Ravenside Action Movie Classic: Mark Dacascos

Biography of Mark Dacascos

The actor's full name is Mark Alan Dacascos. He was born on February 26, 1964 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Albert Joseph Dacascos, better known as Al, was a martial arts teacher. It should be noted that during his sports career, Dacascos Sr. managed to create his own style of kung fu, which combined elements of camp, fist fighting, karate, judo and traditional Western boxing. At one time, this style was very popular in Hawaii. Al still teaches this style in his own school, which is located in Portland.

It was his father who became the boy’s first teacher, who became interested in martial arts from an early age. By the way, his mother Moriko McVeigh was Al’s student, so she also passed on her experience to her son.

When the boy was six years old, a new important woman appeared in his life, whom he often called his “second mother.” Stepmother Malia Bernal was one of the top ten American fighters and was the first in the ranking among women professionally involved in martial arts. By the way, she was the first female representative to appear on the cover of the Black Belt publication. Malia had a son, Greg, so Mark had to get used to not only a new environment, but also new family members. By the way, the boys quickly became friends and to this day consider each other best friends.

Mark Dacascos: "Martial arts have always been a part of my life"

Athlete Mark Dacascos, who practices martial arts, built a successful acting career on the wave of popularity of action films. During his career, he played in 64 films.

Mark Dacascos was born on February 26, 1964 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. In this place, languages, cultures and traditions are intricately intertwined with each other. A striking example of this is Mark himself. This American actor has Filipino, Chinese, Japanese and Irish blood in his veins. Mark's father, Al, invented his own fighting style, Wun hop kuen do, which combined martial arts such as karate, judo and boxing. Dacascos Jr., not without the influence of his father, dreamed of a sports career from an early age.

While he was just an ordinary child, the only thing that distinguished him from most children on the planet was that he spent the first six years of his life in Hawaii, an island called “paradise on earth.” At that time, Mark was raised by his grandparents. My most memorable experiences were graduating from elementary school and going fishing on weekends with my dad and friends. Soon after Mark turned six, big changes occurred in his life. Malia Bernal took her mother's place, becoming not only Mark's stepmother, but also his second teacher. She was one of the top ten kung fu masters in the United States and number one among women for five years.

Having moved to live with his father and stepmother, Mark began to study in the kung fu schools they opened and establish relationships with a new member of the family - Malia's son Greg. He did both so well that Mark still considers Greg his best friend. As for martial arts, by the age of nine, Mark took first place at the international championship in Long Beach among juniors. The successes in his son’s life were followed by the career growth of his parents. Malia and Al were recognized as the best kung fu teachers in the USA and received an invitation from Germany to share their experience with their colleagues from Europe. So Mark and Greg had to come to terms with attending a Hamburg school where their native English was an elective subject. As Mark later recalled, it was very difficult for him to get used to the new way of life.

At the age of 17, the young man decided to go to Taiwan to improve his skills by studying kung fu. For six months he trained hard with the famous teacher from China, Mao Hai Chen. Then the purposeful young man returned to Hamburg. Having developed his own style, Mark reaped the benefits of his skill by winning prestigious titles one after another. Dacascos twice won the Hamburg karate championship, won the Italian and European tournaments in these sports disciplines, and also won many other prestigious awards.

By the age of 18, he had taken part in more than 200 tournaments throughout Europe and the United States. The most significant:

1973 – LongBeachInternationals (first place – PeeWeeDivision)

1980 – Hamburg Karate Championship (first place – Junior Division)

1982 – European Kung Fu and Karate Championship (first place – lightweight – Brown Belt Division)

1982 – Italian Kung Fu and Karate Championship (first place – lightweight – Brown Belt Division)

1982 – Hamburg Karate Championship (first place – Junior Division)

The successes of the young athlete attracted the attention of prominent Hollywood producers, who already in 1985 invited Mark to star in the film “Dim Sum: A Light Beat of the Heart.” The creators of the film subsequently decided to focus on other characters and cut out all the scenes with the actor’s participation. Despite this circumstance, the young athlete gained the necessary experience in cinema, and also acquired connections in Hollywood. Four years later he was again invited to act in films. Like many stars, Mark started with small roles. One of his first jobs was a role in the soap opera General Hospital. From there, the actor smoothly migrated to the big screen. Over the next ten years of his life, Mark starred in more than thirty films. Among them: “Only the Strong”, “The Road”, “Holiness”, “The Crying Honorary Citizen”, “The Island of Doctor Moreau” and many others. He gained enormous audience popularity by starring in a rock drama based on the famous film “The Raven.” In an interview, Mark admitted that the game required a lot of energy from him: “I would advise anyone who would decide to play such a role to prepare intensively for it. I myself had to memorize eight to ten pages of text every night. I was required not only to have an excellent memory, but also to be able to play the guitar perfectly, which you simply can’t achieve if you don’t practice every day. In addition, this role became a kind of endurance test for me.”

Also popular were such films with Mark’s participation as “Double Dragon”, “Deadly Past”, “Drive”, “The Crying Killer”, “Kickboxer 5: Retribution”. On the creation of the last two films, Dacascos worked not only as an actor, but also as a stunt director.

In the 2000s, with the end of the “action movie era,” interest in the American actor began to gradually decline. For some time, Dacascos still starred in films about martial arts, but later he realized that their time was running out. During this period, the actor began to pay attention to more serious and profound films, never tired of repeating during numerous interviews that he was, first of all, an actor, and not just a guy fighting in front of a movie camera. Thus, such popular films as “Brotherhood of the Wolf”, “I Am Omega”, “Nomad” and others appeared in the actor’s biography. To date, the latest film with the participation of the popular actor is the series “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” (second season).

The actor spoke about martial arts, which largely determined his fate: “Martial arts have always been a part of my life, and I will stubbornly adhere to this path. There were times when I found it difficult to train. There were a few times when I needed a break and did other things. But I was honest with myself, and I never thought that I needed to finally stop. I would like to teach someday and share the knowledge that my parents shared with me. Training hard at an early age has helped me a lot in my acting life. The mental and spiritual aspects helped me as much as the physical training. In fact, I think they were even more important..."

Due to his father's many torrid affairs, Mark once believed that he would never dare to tie the knot. Despite this, one fine day a woman appeared in his life who changed everything. On the set of the film “The Crying Killer,” Mark met a girl named Julie Condra, who very soon became his first and last wife. Currently, the acting couple is raising two sons and a daughter.

Interesting Facts:

Sports career

It is unlikely that as a child, Mark Dacascos thought about a career as an actor - his dream was sports awards and victories in competitions. And the boy purposefully moved towards his dream.

Constant studies at the school of his father and stepmother yielded results - at the age of nine he received first place in the international championship among juniors. At the same time, parents were invited to work in Germany in order to share their teaching experience. So Mark, together with his half-brother Greg, ended up in Habsburg. Over the course of several years, he traveled to almost all European countries and managed to participate in 200 competitions.

In 1980 he took first place in the Hamburg Karate Championship. In 1982, he won the European Kung Fu and Karate Championships. In the same year he took first place in the Italian and Hamburg championships.

When Mark was 17 years old, he traveled to Taiwan, where he studied the legendary style of the Shaolin monks for six months. Upon returning to America, the guy was for some time a student of Amen Santos, who taught capoeira.

Childhood and youth

The star of the 90s, without whom not a single significant Hollywood action movie of that time could do, Mark Dacascos was born in 1964 (zodiac sign Pisces) in Hawaii in the family of kung fu master Al Dacascos and his student Moriko Mac Wei. Mark's parents' ancestors were Irish, Filipino, Japanese and Spanish. Thanks to this mixture of blood, it becomes impossible to determine the actor’s nationality. In the future, this quality was often used by directors. Over the years of his career, Mark has played Chinese, Japanese, Kazakh and even Mexican.

Mark Dacascos in childhood and youth

The boy spent his childhood on the shores of the ocean in the family of his grandparents. But at the age of six, his life changed dramatically: his father married for the second time to Malia Bernal, who was also a martial artist. Under her guidance, little Mark learned all the intricacies of the art of combat. He was so imbued with a feeling of love and gratitude for Malia that he began to call her his second mother. And he still considers his half-brother Greg to be his best friend.

When Mark was just over 10 years old, his father's family moved to the German city of Hamburg, where his half-brothers attended a local college. The freedom-loving boys did not like the excessive severity of Germany, but they passed the test of study with honor. The actor received a good education: he is fluent in English, French and German. In addition, he repeatedly became the winner of European kung fu competitions, which added to his respect among his peers.

Mark Dacascos in his youth

Mark began to win his first victories in sports at the age of nine. And this is not surprising, because the boy attended training in judo, kempo, boxing and karate every day. And in the style of “Wun Hop Kuen Do”, which his father invented, Mark managed to get a black belt.

At the age of 17, at the insistence of his stepmother, the young man goes to Taiwan to study the fighting styles of the Shaolin monks. Then he even thought about becoming a monk himself. But, on the other hand, Mark was seriously focused on a sports career. Upon returning to America, the young man became interested in capoeira, a wrestling sport with elements of dance.

First career steps

Despite his active sports career, Mark Dacascos did not forget about education. In particular, at the University of Portland he studied drama and Chinese. And when the guy was 19 years old, he decided to take part in a university play. It was at this point that he fell in love with acting and decided to pursue a career in film.

His first work was a comedy called “Dim Sum: A Light Beat of the Heart.” But subsequently all the shots with Mark were cut out, and no one saw him on the screen. In 1989, he starred in one episode of the soap opera Dr. Doogie Howser. And in 1990, he played the inconspicuous role of a driver in “City of Angels.”

"American Samurai" - the first serious work

In 1992, actor Mark Dacascos first appeared on the big screen in the film American Samurai. This was the first truly serious work where Mark played a negative character. He got the role of Kenjiro, a member of the Yakuza gang, who is considered a champion in underground gladiator fights.

Despite the not-too-likable character, this role gave Mark the opportunity to demonstrate not only his acting abilities, but also his martial arts skills. It is these qualities that made him so popular.

Filmography

• 1992 – “American Samurai”
• 1995 – “Kickboxer 5: Retribution”
• 1996 – “The Island of Doctor Moreau”
• 1997 – “Genosaur”
• 1997 – “Drive”
• 2001 – “Brotherhood of the Wolf”
• 2003 – “From Cradle to Grave”
• 2005 – “Nomad”
• 2007 – “Called the Cleaner”
• 2013 – “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
• 2014 – “The Batagami Case”
• 2015 – “Lucifer”
• 2016 – “Showdown in Manila”
• 2018 – “The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells”
• 2019 – “John Wick 3”

The film “Only the Strongest” and worldwide recognition

If you are interested in the best films of Mark Dacascos, then you, without a doubt, should watch the 1993 film called “Only the Strong.” Here the actor played capoeiri master and former soldier Louis Stevens, who returns to his hometown after his service. And the former school greets him with armed children and lawlessness. Louis is offered to become a martial arts teacher. The main character himself firmly believes that physical training will help cope with even the most problematic students.

It was this picture that made the actor a world celebrity. Posters and photos of Mark Dacascos adorned the walls of many impressionable teenagers who dreamed of becoming just like the main character of the film.

Filmography of Mark Dacascos

After the resounding success, offers began to pour in for the actor one after another. After all, in the 1990s, action films were one of the most popular film genres, and Mark had something to show on the screen.

In 1994, Mark Dacascos' filmography was expanded with the adventure film Double Dragon, where he played Jimmy Lee, who, together with his brother, was hunting a powerful talisman. That same year, he starred in one of the episodes of the popular TV series Tales from the Crypt.

And in 1995, another action movie called “The Crying Killer” was released, where the actor played Yo Hinomura, a contract killer with a tormented conscience who falls in love with his victim. In the same year, a continuation of the famous story “Kickboxer 5: Retribution” appeared, where Mark played Matt, a friend of David Sloan, who is trying to avenge the murder. By the way, some of the fight scenes were staged by Dacascos himself.

In 1996, other films with the participation of Mark Dacascos appeared. In particular, he starred in a science-fiction thriller called “The Island of Doctor Moreau.” Then came the films “Sabotage”, “DNA”, “Drive”, “Boogie Boy”, “Shelter” and the series “Chinese Policeman”.

At the peak of glory

From 1994 to 1999, Mark Dacascos played in seventeen new films. Few of the current stars can boast of such an achievement in their filmography. How the actor managed to participate in such a huge number of filmings is unclear. Apparently, his studies in Shaolin also played into his hands here.

And, in almost all the films from his filmography during this period, he played leading roles. In 1994, he was the central character in Double Dragon, which was based on the popular computer game. In 1995, he fought for goodness and justice in the film Kickboxer 5: Retribution. At the same time, he was present on the set of The Crying Killer (1995). By the way, in the last film Mark acted not only as an actor, he also helped stage the stunts in the final scene. This film received the Audience Award.

Next in the filmography of Mark Dacascos is the fantastic thriller “The Island of Doctor Moreau” (1996). The film is interesting and intriguing, and is also attractive because Dacascos performed all the stunts himself. However, the actor quite often tries to cope with tasks on his own, without resorting to the help of understudies.

Mark’s filmography also includes a cult film: “The Raven: Stairway to Heaven” (1998). He played the lead role in this mystical television series for one simple reason: Dacascos looked like Brandon Lee.

The series "The Raven: Stairway to Heaven"

In 1998, a Canadian series was released, which was based on the comic books about “The Crow.” Here, Mark Dacascos played Eric Draven, a guitarist who, along with his girlfriend, died at the hands of bandits on the night before Halloween. But the main character returns from the dead, and in order to join his girlfriend in the afterlife, he needs to help several people.

The story of the vigilante rock musician became popular after the release of the film “The Crow” starring Brandon Lee. And, as Mark Dacascos has said more than once, he was literally in love with his hero. By the way, the role was not easy for the actor, because he had to not only demonstrate fighting skills, but also transform into a rock star and delight the audience with his virtuoso guitar playing. And, despite the fact that the series was closed after the first season, it, without a doubt, left a mark in the memory of the actor’s fans.

Acting career[ | ]

At the age of 18, Mark was offered a cameo role as the boyfriend of a young beautiful Chinese woman, played by Joan Chen[3], in the film “Dimsum: The Light Beat of the Heart”[en] (1985) directed by Wayne Wang, but during the filming process it was decided to focus on others characters, and Mark's scenes were not included in the final cut. This was followed by several small roles in films and TV series.

Mark Dacascos and Oleg Taktarov

The first big role was in the film “American Samurai” (1992). After this film, Mark and Cannon Films signed a contract for 6 more films with his participation. But the company was closed.

One of the most famous films with Mark’s participation is “Only the Strongest” (1993). Amen Santo to play the role of his teacher in the film

), from whom he was practicing capoeira at that moment.

I was happy to have Amen not only as my teacher to prepare for the role, but also as my teacher in the film. He also coached the actors playing my students in the film and helped choreograph the fights and sound design for the film. We were very happy to have Amen working with us on this project.

Original text (English)

I was fortunate to have Amen not only train me for my role, but also play my teacher in the film. He also worked with the actors who played my students. He helped choreograph the fight scenes — and helped with the soundtrack. We were very lucky to have him involved with the project.

— Mark Dacascos [ source not specified 1878 days

]

Another famous film by Mark is “The Crying Killer” (1995). It is based on the manga "Crying Freeman" about a Japanese potter forced to work as an assassin and mourning his victims. On the set of this film, Mark met his future wife, actress Julie Condra, known for her role as Emily DiNapoli in the television series Santa Barbara.

In 2001, he played the role of Mani in the film “Brotherhood of the Wolf”[6], for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award in the category “Best Supporting Actor”.

From 2010 to 2014 he starred in the series “Hawaii Five.0”[7], from 2020 to 2016 - in the series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”[8].

New films with Mark Dacascos

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in action films diminished. Nevertheless, films are being released starring Mark Dacascos. The films, however, are of a slightly different genre. For example, he starred in the famous historical film called “Brotherhood of the Wolf” in 2001. Here he played the Iroquois Mani, who helps hunt the monster known as the Gevaudan wolf. The same year he appears in the action film Killer Instinct.

And in 2005, the actor plays Sharish in the famous Kazakh-French film “Nomad”. In 2007, he appears on the screens in the crime comedy Nicknamed the Cleaner. In the same year, Mark received the main role in the film “I Am a Warrior.” He also played in an episode of Stargate: Atlantis.

In 2008, the actor appears in the film “Middleman”. In 2009, he got the role of Peter in the film “The Scar of Serbia.” In the same year, he took part in the filming of the film “Wolfsbane: The Wolf Man.”

Movies

Despite the fact that Mark’s sports biography was confidently going uphill, in 1985 he decided to try his hand at cinema. Chance helped: a young man with an athletic build and tall stature (at 175 cm, his weight varies from 65 to 70 kg) was accidentally noticed on the street by the assistant director of the film “Dim Sum: Excitement of the Heart.” The work brought pleasure to the young man, although during editing the scenes with him were cut out. But during his work, he managed to make the necessary contacts and appear on the Hollywood scene.

Mark Dacascos in The Crying Killer

For another seven years, Mark Dacascos continued to appear in minor films, until he was invited to play the lead role in the film “American Samurai.” From that time on, the rapid ascent of Dacascos' star began. Over the course of several years, he managed to star in 17 blockbusters, each of which was a resounding success with viewers. Mark’s next success was the films with his participation “Only the Strong” and “The Crying Killer”. The last film was an action film with detective and thriller elements.

The actor’s best roles are considered to be his work in the film “Kickboxer,” where Dacascos had the opportunity to stage his own stunts and fights, the film “Drive” and the TV series “The Raven. Stairway to Heaven". The multi-part mystical film, commissioned by Canadian television, became a kind of remake of the film of the same name, in which Brandon Lee starred. Judging by the photo, the resemblance between the actors is hard to miss. This predetermined the choice of Canadian producers.

Mark Dacascos in the series “The Crow. Stairway to Heaven"

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in action films began to fade, and the actor gradually switched to deeper roles. One of the successes of this period was working in the film “From Cradle to Grave” by Hollywood director Andrzej Bartkowiak. Mark's colleagues on the set were Jet Li and rapper DMX. In this action film, the actor played the role of a villain.

Notable works of this period were also the historical films “Brotherhood of the Wolf”, “Nomad”, as well as the thriller “I Am Omega”. For his work in the film “Brotherhood of the Wolf” the actor was nominated for a Saturn Award as best supporting actor. His partners on the set were Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Samuel Le Bien and other popular actors.

Mark Dacascos in the film "Brotherhood of the Wolf"

In one of the interviews, he was asked what he does when he receives a script that he doesn’t like at all. He told a real situation from his life. This happened two years after filming Brotherhood of the Wolf. He was offered a role in a film in which he had to play with Monica again.

He admits that then he was offered such fees that he had never been offered in his entire film career. But the script turned out to be simply terrible. He decided to call Monica Bellucci to get her opinion on this matter. And then she told him the right thing, that, despite the good money they were offered, if they acted there, this could be their last film work.

Mark Dacascos starred in the film "From Cradle to Grave"

During these same years, Mark Dacascos met Russian bodybuilder and producer Alexander Nevsky in Hollywood. At the suggestion of a Russian friend, the actor starred in the film “Maximum Impact” and then tried his hand at directing.

So in 2020, the film “Showdown in Manila” produced by Alexander Nevsky was released. The project was also co-produced by a longtime friend of the athletes, director Andrzej Bartkowiak. Thanks to his advice, a love story was added to the script, as well as the story of a Russian hero - a sniper, played by Dmitry Dyuzhev. The father of the Hollywood star, Al Dacascos, was invited to choreograph the stunts.

Alexander Nevsky and Mark Dacascos

And this is not his only experience of working with Russian actors and directors. In 2014, he participated in the filming of Oksana Sidorenko’s series “The Batagami Case.” Along with him, Andrei Chadov, Igor Zhizhikin, Lyubov Tolkalina and others starred in the film.

Dacascosi has starred in many top-rated TV series, including “CSI Crime Scene Investigation” and “Stargate: Atlantis.” In 2015, he joined the cast of Agents of SHIELD, where he had a recurring role as the head of SHIELD security.

He also appeared in the series “Hawaii Five-0” (its other name is “Hawaii Police”). Mark plays the main negative role there.

Mark Dacascos in the movie "Hawaii Five-0"

In addition to filmmaking, Mark Dacascos participates in Alexander’s public project to promote a healthy lifestyle. The Russian athlete has been leading this project in schools in the Tula region for several years now. Such Hollywood stars as Don Wilson, Matthias Hughes, Adrian Paul, and Cynthia Rothrock also take part in the charity project. All the athletes are friends with each other, and it has already become a tradition for them to regularly come to Russia.

In addition, since 2005, Mark has been the permanent TV presenter of the popular American culinary show Iron Chef America. As the actor himself admits, over the years he has not become a skilled chef, but he can safely be called a gourmet. After all, due to his duty, he has to try ten dishes per program.

Personal life of the actor

Many fans are interested in the biography of Mark Dacascos, and in particular his personal life. In many early interviews, the famous actor repeatedly said that he was not created for marriage and was unlikely to ever take on such responsibility. However, in 1995, during the filming of the famous film The Crying Killer, Mark met Julie Condra. Sympathy immediately appeared between the young people, which then developed into deeper feelings.

Soon Dacascos and Julie got married. And in 2000, the couple had their first child, who was named Makoalani Charles. Today Mark is a loving and faithful husband, as well as a caring father of three wonderful children, as Charlie was followed by his brother Kapono and sister Noelani.

By the way, the actor has two dogs. And he considers playing the guitar his hobby, which he began learning during the filming of the series “The Raven.” He also loves to play the drums. In addition to English, Mark is also fluent in French and German and can speak Mandarin.

Personal life

At the age of 31, on the set of the film “The Crying Killer,” the actor met actress Julie Condra, who became his only beloved wife. Mark Dacascos did not dare to get into a serious relationship for a long time, since as a child he witnessed many of his father’s love affairs (only officially he was married 6 times).

Mark Dacascos with his wife and children

He remained true to his choice. The actor has been happily married for more than 20 years. Mark and Julie have three children together: two sons and a daughter.