rin Saipetch |
| Spouse (Wife) | Piyarat Chotiwattananont (m.2011) |
| Children | Hathaipawee Yeerum, Narinrat Yeerum |
| Siblings | Taweesak Yeerum, Waew Yeerum, Hatthaya Yeerum |
Tony Jaa Favourite Things
| Favourite Food | Chinese Food |
| Favourite Colour(s) | Black, Brown |
| Favourite Destination(s) | London, Hong Kong |
Tony Jaa Early life
Tony Jaa was born to Rin Saipetch and Thongdee Yeerum in a remote Surin Province. He is descended from the Kuy, a Mon–Khmer ethnic group that lives in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. The customs followed by the Kuy are more like to those of Cambodia than they are to those of the Lao or the Thai. The Kuy are renowned for being expert elephant trainers. Tony Jaa is fluent in Northern Khmer, Thai, and Kuy.
When Jaa was younger, he used to watch movies at temple fairs starring Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, which gave him the idea to study martial arts. In the rice field owned by his father, he honed the skills. “What they Lee and Chan did was so beautiful, so heroic that I wanted to do it too,” Jaa stated in an interview with Time in 2004. “I worked on the move until I could perform it precisely as I had observed the experts do.”
At the age of ten, Jaa started training in Muay Thai at a nearby temple. He was under the tutelage of action film director and stuntman Panna Rittikrai at the age of 15. Jaa completed his bachelor’s degree in Maha Sarakham College of Physical Education in Maha Sarakham Province, as advised by Panna. He trained in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Muay Boran, and Krabi-Krabong in his early years, with a focus on acrobatics and gymnastics. Several different martial arts forms, including Jiu-Jitsu, Silat, and Kung-fu, have been featured in his films.
Tony Jaa Net Worth
Tony Jaa is a prominent entertainment business professional with a net worth of approximately $45 million.
Tony Jaa Career
Stunt work
Jaa first appeared in several of Rittikrai’s films during his 14 years as a stuntman for Muay Thai Stunt. When the martial-arts movie star did a commercial for an energy drink in which he had to grab an elephant’s tusks and flip onto its back, he passed for Sammo Hung. Insee Daeng Red Eagle, a Thai television series, included him as a stunt double as well.
2003–2008
Panna and Jaa became interested in Muay Boran, which was the forerunner of muay thai, and spent four years learning the art form in preparation for making a movie about it. Finally, with the guidance of mentor Grandmaster Mark Harris, they were able to create a little clip demonstrating what Jaa was capable of. Prachya Pinkaew, a producer and director, was among those to whom they presented it.
This resulted in Jaa’s breakthrough performance as a main man in Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior in 2003. Without the use of any machinery or computer-generated effects, Jaa performed all of the stunts, which displayed his unique style of fast, dance-like movements and extreme gymnastics. Ankle sprains and ligament injuries were sustained during the filming. In one scene, the actor engaged in combat with another as his own pants caught fire. In a 2005 interview, he remarked, “I actually got burned.” “Once my pants caught fire, the flames quickly spread upward, scorching my nose, eyelashes, and eyebrows. I had to really focus.” After that, it took a few more tries for us to get it perfect.”
His second feature-length film, Tom-Yum-Goong (known as The Protector in the US), was inspired by tom yum soup and featured a Muay Thai move that resembles an elephant.
He visited the Museum of the Moving Image when in New York in August 2006 to promote The Protector’s US premiere.
It was announced by Sahamongkol Film International that Tony Jaa’s third movie, Sword or Daab Atamas, directed by Prapas Chonsalanont, would be about the Thai art of two-sword fighting (daab song mue). However, Sword was canceled as a result of a falling out between Prachya and Jaa, about which neither has made a public statement.
Ong-Bak 2 was supposed to be the follow-up to Ong-Bak, according to reports in March 2006. It began pre-production in the fall of 2006 and was released in December 2008, starring and directed by Jaa.
Jackie Chan, Jaa’s hero, saw his flicks and requested that director Brett Ratner hire Jaa in Rush Hour 3. Chan told the Associated Press, “I think Tony Jaa is the most well-rounded of all action stars, so I gave the director videos of Tony Jaa.” Chan remarked, “The director thought highly of him.” Jaa, however, stated that he will be unable to take part due to schedule issues with Ong Bak 2 filming.
Director Prachya Pinkaew and action ya choreographer Panna Rittikrai were working on Chocolate, which starred Nicharee Vismistananda, a female martial artist, and was released on February 6, 2008, while Jaa and Amogelang were working on Ong-Bak 2. Jaa had been chosen for a small part in Chatrichalerm Yukol’s third film in the King Naresuan trilogy, but the project was eventually canceled. 2010 saw the release of Ong Bak 3, which completes this Thai trilogy.
2010–present
Ong Bak 3, the 2010 follow-up to the prequel Ong Bak 2, was co-directed by Tony Jaa and Panna Rittikrai.
Jaa was ordained as a Buddhist monk in a Buddhist temple in Surin, Thailand, on May 28, 2010.
Following his departure from the monastery, Jaa agreed to work for the Sahamongkol film business. For them, he shot Tom Yum Goong 2, which also stars Jija Yanin from Chocolate. This is the first time Jaa has appeared on the big screen alongside another prominent figure in the international martial arts scene. For this movie, director Prachya Pinkaew and choreographer Panna Rittikrai made a comeback.
Together, Jaa and Dolph Lundgren worked on the unfinished Thai western comedy A Man Will Rise in 2013 and Lundgren’s side project Skin Trade in 2014. After that, Jaa played alongside Vin Diesel in the popular action movie Furious 7, which was directed by James Wan and produced by Wan. Jaa also collaborated with Wu Jing and Louis Koo in the Hong Kong-Chinese action movie SPL II.
For a short while, Jaa was involved in the Kickboxer: Vengeance remake. But it was revealed that he had left the project in November 2014. Jaa’s most recent endeavor was costarring with Vin Diesel once more in D.J. Caruso’s XXX: Return of Xander Cage, which was released in January 2017.
In the third episode of the SPL series, Paradox, which aired in October 2016, Jaa once more starred alongside Louis Koo.
Tony Jaa Personal life
On May 3, 2012, Jaa tied the knot with Piyarat Chotiwattananont, his longtime girlfriend. Two daughters belong to the couple.
Tony Jaa Trivia
does eight hours a day of Muay Thai, gymnastics, and other sports training.
Extremely proficient in swordplay, gymnastics, Tae Kwon Do, and Muay Thai.
He is learning English and speaks Thai and Khmer.
Bruce Lee, he claims, is his main inspiration, but he did get his start in stunt work and action stardom from seeing Jackie Chan films and the 1986 Thai film Gerd ma lui.
Former stuntman who is now an actor; his stunts don’t include any wire work or computer-generated imagery.
Stunt double for Robin Shou in the 1997 film Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.
He holds black belts in both Wushu and Taekwondo.
is genuinely of Cambodian heritage; he goes by “Khmer Surin” instead.
joined a Buddhist temple’s monk order in Surin, Thailand.
born in Surin, a region in northeastern Thailand.
preparing for Ong-Bak’s successor.
He wanted to be like the action stars he watched, like Jackie Chan and Jet Li, so he trained himself to jump really high and perform intricate gymnastics. Little did he know, though, that those stars accomplished their stunts with the help of wires and mats, which is how they naturally developed the same skills.
Without the use of cables, he can leap twelve feet into the air and land a kick so strong it might break wood.
father of Hataipavee Yeerum and Narinrat Yeerum, his two daughters.
Tony draws inspiration for some of his maneuvers from the legendary Korean kicker Won Jin, who made multiple martial arts film appearances and demonstrated an advanced acrobatic kicking style.
He has had instruction in kickboxing, Taekwondo, Wushu, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, and Muay Boran.
Tony Jaa Social Media
- Instagram handle: @tonyjaaofficial
- Twitter handle: @tonyjaaofficial
Tony Jaa Filmography
- Spirited Killer
- Hard Gun
- Mortal Kombat Annihilation
- Nuk Leng Klong Yao
- Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
- Tom-Yum-Goong
- The Bodyguard 2
- Ong Bak 2
- Ong Bak 3
- Tom Yum Goong 2
- Skin Trade
- Furious 7
- SPL II: A Time for Consequences
- XXX: Return of Xander Cage
- Paradox
- Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
- Threat
- Jiu Jitsu
- Monster Hunter
- Detective Chinatown 3
- Expend4bles
Tony Jaa On TikTok
@tonyjaa066
What nationality is Tony Jaa?
nōm jīː. rām]), more renowned globally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom (Thai: จา พนม, RTGS: Cha Phanom, [tšɕā\ pŰā. nōm]), is an actor, stuntman, director, and traceur who specializes in Thai martial arts.
Does Tony Jaa speak English?
He is learning English and speaks Thai and Khmer. Bruce Lee, he claims, is his main inspiration, but he did get his start in stunt work and action stardom from seeing Jackie Chan films and the 1986 Thai film Gerd ma lui. Former stuntman who is now an actor; his stunts don’t include any wire work or computer-generated imagery.
Why is Tony Jaa famous?
Jaa went on to work as a stuntman himself, but with the release of 2003’s Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, which had amazing action sequences and stunt work that made some compare it to early Jackie Chan films, he seemed to suddenly become a national celebrity.
Is Tony Jaa a real martial artist?
Jaa began studying martial arts at the neighborhood temple school. Later, he completed his studies in Wushu, Judo, Tae-Kwan-Do, Muay Boran, and Muay Thai at the Physical Education College in Khon Kaen, Thailand, thanks to a scholarship.
What is the real name of Tony Jaa?
rām]; originally Phanom Yeerum (Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์, [pʰā. nōm jīː. rām]); born on February 5, 1976), better known both internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom (Thai: จา พน, RTGS: Cha Phanom, [tšɕā\ pʰā. nōm]).
