Biographie
Since James Pax was a kid, he has been inspired by classical music and began classical piano training at the age of eight. Later, inspired by Bruce Lee’s movies, he started martial arts and Kung Fu training during his teens.
James went on to learn guitar, began writing songs and performing in high school musical events, and later became a street singer in Rome, Italy.
Among his many other talents, James was a ballet and jazz dancer. Inspired by Nureyev, the famous Russian ballet dancer, James began training at Geoffrey Ballet in New York when he was 17 years old and was determined to become a professional ballet dancer. James later attended jazz classes taught by JoJo Smith, a renowned Broadway show choreographer, and subsequently became the first ever Asian male dancer to appear in TV shows and music videos. He also served as a principal dancer for the Hong Kong Royal Ballet for one season.
James became a semi-professional singer at the age of 22 during a visit to Santiago, Chile. Through an introduction from his best friend Coco Legrand, a local comedian, he was invited to be one of the entertainers on the local TV show Mr. Chile, where he mesmerized an audience of 3,000 Chilean women. The enthusiastic reaction from the audience planted a seed in his mind: to one day become an entertainer and actor.
Over his 30-year acting and producing career, James has taken on iconic roles. He starred as Lightning alongside Kurt Russell and Kim Cattrall in Big Trouble in Little China, appeared in Kinjite with Charles Bronson, and featured in Invasion USA with Chuck Norris. He also acted in the TV movie In Love & War with James Woods, and played Jimmy Kee, a narcotics cop, as a series regular alongside Benjamin Brett in the NBC TV series Nasty Boys. His film credits further include Shootfighters with Bolo Yeung and William Zabka. Additionally, James starred opposite Donald Sutherland in the acclaimed art film Bethune, which was filmed on location in China in 1988. The story follows Norman Bethune, a Canadian doctor who traveled to China in 1940 to assist Mao Zedong’s revolutionary army in their fight against the Kuomintang Army led by Chiang Kai-shek. James portrayed Tong, a Cambridge graduate who served as a translator for Mao and accompanied Bethune when he first arrived in Shanghai. The pair traveled by ox-cart and on foot to meet Mao in the mountainous region of Yan’an. Notably, James became the first American actor to work in China to complete the filming of Bethune in 1988.
In Hong Kong and mainland China, James starred with Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh in the hit film The Heroic Trio, which grossed over $20 million at the Asian box office. He also featured in Wong Feihong - The Eight Assassins, an acclaimed TV series directed by renowned Hong Kong action filmmaker Tsui Hark. James has also appeared in a multitude of popular Hong Kong and Chinese films, such as Love Among the Triad (1993), Shanghai Fever (1994), and I Want to Fall in Love - often referred to as China’s version of Sex and the City - starring alongside Chinese superstar Jiang Wenli.
In 1990s Japan, James made history as the first Chinese American actor to star in Japanese films, performing in Japanese-language roles. His works include Harimao for Shochiku Studio and the TBS TV series The New Recruits, in which he appeared as a series regular. He co-starred with prominent Japanese superstars including Hitomi Kuroki and Hiroshi Abe, among others.
In 1997, in Milan, James broke new ground as the first ever Chinese American celebrity actor to collaborate with famous designer Giorgio Armani, walking the runway as a celebrity model in his winter fashion show. He also served as the face of Giorgio Armani for the brand’s Asian marketing campaigns.
During the 1990s, James was the only Asian model and actor to serve as a brand ambassador for cigarette campaigns, featuring in two separate promotions for West Cigarettes and Philip Morris.
As a novelist, James has published a Chinese-language novel titled A Bowl of Fish in China.
In 2006, James produced and starred in the docudrama The First Emperor for Discovery USA and Channel 4 UK. The program premiered on Channel 4 UK with an 18% viewership rating. TV rights for the docudrama were sold to broadcasters worldwide, and it now has over 6 million views on YouTube.
In terms of martial arts expertise, James is a practitioner of Wushu, Karate, Aikido, and Kung Fu. He has studied Wing Chun, Long Fist, and Baji Quan. He wields an array of Chinese weapons with lethal skill and power, including the broadsword, three-section staff, kali sticks, long staff, long spear, nunchaku, and katana.
James founded his own stunt troupe called The Immortals. The troupe has headlined over 100 performances of the show Shaolin Kung Fu across Europe, and has also featured as the lead Kung Fu act in various TV shows and movie premieres in China. James produced and directed a 40-minute segment for an Indonesian TV station’s 25th anniversary special, which achieved a 30% viewership rating.
In 2026, James will lead the Big Trouble in Little China Reunion Tour, alongside Donald Li (aka Eddie) and the rest of the film’s stunt team, to celebrate the movie’s 40th anniversary. The tour will travel across the USA, Europe, Australia, and Japan. In the United States, James is scheduled to appear at major events in Atlanta, Georgia; Florida; New York; the Bay Area; Los Angeles; Texas; Ohio; and numerous other cities across the country.
Also in 2026, James is set to direct Vortex-a movie and TV IP that he created. He has penned the scripts and will co-star with top action stars from Hollywood and Asia, with the aim of launching a successful film franchise. Plans for video games and movie-related merchandise are currently in the works.
