Joe Taslim — Acting | Biography, Movies & Career

Biography

Johannes "Joe" Taslim (born on June 23, 1981, in Palembang, South Sumatra), is an Indonesian actor and martial artist of Chinese descent. A member of the Indonesia Judo national team from 1997 to 2009, Taslim is best known for his breakthrough role as "Jaka" in the critically acclaimed The Raid (2011). Later going on to play "Jah" in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), which marked his first role in a film outside Indonesia.

From a young age, he studied various martial arts such as wushu, taekwondo, pencak silat, and judo, eventually choosing to focus on judo. Taslim was a member of Indonesia's national judo team from 1997 to 2009, achieving numerous accolades, including a gold medal at the 2008 National Sports Week and a silver medal at the 2007 SEA Games.

After retiring from judo, Taslim transitioned to acting and gained international recognition through his role as Sergeant Jaka in the film The Raid (2011). This success led to roles in Hollywood films such as Fast & Furious 6 (2013) as Jah, Star Trek Beyond (2016) as Manas, and Mortal Kombat (2021) as Sub-Zero. He also starred in the television series Warrior as Li Yong.

With his strong martial arts background and impressive acting skills, Joe Taslim has become one of the few Indonesian actors to successfully break into the international film industry.