Diana Lee Inosanto
Encyclopedia
Diana Lee Inosanto is a Filipino American
actress, stuntwoman
, martial artist
and film director
, sometimes credited as D. Lee Inosanto.
and was raised in her childhood years in Carson, California and later, Harbor City, California. She is the daughter of martial arts icon, Dan Inosanto
and Sue Ann Reveal, and godchild of the late Bruce Lee
, after whom she was named-Diana Lee. She is of mixed Filipino heritage from her father, and Irish ancestry from her mother. As a single mother she raised a son with autism
. In 1995 she married Ron Balicki
, one of her father's former students, and with whom she has two sons.
which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto
, who was a student of Jeet Kune Do
founder Bruce Lee
. She has appeared on the cover of numerous martial arts magazines including "Black Belt," "Martial Arts," "Inside Karate," "Self Defense," and "Inside Kung Fu." Diana was named Woman of the year by Black Belt Magazine 2009.
group, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
. In 2008 she worked with East West Players
, serving as Martial Arts Choreographer, along with her husband Ron Balicki
, on the world premiere of Dan Kwong
's play Be Like Water
, about a young Asian American
girl who is visited and taught by the Ghost of Bruce Lee.
Filipino American
Filipino Americans are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipino Americans, often shortened to "Fil-Ams", or "Pinoy",Filipinos in what is now the United States were first documented in the 16th century, with small settlements beginning in the 18th century...
actress, stuntwoman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
, martial artist
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, sometimes credited as D. Lee Inosanto.
Personal
Inosanto was born in Torrance, CaliforniaTorrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...
and was raised in her childhood years in Carson, California and later, Harbor City, California. She is the daughter of martial arts icon, Dan Inosanto
Dan Inosanto
Daniel Arca Inosanto is a Filipino-American martial arts instructor from California who is best known as a student of the late Bruce Lee and authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts.-Martial arts:...
and Sue Ann Reveal, and godchild of the late Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, after whom she was named-Diana Lee. She is of mixed Filipino heritage from her father, and Irish ancestry from her mother. As a single mother she raised a son with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
. In 1995 she married Ron Balicki
Ron Balicki
Ron Balicki is an actor and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. He is a student and the son-in-law of Dan Inosanto.-Biography:...
, one of her father's former students, and with whom she has two sons.
Martial artist
Inosanto grew up surrounded by the martial arts world, studying many forms including Jeet Kune DoJeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto
Dan Inosanto
Daniel Arca Inosanto is a Filipino-American martial arts instructor from California who is best known as a student of the late Bruce Lee and authority on Jeet Kune Do Concepts.-Martial arts:...
, who was a student of Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do
Jeet Kune Do is a hybrid martial arts system and life philosophy founded by martial artist Bruce Lee with direct, non classical and straightforward movements. Due to the way his style works they believe in minimal movement with maximum effect and extreme speed. The system works on the use of...
founder Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
. She has appeared on the cover of numerous martial arts magazines including "Black Belt," "Martial Arts," "Inside Karate," "Self Defense," and "Inside Kung Fu." Diana was named Woman of the year by Black Belt Magazine 2009.
Movies and television work includes
- "Hirokin" (2010) (Assistant Stunt Coordinator)
- "Sinners & Saints The Movie" (2009) (Co-Producer)
- "The SenseiThe SenseiThe Sensei is an independent feature film, written, produced and directed by Diana Lee Inosanto .-Synopsis:...
" (2008) (Director) (Producer) (Actress) - "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo DriftThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo DriftThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
" (2006) (Actress) - "RentRent (film)Rent is a 2005 American musical drama film directed by Chris Columbus. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, in turn based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème. The film depicts the lives of several Bohemians and their struggles with sexuality, cross-dressing, drugs, life...
" (2005) (Actress) - "The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
" (2006) (Actress) (Associate Producer) - "The Vault" (2005) (Actress)
- "Resident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: ApocalypseResident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
" (2004) (Fight Choreography) - "Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
" (2003) (2004) (2005) TV Series (Stunts) - "Hulk" (2003) (Actress)
- "Fist of Cheese" (2004) TV Series (Assistant Stunt Coordinator) (Associate Producer)
- "The Time Machine" (2002) (Actress)
- "On Sundays " - (Co Producer) (2002)
- "A Ribbon of Dreams" (2002) (Associate Producer)
- "Life Streams" (2000) (Actress) (Co Producer)
- "Modern Warriors" (2000) Herself
- "Blade" (2000) (Stunts)
- "Mystery Men" (1999) (Stunts)
- "Wild Wild West" (1999) (Stunts)
- "Red Corner" (1999) (Stunts)
- "The Patriot" (1998) (Stunts)
- "Face/Off" (1997) (Stunts)
- "The Roseanne Show" (1998) TV Series (Stunt Actress)
- "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1996) TV Series (Stunts)
- "Spy Game" (1997) TV Series (Stunts)
- "Barb WireBarb WireBarb Wire was a superhero published by Comics Greatest World, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics. A regular series was published for 9 issues between 1994-1995, followed by a mini-series in 1998.-Creators:Regular Series:...
" (1996) (Stunts) - "MTV New Edition Music Video "Hit Me Off" - (Stunts) (1996)
- "10-8: Officers on Duty" (2003) TV Series (Stunts)
- "Black Scorpion" (1999) (Stunts)
- "MADtv" (2001) (Actress)
- "The Last Man on Planet Earth" (1999) (Stunts)
- "Team Knight Rider" (1998) (Actress)
- "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1998) (Stunts)
- "Moonlighting" (1988) (Actress)
Theatre work
Inosanto is active in Southern California theatre, as a member of the Asian American theatreAsian American theatre
Asian American theater is theater written, directed or acted by Asian Americans.- Background :Asian American theater emerged in the 1960s and the 1970s with the foundation of four theatre companies: East West Players in Los Angeles, Asian American Theatre Workshop in San Francisco, Theatrical...
group, Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble
Lodestone Theatre Ensemble is a non-profit Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1999. It is a membership-driven organization....
. In 2008 she worked with East West Players
East West Players
East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As one of the nation's first Asian American theatre organizations, East West Players today continues to produce works and educational programs that give voice to the Asian Pacific American...
, serving as Martial Arts Choreographer, along with her husband Ron Balicki
Ron Balicki
Ron Balicki is an actor and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. He is a student and the son-in-law of Dan Inosanto.-Biography:...
, on the world premiere of Dan Kwong
Dan Kwong
Dan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical and social issues. He is of mixed Asian American heritage...
's play Be Like Water
Be Like Water
Be Like Water is a play written by Dan Kwong, originally produced at East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union...
, about a young Asian American
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
girl who is visited and taught by the Ghost of Bruce Lee.
External links
- DianaLeeInosanto.com - official site
- Inosanto May 2008 interview on The Evening Class
- The Sensei May 2008 profile by Philip W. ChungPhilip W. ChungPhilip W. Chung is a Korean American playwright, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and its current co-artistic director.- Career :...
on AsianWeekAsianWeekAsianWeek was a widely circulated publication of Asian American news, across all Asian ethnic groups, providing coverage of Asian-American issues such as the killing of Vincent Chin, Asian American college admissions, and quotas on Chinese students in competitive San Francisco examination schools...