Cynthia Rothrock

Cynthia Rothrock is one of the greatest martial arts/action film stars in the world, Few other performers can match her presence and energy on the silver screen. She is the undisputed "Queen of Martial Arts films". Cynthia Rothrock is not only a great action star, but also an incredibly accomplished martial artist. She holds 5 Black Belts in various Far Eastern martial disciplines. These Arts include; Tang Soo Do (Korean), Tae Kwon Do (Korean), Eagle Claw (Chinese), Wu Shu (contemporary Chinese), and Northern Shaolin (classical Chinese).

When she was a 13-year-old growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, she started taking lessons at her parents best friends private gym. Little did she know at the time that this casual interest would lead to a full-time professional career. Her natural abilities were quickly recognized by her martial arts teachers and they encouraged her to enter open karate competition, By the time she had earned her first Black Belt she was well on her way to becoming a martial arts champion. By 1982 Cynthia was one of the premier Kata (forms) and weapon competitors in the United States. Competing in divisions that were not segregated by male-female categories, she literally captured every title in both open and closed karate competition.

Cinematically, Cynthia burst onto the scene like a stick of dynamite after "starring" in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial in the early 1980s. Soon there after Producers and Directors recognized her martial arts skills and her career began a steady climb upward. Cynthia's first full length motion picture was Yes Madam also starring Michelle Yeoh. The movie turned out to be a hit and broke all box office records in Hong Kong,

Cynthia and Michelle were launched and on their way to becoming two of the most successful female action stars in the world, Putting it briefly, when Cynthia was invited to Hong Kongto appear in motion pictures, she didn’t know what to expect. She thought they were going to do period pieces where she would have to wear tight pigtails and traditional Chinese costuming. To her surprise she soon thereafter discovered that she would be starring in Chinese action films set in modern times with contemporary themes,

Cynthia Rothrock’s movie career "shooting schedule" has taken her to some of the most exotic locations on the planet. Paradoxically, she has also endured some of the worse climatic conditions that anyone in the moton picture could ever anticipate – all in the name of making "action-adventure" motion pictures.

She has had her celebrated moments in the "spot light" as a film personality that has been a true martial artist from the beginning of her film career. Appearing at Arnold Schwarzenegger's Fitness EXPO '98 brings back fond memories of Arnold actually singing "Happy Birthday" to her on stage before a packed house that drew 75,000 competitors and spectators for a weekend in Columbus, Ohio in 1998. Much of that same notoriety has been experienced at Film Festivals all over the world in addition to countless hundreds and hundreds of karate and kung-fu tournaments she has attended over the past decade. 

Being honored at the Crystal Awards (comparable to Hollywood’s Academy Award "Oscars") had it’s finer moments as well. Cynthia was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for popularizing martial arts around the world through the film media.

Publicity has followed Cynthia Rothrock through every stage of her illustrious career. She is the "media darling" of virtually every reporter, writer, and martial arts magazine in the world. They know that she draws readers by the thousands to their publication. In fact, her "image" and "career" is perhaps followed more closely (by martial arts enthusiast) than any other "martial arts" actors except Chuck Norris or Jackie Chan.

source: http://www.cynthiarothrock.org/