Darren Shahlavi RIP
British actor Darren Shahlavi passed away in his sleep on January 14, 2015 . . . Darren’s bother Bobby placed the following post on Darren’s Facebook page:
It is with immense sadness we have to inform you all of the news of the death of our dearest Darren Shahlavi. Darren dared to dream and was brave enough to follow his dreams and make them a reality. He wanted to be a movie star! Sounds crazy right? But he made it happen. He fulfilled so many of his career ambitions and acted along side and met many of his childhood heroes and screen legends including Donnie Yen, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Sammo Hung, Robin Williams and George Clooney to name just a few. He was a kind, honest and decent human being. You will be missed my dear Darren, by family, friends, colleagues and many fans. You are a legend and a legend never dies. Your films and your legacy will live on forever and you will always remain in our hearts. We are all so proud of you and you will continue to inspire us all for generations. Sleep well Darren and keep on dreaming. Love you always… Your family X
“Everyone of us has their struggles, but like an Iceberg we never know how deep they may be. Take your time to care, to reach out, even if it is with a complete stranger you never know the difference it might make” (Darren’s tribute to Robin Williams)
In 1989 I met a young and shy Darren Shahlavi at one of my seminars in London, 20 years later we are battling on the set of Ip man 2. Twister had become a handsome, talented and outgoing man. RIP my friend. Condolences to his family. Donnie Yen-甄子丹 Official
Darren Shahlavi Martial Artists, Actor, Stuntman and Great Guy
Darren Shahlavi was an English martial artists, actor and stuntman. He was born on August 5, 1972 in Stockport, Cheshire, England. Shahlavi is known for his bad guy roles in martial arts films such as Siu-Hung Leung’s Bloodmoon (1997), Yuen Woo-ping’s Tai Chi Boxer (1996) playing with Jacky Wu. He also starred in the Asian film series The Techno Warriors, and American films Hostile Environment (2000), Sometimes a Hero (2003), Legion of the Dead (2001) and in Olaf Ittenbach the cult horror classic Beyond the Limits (2003). In 2002 Shahlavi appeared opposite Eddie Murphy in Columbia pictures remake of I-Spy, and independent features The Final Cut (2014) with Robin Williams and the notorious Uwe Boll’s film BloodRayne (2005) with Kristanna Loken and Ben Kingsley. He played Twister in Wilson Yip’s Ip Man 2 (2010) with Donnie Yen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung. He was in numerous television series. He played Kano in the Mortal Kombat: Legacy television Series (2011), Constantine Drakon in Arrow (2012) and in Metal Hurlant Chronicles (2012-2014).
Darren Shahlavi was seven years old when he began training in martial arts. Like so many others, he was inspired by Bruce Lee‘s films and other action movies including Star Wars. Even as a youngster, Shahlavi dreamed of being a movie actor and he would show up to his judo class, which took place at the old drama theatre in Manchester, England, early just to watch the actors who were rehearsing or performing plays.
When Darren was only seventeen years old, he attended a seminar to learn Hong Kong style fight choreography. The seminar was taught by Kung Fu star Donnie Yen. This seminar gave Darren the confidence to pursue working in Hong Kong movies hoping this would be the stepping stone to working in Hollywood. In the early 90’s, a young Shahlavi moved to Hong Kong where he began his career as a stuntman. His first acting gig came under Director Woo-ping Yuen, who hired him to play Smith, the lead villain in the Kung Fu classic Tai Chi Chuan (1996). Numerous martial arts films followed, and Darren used his fighting skills as a stunt performer in studio blockbusters such as “Riddick”, “Blade 3”, “300”, “Watchmen” and the “Night at the Museum” film. He also did supporting roles in Hollywood movies such as “I Spy” playing a boxer fighting Eddie Murphy, “The Final Cut” with Robin Williams, and guest star roles in TV shows such as “Sanctuary”, “Human Target” and “Reaper.”
In 2010, Darren Shahlavi returned to Hong Kong action films when he co-starred with Donnie Yen and Sammo Kam-Bo Hung in director Wilson Yip‘s Ip Man 2, the semi-biographical story of Bruce Lee’s real life kung fu master, Ip Man. Shahlavi plays “The Twister” an evil British boxing champion. Following his success in Ip Man 2, Darren renewed his following with action film fans and he had the following films released in 2011, Born to Raise Hell opposite Steven Seagal, “Hangar 14” with Steve Austin as well as starring roles in the television movie Aladdin and the Curse of the Djinn and the Mortal Kombat television series for Warner Brothers.
Darren Shahlavi was currently playing Eric Sloane in Kickboxer: Vengeance (2015) and Goran in Pound of Flesh with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Darren Shahlavi had Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular disease which caused him to have a sudden heart attack. He had no drugs or medications of any kind in his body. He passed away in his sleep from natural causes on January 14, 2015. He was only 42 years old. RIP Darren Shahlavi, you will always be missed!!!
