Cynthia Rothrock

Cynthia Ann Christine Rothrock ( Markowski; born March 8, 1957) is an American martial artist and actress in martial arts films.

Rothrock holds black belt rankings in seven styles of martial arts and was a high-level competitor in martial arts before becoming an actress.

Rothrock was born Cynthia Ann Christine Markowski on March 8, 1957, in Wilmington, Delaware, to Edward and Ann (Exeter) Markowski.

She grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and started taking martial arts lessons at the age of 13.

Rothrock was World Champion in forms and weapons five times between 1981 and 1985.

These categories are not combat-oriented, being displays of fluidity of movement rather than fighting, and are not segregated into male and female categories but fully open to both sexes.

She took first place in forms 32 times and first place in weapons 12 times in her first 38 tournaments, including competing in "Men's Forms" three out of four times as there was no Women's Division.

She was "Grand Master" of five tournaments and came in first place in 4 out of 5 fighting events.

She holds seven black belts and sashes in multiple Far Eastern martial disciplines, including Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo (Korean), Eagle Claw (Chinese), Wushu, Northern Shaolin, Ng Ying Kungfu (Chinese: 五形功夫), and Pai Lum White Dragon Kung Fu.

Rothrock made history by becoming the inaugural woman to grace the cover of Karate Illustrated (August 1981) and holds the distinction of being the first woman featured on the cover three times in the magazine's history.

In March 2024, Black Belt Magazine named Rothrock number one on the list of Most Influential Women Martial Artists on the Planet.

In 1983, Rothrock was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame as "Female Competitor of the Year".

In 1983, while Rothrock was on Ernie Reyes' West Coast Demonstration Team, she was discovered by Golden Harvest in Los Angeles, California.

It was two years (1985) later that she made her first martial arts movie for them, Yes, Madam (also known as Police Assassins or In the Line of Duty Part 2), which also starred Michelle Yeoh.

It proved to be a box office success.

She was the first woman to appear on the cover of a martial arts magazine, and in 1986 co-authored a book with George Chung titled, Advanced Dynamic Kicks.

She ended up staying in Hong Kong until 1988 doing seven films there.

Possibly her first US film was 24 Hours to Midnight, a Leo Fong-directed film which also starred Stack Pierce and

Bernie Pock (son of actress Nancy Kwan).

Rothrock became one of the few Western performers to achieve genuine stardom in the local Hong Kong film industry before achieving success in their own country.

She was credited as 羅芙洛 ("Fu Lok Law" or "Foo Lok Law") in many Hong Kong movies.

Producer Pierre David initiated Rothrock's move to the American turf.

David offered her a co-starring role with Chad McQueen in Martial Law, Rothrock's first U.S. production.

For the next ten years, she led a successful career in action movies.

Her films include China O'Brien and China O'Brien 2, Guardian Angel, Honor & Glory, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 and Prince of the Sun amongst a roster of thirty films.

She did voice work on the animated series Eek the Cat, which premiered in September 1992.

The following month saw the release of the first game in the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise, which included the character of Sonya Blade, which was inspired by Rothrock.

She made an appearance in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, playing Hera's second Enforcer in the 1996 episode "Not Fade Away".

Rothrock appeared as Bertha Jo in the 1997 television film The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!

After starring in the 2004 film Xtreme Fighter (a.k.a. Sci-Fighter), where she played "Sally Kirk/The White Dragon", she retired from acting to teach private martial arts lessons at her martial arts studio in Studio City, California.

She received her 6th degree black belt in Tang Soo Do Moo Duk Kwan in 2006.

She was tested by Grand Master Robert Kovaleski, 9th Dan and chair of the I.T.M.A., and was later promoted by him to 7th degree black belt in 2011 and 8th degree black belt in 2015.

She is a martial arts instructor and her favorite weapons are the hook swords.

She returned to acting for the role as Nanna in the 2012 Christmas family film Santa's Summer House, alongside British martial artist and actor Gary Daniels.

In 2014, she was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2014, she was honored with the Legacy Award at the Urban Action Showcase & Expo at HBO.

In 2014, she starred in the action movie Mercenaries, alongside Kristanna Loken, Brigitte Nielsen, Vivica A. Fox and Zoë Bell.

In 2016 she was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman.

In 2022, Rothrock received the Martial Arts SuperShow "Lifetime Acheivement Award" in Las Vegas.

Past recipients have included Chuck Norris, Fumio Demura, Benny “The Jet” Urquidez and former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, among others.