Wirral martial artist Lee Charles makes his mark on the big screen

Feb 26 2013 by Tina Miles, Liverpool Echo

WIRRAL martial artist Lee Charles today told how he hoped to follow in the footsteps of actor Jackie Chan after landing parts in movies.

Five-time world kickboxing champion Lee Charles impressed directors with his Kung Fu skills and started out as a stuntman.

But the former ECHO Pride Of Merseyside winner is now making a bid for Hollywood stardom as an actor.

The 37-year-old filmed I Am Soldier alongside Cemetery Junction star Tom Hughes and Star Trek actor Noel Clarke, who won BAFTA’s Orange Rising Star Award in 2008.

He has shot a Lionsgate UK project, written by author and filmmaker Ronnie Thompson, called Green Street Hooligans: Underground.

Lee, who grew up on a council estate in Rock Ferry, said: “In Green Street Hooligans, I had a one-on-one fight with Scott Adkins [The Expendables 2], which was a big opportunity for me.

“On the back of that, I met with the producers of I Am Soldier. I auditioned and they gave me the part of the main villain Petrovic.

“I thought I was going to get a lesser part so I was gobsmacked to be given that opportunity. I think I almost started hyperventilating. I had gone from a small part in Green Street to all of a sudden becoming the lead villain.”

Lee, who teaches at Ultimate Martial Arts Centre, in Birkenhead, revealed how his disciplines took him to Los Angeles in 2006.