Date of birth: 22 November, 1979 (Malmö, Sweden)
Style: Taekwondo, Vovinam, Judo, wushu, boxing, Muay Thai, MMA.
Occupation: Actor, action director, stuntman.
Biography: Tim Man was born in the Swedish city of Malmö to a Swedish mother and a father from Hong Kong. He started martial arts at the age of six where he trained in judo and jui-jitsu. At the age of eight, he studied the Vietnamese discipline of Vovinam from his teacher, Tha Truing Duong, who also taught him taekwondo. Tim now holds a 2nd dan black belt in taekwondo.
At the age of 15, Tim Man was already a three-time taekwondo champion in Sweden, and he came third place in the World Taekwondo Championships. Inspired by Hong Kong martial arts films, he later studied acrobatics and gymnastics. From 1999, he began to upload videos of his martial arts ‘tricks’ to the website, Bilang.com.
Tim first became a stunt performer after being spotted by a stunt co-ordinator in the background of a Swedish musical. He worked for 18 months in Sweden as a stuntman, appearing mostly in Swedish television. After watching Ong-Bak, he decided to move to Thailand to work in martial arts films. He worked alongside Tony Jaa in the doomed, big-budget follow-up to his breakthrough success, Ong-Bak: The Beginning. Tim also worked on the film Bangkok Adrenaline (2009), and alongside Jeeja Yanin in Raging Phoenix (2009). Tim broke his ankle in the latter film and was out of action for two months.
In 2009, after taking up acting classes, Tim Man got his first role in an American production, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, which was being filmed in Thailand. Tim’s first leading role was in the first Italian martial arts action comedy Una vita da song (2011). He played a brainwashed martial artist called Marco Zanc and also worked as fight choreographer. In the same year, he reunited with Bangkok Adrenaline director Raymond Huber as fight co-ordinator in the action film, Kill ‘em All (2012), where he worked alongside legendary Shaw Brothers star Gordon Liu and kickboxing legend Joe Lewis.
Tim has also worked in American television, notably as a stunt performer in Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011). He has also worked in motion capture graphics for video games like Bloodforge, Battlefield 3 and Mad Max.
Tim continues to work in front of the camera and as a fight choreographer. He ended up taking a key supporting role in Isaac Florentine’s Ninja: Shadow of a Tear (2013) where he first worked alongside Scott Adkins. He has continued to work with Adkins on the films Eliminators (2016), Boyka: Undisputed (2016), Accident Man (2018) and Triple Threat (2019). In 2017, he worked as the fight choreographer on Isaac Florentine’s Acts of Vengeance, starring Antonio Banderas.
Tim Man lives in Stockholm with his wife and daughter.
Speech! “If you’re smart and you want to get somewhere in the industry, you have to be aware. Look at what people are doing and take it in. Just be curious.” Interview with Kung Fu Movie Guide, 2017.
Click here to listen to KFMG Podcast S02 Episode 19 with Tim Man.
Filmography (as actor/stunt performer/fight choreographer): 2004 Inga Lindström (TV); 2006 Frostbitten; Welcome to Verona; Hey Baberiba (TV); Jade Warrior; Göta kanal 2 – Kanalkampen; 2007 The Darkness (video game); FB: Fighting Beat; 2008 Misses lista (TV); Ong-Bak: The Beginning; The Inspector and the Sea (TV); 2009 Kal Kissne Dekha; Bangkok Adrenaline; Luck; Raging Phoenix; Psalm 21; Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (actor); 2010 Ballar av stål (TV); Shark; Kommissarie Späck; Skills; 2011 Hotell Gyllene Knorren – Filmen; Mortal Kombat: Legacy (TV); Battlefield 3 (Video Game); Någon annanstans i Sverige; 2012 Bloodforge (video game); Annika Bengtzon: Crime Reporter – Lifetime; 2013 Inkognito (TV); Biciklo – Supercykeln (TV); Studentfesten; Kill ’em All; Una vita da sogno; Ninja: Shadow of a Tear; 2014 Ækte vare; Echoes of a Ronin (short); Mystic Blade; 2015 The Circle; Mad Max (video game); 2016 The Last King; Antboy 3; Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst (video game); Boyka: Undisputed; Eliminators; Morran & Tobias – Som en skank fran oven; 2017 Acts of Vengeance; 2018 Accident Man; The Marine 6: Close Quarters; 2019 Triple Threat; The Hard Way; Abduction; 2020 I Am Vengeance: Retaliation; Legacy of Lies; 2021 Nyrkki (TV); One Shot; Never Back Down: Revolt; Attack on Finland; Castle Falls; 2022 Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday; 2023 Hidden Strike.
