Darren Shahlavi's journey in martial arts began when he was just seven years old, training in an old drama theatre in Manchester, England. Inspired by Bruce Lee's films and other action movies such as Star Wars, he dreamed of becoming a movie actor. He would often show up to his Judo class early to watch the actors rehearsing and performing plays.
At the age of seventeen, Darren attended a seminar on "Hong Kong style fight choreography" by Kung Fu star Donnie Yen, which gave him the confidence to pursue his dream of working in Hong Kong movies as a stepping stone to Hollywood. He then moved to Hong Kong in the early nineties and began his career as a stuntman.
His big break came when Director Yuen Woo-Ping hired him as the lead villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan. Darren went on to appear in a string of martial arts films, using his fighting skills as a stunt performer in studio blockbusters such as Riddick, Blade 3, 300, Watchmen, and the Night at the Museum films. He also had supporting roles in Hollywood movies such as I Spy, The Final Cut, and guest star roles in TV shows like Sanctuary, Human Target, and Reaper.
In 2010, Darren made a triumphant return to Hong Kong action films, co-starring opposite his childhood heroes Donnie Yen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in the Wilson Yip directed Ip Man 2. He played the evil British boxing champion "The Twister" in the semi-biographical story of Bruce Lee's real-life kung fu master, Ip Man. The film received huge critical and commercial acclaim, becoming the most successful Asian film at the box office in 2010 and widely recognized as the biggest and best martial arts film of the past decade.
Following Ip Man 2's successful theatrical run in the United States, Darren has a renewed following amongst action film fans. He has new films set for release in 2011, including Born to Raise Hell opposite Steven Seagal, Hangar 14 with Steve Austin, as well as starring roles in Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn and Mortal Kombat for Warner Brothers.
