Lewis Singwah Tan Bio
Lewis Singwah Tan is a British-American actor, martial artist and model whose career blends action performance, stunt work and leading roles in genre film and television. Born in Salford, Greater Manchester, he trained in martial arts from a young age and has built a career that highlights physical performance, stunt technique and dramatic acting across film and streaming series.
Early Life and Background
Lewis Singwah Tan was born on February 4, 1987 in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, the eldest of four sons to Joanne Cassidy and Philip Tan. His mother worked as a fashion model and his father is a Chinese Singaporean martial artist, actor and stunt coordinator. The family relocated to Los Angeles when Tan was one year old after his father was hired as a fight coordinator for Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman.
Tan spent parts of his childhood living outside the United Kingdom, including time in China, France and Spain, and began formal theatre training in his early teens. His father trained him in martial arts from an early age, and Tan later expanded his skills to include Muay Thai, Kung Fu, Ju-Jitsu and katana swordplay. He holds dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the United States.
Path to Celebrity
Tan progressed from martial arts training and youth theatre to screen work with small supporting roles in studio features and guest appearances on network television. Early screen credits include small supporting parts in The Hangover Part III and Olympus Has Fallen, and television guest roles on series such as CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, Hawaii Five-0, 24 and Rush Hour. These early screen experiences established him as a reliable physical performer and prepared him for stunt- and action-focused roles.
His combination of acting training and martial arts skill positioned him to take on more prominent genre work, and he steadily moved from guest parts and supporting film roles to recurring and series-regular casting on streaming and cable projects. Tan’s openness to performing his own stunts became a signature element of his casting for action-oriented productions and franchises.
Lewis Singwah Tan Career
Early Career (2006–2015)
Tan began working professionally in screen projects around 2006, building credits in both television and film over the following decade. He appeared in procedural series and action films in supporting parts, using those roles to develop on-set experience and to demonstrate his stunt training and fight choreography capabilities.
During this period Tan also worked on projects that showcased his range as a physical actor, which led to casting directors and action teams recruiting him for more specialized roles. His combined background as an actor and stunt-trained martial artist became a competitive advantage in auditions for action and genre work.
Breakthrough (2016–2021)
Tan’s visibility rose notably in 2016 when he was cast as Zhou Cheng in the first season of the Netflix series Iron Fist, a role that drew attention to his capacity for fight-focused dramatic work. That same year he appeared in the action film Den of Thieves, further consolidating his presence in action cinema.
In 2018 Tan achieved broader recognition when he appeared as Rusty, also credited as Shatterstar, in the superhero film Deadpool 2. The role brought him to a wider international audience and showcased both his stunt skill and his work in a major comic-book franchise ensemble. He also played Gaius Chau in the third season of the AMC series Into the Badlands and was cast as Lu Xin Lee in the Netflix crime drama series Wu Assassins, a series-regular role that highlighted his ability to anchor action-driven television storytelling.
Tan’s profile continued to grow with his casting in the lead role of Cole Young for the 2021 reboot of Mortal Kombat, a studio tentpole that emphasized physical performance and martial arts. His involvement with Mortal Kombat traces earlier to the unreleased Mortal Kombat X: Generations web series, where he was associated with the character Kung Jin and worked with experienced action directors.
Notable Works and Milestones
Key career milestones include his supporting roles in major action films such as The Hangover Part III and Olympus Has Fallen, his high-profile comic-book appearance in Deadpool 2, and his lead casting in Mortal Kombat. Tan also reprised action roles on streaming platforms, including the Netflix feature Fistful of Vengeance, which followed his series work on Wu Assassins and was released in February 2022. Across these projects he is known for performing many of his own stunts and for training in multiple combat styles.
Recent Activity and Continuing Work (2022–present)
Following the release of Fistful of Vengeance in 2022, Tan took on additional streaming and franchise roles. In January 2022 it was announced he would appear in the second season of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone as Tolya Yul-Bataar. In 2024 he was revealed to have joined the sixth season of Cobra Kai in a role as a rival sensei. Production announcements have also indicated Tan will reprise his Mortal Kombat role for a sequel to the 2021 film.
Industry casting notices from prior seasons show Tan was attached to several projects in different genres, including a lead role on an adaptation of The Quantum Spy and a supporting role opposite Emma Roberts in the romantic comedy About Fate. These varied credits reflect an ongoing mix of action franchise work and projects that broaden his range beyond physical performance alone.
Lewis Singwah Tan Family
Tan is the son of Joanne Cassidy and Philip Tan. His father’s background as a martial artist and stunt coordinator informed Tan’s early training, while his mother’s experience in modeling is part of his family history. He is the eldest of four sons; his brothers include Sam, who works as an actor, Ben, who has worked in directing, and Evan, who works as a photographer.
Personal Life
Public records and verified sources list Tan’s professional biography, training and family background but do not provide verified public details about partners or children. He maintains a professional focus on acting, martial arts and stunt performance in his public profile.
Tan continues to base his career around action roles and stunt work while pursuing a broader range of film and television opportunities. His dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and the United States has supported a career that spans studio features and streaming series across multiple markets.