Celebrities and VIPs who get a kick out of martial arts

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) - Elvis Presley's interest in karate began in 1958 while he was in the army in Germany. Throughout his career he studied kenpo-style karate under several masters, achieving 7th degree black belt in 1973. He was awarded an 8th degree black belt (pictured) the following year.

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Elvis Presley (1935-1977) - The King of Rock 'n' Roll often choreographed karate moves into his stage act, kicking and chopping the air to drumbeats.

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Evan Rachel Wood - In addition to being beautiful, Evan Rachel Wood also knows martial arts. The American actress is a taekwondo black belt.

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David Beckham - The English soccer player is also a black belt in taekwondo, and his children also practice the martial art.

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Keanu Reeves - It's been reported that the actor had to learn more than 200 martial art moves to play the role of Neo in the movie 'The Matrix' (1999).

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Kobe Bryant - The former basketball player practices Jeet Kune Do. The martial art was developed by the master Bruce Lee.

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Bruce Lee - The original martial arts celebrity, Bruce Lee was a martial arts instructor and philosopher before he found fame as an actor and director. Lee founded the Jeet Kune Do martial arts system, which many of today's celebrities follow.

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Bruce Lee - Lee appeared in the 1960s action-adventure series 'The Green Hornet' as Kato, an expert in karate.

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Bruce Lee - Movie stardom soon beckoned. His most famous film is 'Enter the Dragon' (1973), regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films ever made.

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Chuck Norris - Chuck Norris is a martial arts master and he even founded his own style, Chun Kuk Do, a hybrid martial art that combines several elements of tangsudo, taekwondo, Brazilian jujitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai, and Shodokan. He's pictured with Bruce Lee in a scene from 'Way of the Dragon' (1972).

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Steven Seagal - A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, Seagal is familiar to moviegoers as one of cinema's tough guys. But he started out as a martial arts instructor in Japan.

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Vin Diesel - The actor used to practice the Thai martial art Muay Thai.

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Bill Clinton - Bill Clinton is another politician who knows martial arts. The 42nd President of the United States is trained in the Korean martial art of taekwondo.

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Dwayne Johnson - Before becoming an actor, 'The Rock' was a WWE wrestler. It was through grappling that Johnson first achieved fame. Though some argue whether or not wrestling should be considered a martial art.

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Jason Statham - The British actor is also a master in martial arts. He knows Wing Chun, kung fu, karate, Brazilian jujitsu and kickboxing. Statham is known for doing his own stunts in movies like 'Crank,' 'Parker,' and 'The Transporter.'

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Jackie Chan - One of the world's most recognized film stars, Hong Kong-born Chan is known for his incredible, often death-defying stunts. Trained in kung fu, hapkido, karate, judo, taekwondo and Jeet Kune Do, the martial artist is one of the fittest actors working today.

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Angela Merkel - The Chancellor of Germany is a judo black belt. It looks like there is more to life than just politics.

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Zlatan Ibrahimović - The Swedish player has other talents outside the soccer field. He's a taekwondo black belt, and Ibrahimović uses various techniques inspired by the martial arts when he plays.

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Vladimir Putin - The President of Russia is not only a head of state, he's also a judo black belt. The politician's strength is not only in his words.

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Steve McQueen (1930–1980) - The legendary actor demonstrated an early interest in martial arts and was trained by Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris.

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James Coburn (1928–2002) - McQueen's buddy and fellow film star James Coburn also knew Bruce Lee, and was a private student. McQueen and Coburn were pallbearers at Lee's funeral in 1973.

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David Carradine (1936–2009) - Carradine, who appeared in Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' movies, is also remembered for his early '70s TV role as Kwai Chang Caine in the 'Kung Fu' series.

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David Carradine (1936–2009) -

Already experienced in sword fighting, boxing, and street fighting, by 2003 Carradine's martial art prowess was such that he was producing and starring in several instructional videos on tai chi and qigong.

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Gisele Bündchen - The Brazilian top model and businesswoman knows the Chinese martial art, kung fu. Is that how she keeps fit?

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Ashton Kutcher - The actor does Brazilian jujitsu, and is currently a purple belt.

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Nicolas Cage - The American actor follows jujitsu. Nicolas Cage will have no problem if someone tries to rob him in the street.

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Naomi Watts - In addition to her beauty and talent in cinema, the actress also has another skill: she knows jujitsu.

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Mel Gibson - The American actor and filmmaker practiced the Japanese martial art of jujitsu and the Chinese art of tai chi chuan. Mel Gibson is very well prepared for a fight.

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Jennifer Aniston - The actress knows karate. The secret to her beauty and great figure might be martial arts.

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Christian Bale - The actor practiced the Chinese martial art of kung fu and got the chance to show off his skills in the movie 'The Dark Knight' (2008).

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Sharon Stone - The American actress trained in taekwondo to play the role of Lori Quaid in the movie 'Total Recall' (2012).

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Mick Jagger - The Rolling Stones' front man has other abilities besides singing. He used to practice judo.

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Jodie Foster - It's well known that the actress practices karate and kickboxing. This means that Jodie Foster knows how to look after herself if she needs to!

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Jack Black - The comedy actor also knows how to defend himself, as he's familiar with judo techniques.

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Robert Downey Jr. - The American actor practices kung fu. Seems like Robert Downey Jr. is a superhero in real life too.

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Jessica Biel - The American actress and model practices martial arts to stay in shape.

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Jim Carrey - The American actor and comedian practices Brazilian jujitsu.

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Madonna - Madonna trained in karate with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, who's a black belt in this martial art.

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Barack Obama - The former President of the United States practices taekwondo. He has an honorary black belt, presented to him by former South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.

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