‘Bloodsport’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

The 1980s gave fans loads of action heroes and martial arts flicks to keep our adrenaline pumping. One such classic is 1988’s Bloodsport, the first film to feature now acclaimed action star Jean-Claude Van Damme in a lead role and help catapult him into super stardom.

The movie’s plot involves US Army Captain Frank Dux, portrayed by Van Damme, who essentially deserts his post to fight in a secret, illegal, invitation-only tournament in Hong Kong known as the Kumite. Over the course of the film, Van Damme proves his mettle over a course of classic ‘80s style montages while befriending a stereotypical American wrestler, evading two government agents tasked with returning him to America, and pursuing a romantic relationship with an investigative journalist. Van Damme covers a lot of ground in only 92 minutes of runtime!

Bloodsport Reception

The film performed well at the box office, pulling in $11.7 million domestically and $50 million worldwide against a budget that was barely under $3 mil. However, critics lambasted the bad acting and somewhat contrived reasoning for plot progression.

These campy quirks along with the ‘80s stylized presentation, fashion, and music and high-stakes martial arts tournament, however, make this movie a cult classic, and the movie remains beloved in the hearts of fans still today.

So where is the cast of Bloodsport now? Read on and find out!

Jean-Claude Van Damme as ‘Frank Dux’

“The Muscles from Brussels” got his big film break from this film and the hits never stopped coming. Following the success of Bloodspot, Van Damme was featured in films like Kickboxer, Death Warrant, Street Fighter, and Timecop to cement his status as a classic action movie icon.

Van Damme’s film career fizzled towards the early 2000s, but was rekindled by the success of a crime drama entitled JCVD which showed a fictionalized account of his own life.

From there, roles began coming in again and Van Damme was featured in films like Kickboxer: Vengeance, the animated Kung Fu Panda movies, and a role as the villain of The Expendables 2 alongside fellow action legends Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, and Chuck Norris.

Van Damme has had some setbacks including a publicized addiction to cocaine in the late ‘90s, a bipolar disorder diagnosis in 1998, and an arrest for driving under the influence in 1999, but he remains active in Hollywood as an actor today. His most recent role was as the voice of ‘Jean-Clawed’ in the 2022 animated film Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Donald Gibb as ‘Ray Jackson’

Gibb’s intimidating stature made him a shoe-in for the role of Ray Jackson, but unfortunately his TV and film career produced only intermittent minor roles following Bloodsport. In 1996, a limited release of Bloodsport II:The Next Kumite featured Gibb reprising his role as Ray Jackson, marking him as the only returning character from the original film.

Between 1984 and 1991, Gibb had a main role on the HBO sitcom 1st & Ten. His acting career would have him featured as a guest actor on shows such as MacGyver, The X-Files, Boy Meets World, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Seinfeld, and The Young and the Restless, but he was never offered main cast roles.

In 2012, Gibb played a ransacking pillager in a series of CapitalOne commercials.

Bolo Yeung as ‘Chong Li’

Yeung and Van Damme were pitted as enemies in Bloodsport, but the movie actually brought them together as friends. Three years after Bloodsport, Van Damme invited Yeung to appear in a film together, 1991’s Double Impact.

Yeung continued acting and practicing martial arts, appearing in films such as Ironheart, Tiger Claws, and Fearless Tiger. Between 2007 and 2017, Yeung would not appear in any films and instead focused on martial arts and attending martial arts conferences.

In 2017, Yeung appeared in a movie known both as Diamond Cartel and The Whole World at Our Feet, which is streaming now on Netflix. Yeung has had no roles since, but remains an actor and martial artist today.

Leah Ayres as ‘Janice Kent’

Ayres played an investigative journalist bent on getting coverage of the super secret Kumite tournament, becoming Van Damme’s love interest in Bloodsport in the process.

Ayres enjoyed a few small roles after Bloodsport including a guest appearance on Who’s the Boss?, Married…with Children, and Walker, Texas Ranger, as well as a main cast role on a Brady Bunch sequel as Marcia Brady-Logan. The show was canceled immediately. Her final acting credit was earned in 1998 on sci-fi series Sliders.

Ayres married her husband, screenwriter and producer Bruce Kalish, in 1990 and the two had a daughter, Mackenzie, in 1993. Today, Leah and Bruce both work in Los Angeles as family constellations facilitators to help people cope with and overcome inherited family trauma.

Forest Whitaker as ‘Agent Rawlins’

No Bloodsport cast member has enjoyed as much fame and acclaim as Forest Whitaker, who portrayed Agent Rawlins while he was still fairly new into his Hollywood career. After Bloodsport, Whitaker would appear in numerous films including The Crying Game, Phenomenon, Panic Room, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Black Panther.

In 2006, Whitaker portrayed Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor that year. Whitaker has received numerous awards including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Whitaker is a well-established actor, but also worked as a director on films such as Strapped, Waiting to Exhale, Hope Floats, and First Daughter. He is a known humanitarian, activist, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and CEO of a non-profit outreach program called WPDI.

In 1996, Whitaker married actress Keisha Nash and the two had two children together, a total of four considering each spouse had a child from a previous relationship. In 2021, Whitaker filed for divorce.

Norman Burton as ‘Agent Helmer’

Norman Burton played Agent Helmer alongside Forest Whittaker as they chased Van Damme through Van Damme to stop him from participating in the Kumite.

Burton was already 66 at the time of filming Bloodsport and had enjoyed numerous notable roles on films and shows like Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 007 film Diamonds Are Forever, and The Facts of Life. He took a few minor roles after Bloodsport, but retired from acting altogether in 1993.

(Norrman Burton in his last movie – American Ninja 5)

Unfortunately, he was in a fatal car accident in 2003 and died at the age of 79.

Roy Chiao as ‘Senzo Tanaka’

Ray Chiao was in only a handful of American movies, but his career, which mostly consisted of Chinese films, totaled approximately 90 films. After Bloodsport, Chiao acted in movies such as Shadow of China, A Kid from Tibet, Treasure Hunt, and Summer Snow.

Unfortunately, Chiao suffered from three heart attacks in 1999 and died at the age of 72.

Shun-Yin Leung as ‘Mrs. Tanaka’

Lily Leung Shun-Yin mostly acted in Hong Kong, but was featured in a handful of films between 1974 and 1988 which would culminate with Bloodsport as Tanaka’s wife. After Bloodsport, Leung acted in a number of Chinese shows and films from 2003 to 2019, including one posthumous release in 2020.

In 2019, Leung died of cancer at Hong Kong Buddhist Hospital. She was 90 years old.

Kenneth Siu as ‘Victor Lin’

Siu played the lively Victor Lin in Bloodsport, but also acted as Second Assistant Director for the film. He continued acting as an Assistant Director on films such as Kickboxer, Rush Hour, and The Forbidden Kingdom, whereas his only post-Bloodsport acting role was in 1988’s Off Limits starring Willem Dafoe and Gregory Hines.

Unfortunately, Siu passed away in 2018.

Michel Qissi as ‘Suan Paredes’

Qissi was featured in Bloodsport as the fighter that Chong Li destroyed with a shin-shattering kick. Qissi immigrated to America alongside his childhood friend and castmate Jean-Claude Van Damme himself, and would appear later on as the primary antagonist Tong Po in Van Damme flick Kickboxer.

Qissi would enjoy some additional on-screen roles in movies such as Lionheart, Kickboxer 2, Bloodmatch, and Kickboxer: Vengeance, but also tried his hand at directing with films such as Extreme Force, Bara, and Heart of a Lion.

Qissi most recently appeared in 2022’s Out for Vengeance and remains an actor and martial artist today.

Bernard Mariano as ‘Sadiq Hossein’

Mariano was pulled into Bloodsport by pure happenstance, as he was working out at the gym and invited to make some quick money portrayed Kumite fighter Sadiq Hossein in the film.

Following Bloodsport, Mariano did not continue acting but instead received his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Hong Kong in History and English Literature. He would pursue higher education from the City University of Hong Kong and receive his Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.

(photo: Bernard Mariano)

Mariano works as an English teacher in Hong Kong, but also founded Bernardo’s Magic in 2014 and works as a magician for children. He is available in Hong Kong to perform magic shows for children of all ages.

David Ho as ‘Pumola’

David Ho played the formidable Kumite fighter Pumola in Bloodsport who gets the infamous crotch punch courtesy of Van Damme and his exceptional skill in doing splits. Ho would go on to play similar roles in films such as Seven Warriors, Robotrix, and Double Impact alongside castmates Jean-Claude Van Damme and Bolo Yeung.

In 1997, Ho refocused his career in Hollywood and began working in the Sound Department on numerous features. From 1997, Ho worked on over 100 films such as Mulholland Drive and several TV shows such as 2008’s Knight Rider, Sons of Tucson, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and Switched at Birth.

Ho remains working in film and TV to this date. His latest film was in 2016 for the film ‘Lady Bloodfight’, where he played the character of Chow.

Paulo Tocha as ‘Paco’

Tocha played notoriously brutal Muay fighter Paco who squared off against Dux in the Kumite and was defeated. Tocha acted in numerous films and TV shows following Bloodsport including Death Warrant, Predator 2, and Death Becomes Her.

Tocha is an accomplished martial artist and works as a trainer, writer, producer, and working as a technical advisor. In 2009, Tocha was inducted into the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame.

(photo: paulotocha)

Tocha remains working in Los Angeles both in front of and behind the camera. He is also still very dedicated to promoting Muay Thai.

Eric Neff as ‘Morra’

Neff is one of the most interesting fighters to watch in Bloodsport because he uses capoeira, a blend of fighting, rhythm, and dancing. Although Neff was featured in a handful of films prior, Bloodsport marked his last on-screen appearance as an actor.