Ron Van Clief
Date of birth: 1943-01-25
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Ronnie Van Clief , 朗雲奇里夫 , Рон Ван Клиф
Biography
Ron "The Black Dragon" Van Clief is a martial arts legend. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he started martial arts training in his early teens. At 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds, Van Clief was fast, powerful, and tough. He won 10 New York State Full-Contact Karate Championships. He won multiple Karate Point-Fighting Titles. By the early 1970s he had earned his 10th Degree Black Belt. His karate record was reported to be 110-8. In 1994 at age 51, he launched a comeback on December 16, 1994 fighting former World JuJitsu Lightheavyweight and Ultimate Fighting World Champion Royce Gracie. The Black Dragon landed one good punch, but was taken to the canvas where after a valiant battle was choked into submission, thus ending one of the greatest fighting careers in martial arts history.
Movie Credits
Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
1980-09-01
A television reporter interviews fighters and promoters about Bruce Lee in preparation for a tournam
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors
1994-12-16
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Ch
Kung Fu Fever
1979-02-06
A training manual supposed used by Bruce Lee himself has mysteriously disappeared and is highly soug
The Black Dragon
1974-03-02
Decent, simple, honest Chinese farmhand and ace martial artist Tai-Lin goes to the Philippines to se
Black Dragon's Revenge
1975-11-06
Three rival gangs embark on a search for Bruce Lee's handwritten "finger fighting " manual.
Way of the Black Dragon
1978-12-28
Allison Wong gets abducted by a gang of drug smugglers with a nasty sideline business involving whit
Bamboo Trap
1975-12-12
The boldest man-trap ever to be set up!
The Super Weapon
1976-05-07
A 1970s documentary that highlights various martial arts fighting styles and features African Americ
The Squeeze
1978-10-25
A retired safe cracker is recruited by a young conman to return to the "business" for a million doll
Colorz of Rage
1999-01-01
Writer-director Dale Resteghini's indie drama follows a young interracial couple (Resteghini and Nic
Enter the Clones of Bruce
2023-12-22
Get ready to play a game of death… and another… and another. This wild documentary dives into the Br
The Hanged Man: The Story of Ron Van Clief
2020-08-30
The astonishing true story of Ron Van Clief, the first black martial arts movie star, known as "The
Death by Misadventure: The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee
1993-12-31
Death by Misadventure: The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee exposes the truth behind Lee's death and the
Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks
2019-08-14
The fantastic story of how an ancient martial art, Chinese kung fu, conquered the world through the
That's Brucesploitation! Making Fist of Fear, Touch of Death
2020-05-15
This retrospective featurette includes words from filmmaker Jim Markovic, producer Terry Levene, scr
Top Fighter
1995-06-15
Welcome to the world of the martial arts. A voyage for the times of the martial arts cinema, from th
Hot Lead Hard Fury
2018-09-07
1977: Industrial ghetto "Steel City" is under siege from organized crime, corruption, and a new synt
Snow Black
2021-01-11
Sarah Camden, a special operations soldier with PTSD, returns home to bury her mother. She realizes
Blazin'
2001-04-03
The daughter of a druglord and the son of the chief of police fall in love in this Romeo & Juliet-es
UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors
UFC 4 - used an eight-man tournament format, with the winner receiving $64,000. The event also featu
The Black Kung Fu Experience
2012-09-22
This film focuses on how a group of African American pioneers became respected masters in a subcultu