Mark Dacascos (Mark Dacascos): biography and filmography of the actor (photo)

At one time Mark Dakaskos was a true symbol of strength and courage, and his participation in the action movie guaranteed the film popularity. But in addition to acting, he is also a famous athlete, who managed to win a lot of prestigious awards. And today, fans are increasingly interested in the biography and filmography of the actor.

Biography of Mark Dakaskos

Full name of the actor - Mark Alan Dakaskos. He was born on February 26, 1964 in the city of Honolulu in Hawaii. His father, Albert Joseph Dacascos, better known as Al, was a martial arts teacher. It should be noted that during his sports career, Dakaskos the elder managed to create his own style of kung fu, which combined elements of the camp, fistfight, karate, judo and traditional western boxing. At one time, this style was very popular in Hawaii. El and to this day teaches this style at his own school, which is in Portland.

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

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

Sports career

It is unlikely that in his childhood, Mark Dakaskos thought about the career of the actor - his dream was sports awards and victories in competitions. And the boy purposefully moved to his dream.

Constant employment in school of the father and the stepmother have given results - in nine years he has received the 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 stepbrother Greg got to Habsburg. For several years he traveled almost all the countries of Europe and managed to participate in 200 competitions.

In 1980, he won first place in the Hamburg Karate Championship. In 1982, he won the European championship in kung fu and karate. In the same year he won first place in the Italian and Hamburg championships.

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

First Career Steps

Despite an active sports career, Mark Dakaskos 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 the university performance. It was at this point that he fell in love with acting and decided to make a career in film.

His first work was a comedy called "Dim Sum: Easy Heartbeat." But later all the footage with Mark was cut out, and on the screen, so no one saw. In 1989 he starred in one of the series of the soap opera "Doctor Dugi Hauser". And in 1990 he played the inconspicuous role of the driver in the "City of Angels."

"American Samurai" - the first serious work

In 1992, actor Mark Dakaskos first appears on the big screens in the movie "American Samurai." This was the first really 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 gladiatorial fights.

Despite not being a very partial hero, this role gave Mark the opportunity to demonstrate not only acting skills, but also mastery in martial arts. It is these qualities that made him so popular.

The film "Only the Strongest" and Worldwide Recognition

If you are interested in the best films of Mark Dakaskos, then you, no doubt, should look at the 1993 picture called "Only the Strongest." Here, the actor played capoeira master and former soldier Louis Stevens, who after the service returns to his hometown. And the former school meets him with armed kiddies and lawlessness. Louis is offered to become a martial arts teacher. The very same protagonist piously believes that physical training will help to cope even with the most problematic students.

It was this picture that made the actor a world celebrity. Posters and photos of Mark Dakaskos decorated the walls of many impressionable teenagers who dreamed of becoming the same as the protagonist of the film.

Filmography by Mark Dakaskos

After the deafening success of the proposal began to pour into the actor one after another. After all, in the 1990s, the militants were one of the most popular cinematographers, and Mark had something to show on the screen.

In 1994, the filmography of Mark Dakaskos replenished with the adventure film "Double Dragon", where he played Jimmy Lee, who, along with his brother, hunted a powerful talisman. In the same year, he starred in one of the episodes of the popular TV series "Tales from the Crypt."

And in 1995 there was another militant called "Weeping Killer", where the actor played Yo Hinomor - a hired killer with the throes of conscience, who falls in love with his victim. In the same year, there is a continuation of the famous story "Kickboxer-5: Retribution", where Mark played Matt, a friend of David Sloane, who is trying to avenge the murder. By the way, some scenes of battles were put by Dakaskos himself.

In 1996, there are other films with the participation of Mark Dakaskos. In particular, he starred in a fantastic thriller called "The Island of Dr. Moreau." Next came the pictures "Sabotage", "DNA", "Drive", "Boogie Boy", "Refuge" and the series "Chinese policeman".

The series "Raven: The Stairway to Heaven"

In 1998, the screens were released Canadian series, which was filmed based on comic books about the "Crow". Here, Mark Dakaskos played Eric Draven, a guitarist who, along with his girlfriend, died at the hands of the bandits on the night before Halloween. But the protagonist comes back from the dead, in order to join his girlfriend in the afterlife, he needs to help a few people.

The history of the avid rock musician became popular after the release of the film "The Raven" with the participation of Brandon Lee. And, as Mark Dakaskos often said, he was literally in love with his hero. By the way, the role was given to the actor not easily, because he needed not only to demonstrate fighting skills, but also to reincarnate as a rock star and to delight the audience with virtuosic playing the guitar. And, despite the fact that the series was closed after the first season, he, without a doubt, left a trace in the memory of the fans of the actor.

New movies with Mark Dakascos

At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in militants was diminished. Nevertheless, there are pictures where Mark Dakaskos is removed. Movies, however, a little different genre. For example, he starred in a famous historical painting called "Brotherhood of the Wolf" in 2001. Here he played the Iroquois Mani, who helps to hunt a monster known as the Jevodan wolf. In the same year he appears in the thriller "Instinct of the murderer."

And in 2005, the actor plays Sharish in the famous Kazakh-French film "The Nomad". In 2007, he appears on the screen in a criminal comedy "Nicknamed the Cleaner." In the same year Mark receives the main role in the film "I am a warrior". He also played in one of the episodes of the series "Stargate: Atlantis."

In 2008, the actor appears in the movie "Middleman". In 2009, he won the role of Peter in the film "The Scar of Serbia." In the same year he took part in the shooting of the picture "Wolfsbane: The Wolf Man."

Personal life of the actor

Many fans are interested in the biography of Mark Dakaskos, and in particular his personal life. In many early interviews, the famous actor has repeatedly said that he was not created for marriage and is unlikely to ever assume such a responsibility. However, in 1995, during the filming of the famous film "Weeping Killer", Mark meets Julie Kondra. Between the young people immediately appeared sympathy, which then developed into deeper feelings.

Soon, Dakaskos and Julie played a wedding. And in 2000, the couple had a first-born, who was named Makoalani Charles. Today Mark is a loving and faithful husband, and also a caring father of three wonderful children, since Charlie was followed by his brother Capono and sister Noelani.

By the way, the actor has two dogs. And his hobby considers playing the guitar, which he began to learn during the filming of the series "Raven". He also likes to play drums. In addition to English, Mark also speaks fluent French and German, can speak Mandarin.