Iko Uwais, born Uwais Qorny on February 12, 1983, in Jakarta, Indonesia, is a renowned Indonesian actor, stuntman, fight choreographer, and martial artist.
Raised in a family with a strong martial arts legacy, he began training in pencak silat, a traditional Indonesian martial art, at the age of 10 under the guidance of his grandfather, H. Achmad Bunawar, a silat master who founded a silat school.
Uwais’s natural talent and charisma caught the attention of Welsh director Gareth Evans in 2007, leading to his breakout role in the action film Merantau (2009).
Since then, he has become a global figure, celebrated for his dynamic performances and intricate fight choreography, bringing Indonesian martial arts to international audiences.
Uwais is also a family man, married to Indonesian singer Audy Item since 2012, with whom he has two daughters, Atreya Syahla Putri Uwais and Aneska Layla Putri Uwais.
Siblings
Iko grew up with two siblings, Heti Khotimah and Firmansyah, in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Unlike Iko, who chose to forgo higher education to focus on martial arts, his siblings pursued college education.
While specific details about Heti Khotimah and Firmansyah’s personal lives or careers are not widely documented, it is known that they shared a childhood steeped in the martial arts tradition due to their grandfather’s influence.
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Career
Uwais’s career began when Gareth Evans discovered him during a documentary shoot about silat at Uwais’s training hall in 2007.
Impressed by his skills and screen presence, Evans cast him as Yuda in Merantau (2009), where Uwais learned the Minang style of silat harimau to portray a young West Sumatran.
The film’s success at festivals like Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival and ActionFest, where it won Best Film, marked Uwais’s rise.
His collaboration with Evans continued with The Raid: Redemption (2011), playing Rama, a role that earned global acclaim for its intense fight choreography and established Uwais as an action star.
The sequel, The Raid 2 (2014), further showcased his ability to blend complex martial arts with dramatic storytelling.
Uwais’s Hollywood ventures include a brief role as Razoo Qin-Fee in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), alongside his Raid co-star Yayan Ruhian, and starring roles in Headshot (2016), Mile 22 (2018), The Night Comes for Us (2018), and Triple Threat (2019), where he shared the screen with martial arts icons like Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White.
In 2019, he led the Netflix series Wu Assassins as Kai Jin, a role he reprised in the sequel film Fistful of Vengeance (2022).
Uwais also starred in Stuber (2019) and joined the cast of Expend4bles (2023). In January 2025, he launched Uwais Pictures, with his directorial debut Timur, a dramatization of the Mapenduma hostage crisis.
Accolades
Uwais’s debut in Merantau garnered nominations for Best Newcomer Actor and Favorite Newcomer Actor at the 2010 Indonesian Movie Awards, reflecting his immediate impact.
The Raid: Redemption received widespread praise, with critics and festivals hailing it as one of the best martial arts films in years, contributing to its cult status and Uwais’s growing fame.
Merantau itself won Best Film at ActionFest 2010, a testament to Uwais’s compelling performance.
His martial arts prowess was further acknowledged through his 2005 National Championship win in the Silat Demonstration category, highlighting his skill before his film career took off.
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