Tatchakorn Yeerum, better known as Tony Jaa, is an internationally renowned Thai martial artist, actor, stuntman, director, choreographer and Buddhist monk who is widely recognised for his films, namely Paradox, SPL II: A Time for Consequences, Furious 7, amongst others.

Jaa became a Buddhist monk in 2010 after working on many successful films, and upon leaving the monastery he accepted a deal with Sahamongkol Film Company, proceeding to film Tom Yum Goong 2.

Born and raised in rural Thailand, Jaa was inspired by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li films as a child, which led him to pursue martial arts. Jaa worked hard and practised a lot; he has said, “what they did was so beautiful, so heroic that I wanted to do it too”. At the age of fifteen, Jaa was invited to become a protégé of stuntman and film director, Panna Rittikrai.

Jaa worked as a stuntman for fourteen years, appearing in many of Panna’s films.

Jaa has his breakout role in 2003, when he starred as the leading man in Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. He showed extreme skill and athleticism, performing stunts without mechanical assistance or digital effects. His second major film was Tom-Yum-Goong and he went on to gain great renown for appearing in many widely recognised productions. Jaa’s films captured the attention of his hero, Jackie Chan, who commended Jaa for his skill and abilities.