Iko Uwais, a renowned Indonesian actor, was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Maisyaroh and Mustapha Kamaluddin. His grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, was a master of silat, an Indonesian traditional martial art, and founded a silat school, which played a significant role in shaping Iko's future.
Iko's journey with silat began at the tender age of 10, when he started learning the art under the guidance of his grandfather. His dedication and passion for silat eventually led him to become the National Champion in the Silat Demonstration category in 2005.
Iko's talent as a martial arts actor was discovered by Welsh film director, Gareth Evans, who visited Iko's silat school for a documentary in 2007. Evans was impressed by Iko's skills and asked him to leave his daytime job as a driver in a telecommunications company to join Evans' movie production company as the leading actor in his movies.
