American actress, director, and martial artist
Diana Lee Inosanto is an American actress, director, former stunt performer ,[ 1] and martial artist .[ 2] She also wrote and directed the film The Sensei (2008),[ 3] and wrote the 2020 children's book The Curious Mind of Sebastian .[ 4]
Personal life
Inosanto is married to fellow martial artist Ron Balicki . They have two children.[ 5]
Career
Martial arts
Inosanto grew up surrounded by the martial arts world, studying many forms, including Jeet Kune Do and Eskrima , which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto , a student of Jeet Kune Do founder Bruce Lee , who was also her godfather.[ 6] She has appeared on the cover of numerous martial arts magazines, including Black Belt Magazine , Martial Arts , Inside Karate , Self Defense , and Inside Kung Fu . She was named Woman of the Year by Black Belt Magazine in 2009.[citation needed ]
Film and television
Apart from doing stunt work and choreography in numerous films and television productions, Inosanto has also acted in a number of movies and series. Her directorial debut, The Sensei , was released in 2008.[ 3]
In 2020, Inosanto appeared in one episode of the second season of Disney 's The Mandalorian , playing the role of Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth.[ 7] She later reprised the role in Ahsoka and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire .[ 8]
Theatre
Inosanto is active in Southern California theatre as a member of the Asian American theatre group Lodestone Theatre Ensemble . In 2008, she worked with East West Players , serving as martial arts choreographer on the world premiere of Dan Kwong 's play Be Like Water .[citation needed ]
Writing
In 2020, Inosanto published her first book, the children's story The Curious Mind of Sebastian .[ 4] The same year, she also contributed a foreword to the Fiaz Rafiq book Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend .[ 9]
Selected filmography
Beach photoshoot, 2004
Moonlighting (1986–87) (actress – 7 episodes)
Barb Wire (1996) (stunts)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2002) (stunts – 7 episodes)
Spy Game (1997) (stunts)
Face/Off (1997) (stunts)
Team Knight Rider (1997) (stunts)
Red Corner (1997) (stunts)
The Roseanne Show (1997) (stunts)
Walker, Texas Ranger (1997–98) (stunts – 4 episodes)
Blade (1998) (stunts, actress)
The Patriot (1998) (stunts)
The Last Man on Planet Earth (1999) (stunts)
Wild Wild West (1999) (stunts)
Mystery Men (1999) (stunts)
MADtv (1999) (actress – 1 episode)
Life Streams (2000) (actress, co-producer)
Black Scorpion (2001) (stunts)
Fists of Cheese (2002) (assistant stunt coordinator, associate producer)
The Time Machine (2002) (actress)
On Sundays (2002) (co-producer)
A Ribbon of Dreams (2002) (associate producer)
Modern Warriors (2002) (herself)
Star Trek: Enterprise (2002–05) (stunts)
Hulk (2003) (actress)
10-8: Officers on Duty (2003) (stunts)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) (fight choreographer)
The Vault (2005) (actress)
Rent (2005) (actress)
The Prodigy (2006) (actress, associate producer)
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) (actress)
The Sensei (2008) (writer, director, producer, actress)[ 10]
Sinners and Saints (2010) (co-producer, assistant stunt coordinator)
I, Frankenstein (2014) (martial arts trainer to Aaron Eckhart / Socratis Otto )
Spy (2015) (Martial arts trainer to Melissa McCarthy )
The Mandalorian (2020) (actress – 1 episode)
Ahsoka (2023) (actress – 7 episodes)[ 11]
The Tiger's Apprentice (2024) (actress)
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024) (actress – 3 episodes)[ 12] [ 13]
References
^ "Ahsoka's Diana Lee Inosanto on her transition from stunt performer to actor" . cbc.ca . March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024 .
^ "The Sensei" profiled by Jane Mee Wong in Northwest Asian Weekly
^ a b "A Different Kind of Martial Arts Film: D. Lee Inosanto's 'The Sensei' battles prejudice and homophobia in 1980s small town in Colorado" . asianweek.com . May 2, 2008. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^ a b "Adventure Theatre honors API Heritage Month with streaming special events" . dcmetrotheaterarts.com . May 13, 2020. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^ "Director fights hatred with martial arts" . nwasianweekly.com . October 25, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2023 .
^ Bruce Lee - Die Faust Hollywoods , documentary by Annette Baumeister in the series Too Young To Die , ZDF / Arte , Germany 2015
^ "Who Plays the Magistrate in The Mandalorian? Bruce Lee Connection Explained" . screenrant.com . November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020 .
^ Bonomolo, Cameron (July 30, 2023). "Who's Who in Star Wars: Ahsoka" . ComicBook.com . Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023 .
^ "Bruce Lee: The Life of a Legend" . bookdepository.com . Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^ "THE SENSEI—The Evening Class Interview with Diana Lee Inosanto" . theeveningclass.blogspot.com . May 24, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2020 .
^ "Diana Lee Inosanto Signs with Gersh (Exclusive)" . Hollywood Reporter. April 19, 2023.
^ Complex, Valerie (April 4, 2024). " 'Star Wars: Tales of the Empire' Trailer: Disney+ Unveils Dave Filoni's Animated Follow-Up to 'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi' " . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 .
^ StarWars.com Team (April 4, 2024). "Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Trailer Revealed" . Star Wars . Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024 .
External links
International National Artists