Ray Park

Ray Park was born on August 23, 1974, in Glasgow, Scotland. At the age of seven, he moved with his family to London, UK. His exposure to martial arts began at age seven, inspired by his father’s interest in Bruce Lee films. He specialized in traditional Chinese Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, specifically the Chin Woo style, and later mastered Wushu. In 1991, at 16, Park became a member of the Great Britain Wushu team. He competed internationally, including the 1st World Wushu Championships in Beijing, China, where he was the first Wushu athlete from Great Britain and Europe to rank in the top seven. He continued competing for Great Britain for six years, earning Gold Medals for the Great Britain Wushu and Chin Woo Martial Arts teams.

Simultaneously, Park pursued gymnastics, teaching himself until he found a school at 15 that provided proper training facilities. This gymnastic training enhanced his martial arts skills. By 19, he became a boys’ squad coach at a gymnastics gym, later overseeing recreational gymnastics in London schools. His boys’ squad, from Hendon Gymnastics Club, secured first place in The London Youth Games. His film career began when he was approached to audition for “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” (1997) during a visit to Malaysia. He worked as a martial arts advisor to a stunt coordinator and eventually played a Reptile character, Baraka, and doubled for Rayden.

His passion for cinematic martial arts led him to learn about filmmaking. Stunt coordinator Nick Gillard invited him to audition for George Lucas’s “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (1999). Offered the role by producer Rick McCallum, Park was given significant creative freedom by George Lucas to develop his character’s choreography. This period allowed him to adapt his character, Darth Maul, to the best of his abilities within the production.