Phillip Rhee (born September 7, 1960) is an American martial artist, actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer, most famous for his role in the Best of the Best movie series.
Life and career
Rhee was born in South Korea and raised in San Francisco, California. He is a martial artist, actor, director and film producer who has created, produced and starred in numerous films, including the Best of the Best film series. The first Best of the Best film spawned three sequels; Best of the Best 2, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back and Best of the Best 4: Without Warning.
Rhee's 1980 representation of the United States' Taekwondo Team against the South Korean team in the championships of the Asia Games formed the basis of his screenplay for the film Best of the Best.
Family
Philip's brother, Simon, is also a martial artist and actor; he co-starred in the Best of the Best films.
Philip Rhee married his wife, Amy, in 1990. Their son, Sean, appeared in Rhee's 2015 film Underdog Kids and works professionally as a stuntman these days.
Filmography
1977 The Kentucky Fried Movie Klahn's Guard (segment "A Fistful of Yen") 1983 Firefight (short) 1984 Furious 1985 Crime Killer 1985 L.A. Streetfighters 1985 Hell Squad 1988 Silent Assassins 1989 Best of the Best — also producer and storywriter 1993 Best of the Best 2 — also producer 1995 Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back — also director and producer 1998 Best of the Best 4: Without Warning — also director, producer and screenwriter 2015 Underdog Kids — also director, producer and screenwriter 2017 Two Bellmen Three (short)
Personal life
He is trained in various martial arts such as Taekwondo (where he is a 6th dan black belt), Hapkido (where he is a 3rd dan black belt), Wing Chun and Boxing.