Cynthia Rothrock

Cynthia Ann Christine Rothrock (born March 8, 1957) is an American martial artist and actress in martial arts films. Rothrock holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts and was a high level competitor in martial arts before becoming an actress.

Cynthia Rothrock
Born (1957-03-08) March 8, 1957
Wilmington, Delaware
Other namesFoo Lok Law
Rank
Years active1985–2004; 2011–present
OccupationFilm actress
Martial arts instructor
Spouse
Ernest Rothrock
​
(
m. 1979, divorced)
Children1
Websitewww.cynthiarothrockofficial.com
Foo Lok Law
Traditional Chinese羅芙洛
Simplified Chinese罗芙洛

Early life

On March 8, 1957, Rothrock was born in Wilmington, Delaware. Rothrock grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and at the age of 13 she started taking martial arts lessons.[1]

Career

Martial arts

Rothrock was a five times World Champion in forms and weapons between 1981 and 1985.[2] These categories are not combat-oriented, being displays of fluidity of movement rather than fighting, and are not segregated into male and female categories but fully open to both sexes.[3][4]

She took first place in forms 32 times and first place in weapons 12 times in her first 38 tournaments, including competing in "Men's Forms" three out of four times as there was no Women's Division. She was "Grand Master" of five tournaments and came in first place in 4 out of 5 fighting events.[5]

She holds seven black belts and sashes in multiple Far Eastern martial disciplines, including Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo (Korean), Eagle Claw (Chinese), Wushu, Northern Shaolin, Ng Ying Kungfu (Chinese: 五形功夫), and Pai Lum White Dragon Kung Fu.[6][7] She received her 6th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan in 2006. She was tested by Grand Master Robert Kovaleski, 9th Dan and chair of the I.T.M.A., and was later promoted by him to 7th degree black belt in 2011 and 8th degree black belt in 2015.[8] She is a martial arts instructor and her favorite weapons are the hook swords.[9]

In 1983, Rothrock was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame as "Female Competitor of the Year".[6] She was the first woman to appear on the cover of a martial arts magazine, and in 1986 co-authored a book with George Chung titled, Advanced Dynamic Kicks.[10][11] In 2014, she was honored with the Legacy Award at the Urban Action Showcase & Expo at HBO[12]

Acting

In 1983, while Rothrock was on Ernie Reyes' West Coast Demonstration Team, she was discovered by Golden Harvest in Los Angeles, California. It was two years (1985) later that she made her first martial arts movie for them, Yes, Madam (also known as Police Assassins or In the Line of Duty Part 2) which also starred Michelle Yeoh. It proved to be a box office success. She ended up staying in Hong Kong until 1988 doing seven films there.[6][13] Possibly her first US film was 24 Hours to Midnight, a Leo Fong directed film which also starred Stack Pierce, Juan Chapa and Bernie Pock.[14]

Rothrock became one of the few western performers to achieve genuine stardom in the local Hong Kong film industry before achieving success in their own country. She was credited as 羅芙洛 ("Fu Lok Law" or "Foo Lok Law") in many Hong Kong movies.[15] Producer Pierre David initiated Rothrock's move to the American turf. David offered her a co-starring role with Chad McQueen in Martial Law, Rothrock's first U.S. production. For the next ten years, she led a successful career in B-grade action movies. Her films include China O'Brien and China O'Brien 2, Guardian Angel, Honor & Glory, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 and Prince of the Sun amongst a roster of thirty films.[16][17]

Rothrock appeared as Bertha Jo in the 1997 television film The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!.[18] She was an inspiration for the video game character Sonya Blade from the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise[19] and lent her voice on the animated series Eek the Cat.[11]

She made an appearance in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, playing Hera's second Enforcer in the 1996 episode "Not Fade Away".

After starring in the 2004 film Xtreme Fighter (a.k.a. Sci-Fighter), where she played Sally Kirk / The White Dragon, she retired from acting to teach private martial arts lessons at her martial arts studio in Studio City, California.[20]

She returned to acting in 2012 with a role in the family film Santa's Summer House.[21]

In 2014, she starred in the action movie Mercenaries, alongside Kristanna Loken, Brigitte Nielsen, Vivica A. Fox and Zoë Bell.[22]

Radio and podcast appearances

Rothrock appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor podcast on March 16, 2016.

Personal life

At the age of 21, Cynthia married her kung fu instructor Ernest Rothrock. They have since divorced.[23][24] She has one daughter, Skyler Sophia Rothrock.[25] She works as a martial arts teacher,[26] and co-owns a martial arts studio in Studio City, California as part of the Z Ultimate Self Defense Studios chain of martial arts studios.[27]

Filmography
  • (1985) Yes, Madam as Inspector Carrie Morris
  • (1985) 24 Hours to Midnight as Devon Grady
  • (1985) Defend Yourself (a.k.a. Sybervision)
  • (1986) Millionaires Express (a.k.a. Shanghai Express) as Mountain Bandit
  • (1986) The Magic Crystal as Cindy Morgan
  • (1986) Righting Wrongs (a.k.a. Above the Law) as Cindy Si / Sandy Jones
  • (1987) Fight to Win (a.k.a. Dangerous Passages; Eyes of the Dragon) as Sensei Lauren
  • (1987) No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (a.k.a. No Retreat, No Surrender II: Raging Thunder) as Terry
  • (1988) The Inspector Wears Skirts (a.k.a. Top Squad) as Madam Law
  • (1988) Rapid Fire
  • (1988) Jungle Heat
  • (1989) Righting Wrongs II: Blonde Fury (a.k.a. Above the Law II: Blond Fury) as Cindy
  • (1989) City Cops (a.k.a. Beyond the Law) as Inspector Cindy
  • (1990) China O'Brien as China O'Brien
  • (1990) China O'Brien II as China O'Brien
  • (1990) Martial Law as Billie Blake
  • (1990) Prince of the Sun as Bencheuk
  • (1990) Deadliest Art: Best of the Martial Arts Films as Herself (archive footage)
  • (1990) Free Fighter
  • (1991) Fast Getaway as Lilly
  • (1991) Martial Law 2: Undercover as Billie Blake
  • (1991) Tiger Claws as Linda Masterson
  • (1992) Triple Cross (a.k.a. Angel of Fury) as Nancy Bolan
  • (1992) Lady Dragon as Kathy Galagher
  • (1992) Rage and Honor as Kris Fairfield
  • (1993) Honor and Glory as Tracey Pride
  • (1993) Rage and Honor 2 as Kris Fairfield
  • (1993) Rage and Honor 3 as Kris Fairfield
  • (1993) Irresistible Force (TV Movie) as Charlotte Heller
  • (1994) Lady Dragon 2 as Susan 'The Golden Angel' Morgan
  • (1994) Undefeatable as Kristi Jones
  • (1994) Fast Getaway II as Lily
  • (1994) Guardian Angel as McKay
  • (1995) Fatal Passion as Laurel
  • (1996) Eye for an Eye as Tina
  • (1996) Tiger Claws 2 as Linda Masterson
  • (1996) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (TV Series) as Enforcer II (Episode "Not Fade Away")
  • (1996) Sworn to Justice (a.k.a. Blond Justice) as Janna
  • (1996) Checkmate
  • (1996) The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts-Martial Combat
  • (1996) American Tigers as Herself
  • (1997) The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (TV Movie) as Bertha Jo
  • (1997) Deep Cover as FBI special agent Kate Mason
  • (1997) Night Vision as Kristin O'Connor
  • (1998) The Hostage
  • (1999) Tiger Claws 3 as Linda Masterson
  • (2000) Manhattan Chase as Nancy
  • (2001) Ren she tou du
  • (2001) Redemption as Erin Murphy
  • (2002) Outside the Law as Julie Cosgrove
  • (2004) Xtreme Fighter (a.k.a. Sci-Fighter) as Sally Kirk / The White Dragon
  • (2007) Bala Perdida as Cynthia
  • (2012) Santa's Summer House as Nanna
  • (2013) Badass Showdown as Ivy
  • (2014) Mercenaries as Mona
  • (2014) Rogue Space: The Adventures of Saber Raine
  • (2015) The Martial Arts Kid as Cindy
  • (2016) Showdown in Manila as Haines
  • (2016) Beyond the Game
  • (2016) Asian Ghost Story as The Narrator (voice)
  • (2016) Fists of Fury as Herself - Host
  • (2017) A Doggone Hollywood as Mom in Car
  • (2017) Death Fighter as Valerie
  • (2018) Fury of the Fist and the Golden Fleece as Counter Attendant
  • (2018) Cool Cat Kids Superhero as Momma Cat (voice)
  • (2018) Paying Mr. McGetty as Herself
  • (2019) Vendetta Vette as Alexa
gollark: No.
gollark: I used to have less storage, but then I just bought more storage so I could stop micromanaging everything.
gollark: I don't know what half of these packages are, but probably I rely on most of them for some ridiculous esoteric reason.
gollark: No.
gollark: What do you want me to do, see if I actually need them?

References
  1. "Cynthia Rothrock biography". Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  2. Cagle, Jess; Parisi, Paula (August 9, 1991). "Cynthia Rothrock: Action star". EW.com. Meredith Corporation. Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. Castinado, Marian K. (1996). "Kungfu's Screen Queen - Cynthia Rothrock". Kung Fu Magazine. TC Media. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  4. Meisler, Andy (July 3, 1994). "The Biggest Star You Never Heard Of". Television. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522.
  5. Zimmerman, Richard (November 1978). "Focussing energies with Kung Fu". Black Belt. Vol. 17 no. 11. Los Angeles, California: Active Interest Media, Inc. pp. 45–49. ISSN 0277-3066.
  6. Rothrock, Cynthia (September 1992). "Hollywood's Hit Woman". Black Belt. Vol. 30 no. 9. Los Angeles, California: Active Interest Media, Inc. p. 90. ISSN 0277-3066.
  7. Ollhoff, Jim (2008). "Cynthia Rothrock". In Hamilton, John (ed.). Martial Arts Movies. World of Martial Arts). ABDO. pp. 16–17. ISBN 9781599289809.
  8. "Kovaleski Promoted to 8th Degree Black Belt in Seoul, Korea". In The News. World Wide Dojo. 2011. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  9. "A3U Podcast.com – Cynthia Rothrock Episode". A3U Podcast.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2008.
  10. Chung, George; Rothrock, Cynthia (March 1, 1986). Lee, Mike (ed.). Advanced Dynamic Kicks. Santa Clarita, California: Ohara. ISBN 9780897501293.
  11. Rance, Penelope T. J. (2005). Martial Arts. Virgin Books. p. 118. ISBN 9780753510780.
  12. "UFLHOH 2014 - 2014 Honorees". Urban Action Showcase & Expo. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  13. Broeske, Pat H. (1989). "Sly's Match?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  14. "24 Hours to Midnight (1985)". FilmAffinity. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  15. Palmer, Bill (1995). The Encyclopedia of Martial Arts Movies. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 411. ISBN 9780810830271.
  16. Willis, Andrew (September 4, 2004). Film Stars: Hollywood and Beyond. Manchester University Press. pp. 174–179. ISBN 9780719056451.
  17. Smith, Sid (1993). "The First Action Heroes 3 Female Martial Artists Ready To Blaze Trail To Big Screen". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  18. Everett, Todd (April 24, 1997). "Review: 'Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!'". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  19. DiLauro, Rob (July 23, 2018). "Exclusive Interview: Cinema Icon Cynthia Rothrock Talks Her Career, Rise To Stardom And More". We Got This Covered. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  20. Hill, Katrina (2012). Action Movie Freak. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. pp. 246–247. ISBN 9781440232268.
  21. "Action stars unite for Christmas family film "Santa's Summer House" (exclusive)". BZFilm.com. August 10, 2012.
  22. Strauss, Bob (August 29, 2014). "Burbank International Film Festival to shine the spotlight on 'media capital'". Los Angeles Daily News.
  23. https://www.facebook.com/CYNTHIAROTHROCK/about?lst=100011782484404%3A618537240%3A1554056202
  24. "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Cynthia Rothrock (Undefeatable, China O'Brien)". Interviews. Bristol Bad Film Club. March 19, 2017. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  25. "Skylar Sophia Rothrock - Biographical Summaries of Notable People". MyHeritage.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  26. Johansen, Kendeyl. "Cynthia Rothrock,One Tough Black Belt Mama". Movie Stars. celebrityparents.com. Disney Family. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010.
  27. Story, Gregory. "The Way of Star Power". World BlackBelt Online. World Black Belt Inc. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.
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