Tony Jaa

Tony Jaa
Tony Jaa in 2005
Born	Surin, Thailand
Native name	จา พนม
Other names	Jaa Phanom Phanom Yeerum Thatchakon Yiram
Years active	1994–present
Occupation	Actor martial artist choreographer stuntman director traceur
Spouse	Piyarat Chotiwat ​ (m. 2011)​
Children	2
Notable work	Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, Tom-Yum-Goong, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, Ong Bak 3, Tom Yum Goong 2

Tatchakorn Yeerum^[1][2] (Thai: ทัชชกร ยีรัมย์, RTGS: Thatchakon Yiram, pronounced [tʰát.t͡ɕʰā.kɔ̄ːn jīː.rām]; formerly Phanom Yeerum (Thai: พนม ยีรัมย์, [pʰā.nōm jīː.rām])), better known internationally as Tony Jaa and in Thailand as Jaa Phanom (Thai: จา พนม, RTGS: Cha Phanom, [t͡ɕāː pʰā.nōm]), is a Thai martial artist, actor, action choreographer, stuntman, director, and traceur.

Prior to becoming a leading actor, Jaa worked as a stuntman for Muay Thai Stunt for 14 years, appearing in many of his mentor Panna Rittikrai's films. His martial arts films are credited with helping to showcase the Thai combat systems of Muay Thai, Muay Boran, and "Muay Kotchasaan" (a fighting style Jaa and Rittikrai developed in 2005).^[3][4] His Thai films include Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior (2003), which was his breakthrough role, Tom-Yum-Goong (2005), Ong Bak 2: The Beginning (2008), Ong Bak 3 (2010), and Tom Yum Goong 2 (2013).

After leaving the Thai movie company Sahamongkol Film International in 2013, Jaa signed with Universal Studios, and focused more on an international fan base.^[5] Since then, Jaa has appeared in films such as Furious 7 (2015), SPL II: A Time for Consequences (2015), Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018), and Expend4bles (2023).