Darren Shahlavi
Actor
Darren Majian Shahlavi (5 August 1972 – 14 January 2015), sometimes credited as Shahlavi, was an English actor, martial artist and stuntman. His surname is of Persian origin. He may be best known for his role as Taylor "The Twister" Milos in the 2010 film Ip Man 2. Shahlavi was known primarily for playing bad guys in martial arts films such as Bloodmoon and Tai Chi Boxer. He had starred in the Asian film series The Techno Warriors, and American films Hostile Environment, Sometimes a Hero, Legion of the Dead and the cult classic Beyond the Limits for German horror master Olaf Ittenbach. In recent years, Shahlavi appeared in big-budget films such as 300 and Watchmen, independent features such as The Final Cut with Robin Williams, and as an actor and stuntman in several of Uwe Boll's films, including Blood Rayne and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. Shahlavi was born to Iranian immigrant parents at Stockport, Cheshire, England on 5 August 1972. At the age of 7, he started studying Judo in a rented acting theatre, where he would arrive early to peek at the actors performing. After discovering the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, he dreamed of appearing in action films. He began training in Shotokan Karate at the age of 14 under Sensei Dave Morris and Horace Harvey; and later boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai at Master Toddy's gym in Manchester. At 16, Shahlavi started to pursue a career in film and got the attention of Hong Kong action cinema expert Bey Logan in the early 1990s. According to Logan's commentary on the Tai Chi Boxer DVD, Shahlavi spent time at Logan's home watching, studying and copying martial art films from Logan's personal collection. In an interview with the Persian Mirror, Shahlavi mentioned that Logan wrote a script for him to star in, and off he went to Malaysia. On arrival, however, it became apparent that no money was in place, and Logan's partner Mark Houghton put Shahlavi to work as a stuntman. Shahlavi later moved to Hong Kong to pursue his acting career.
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