Rudy Reyes (actor)
Encyclopedia
Rodolfo "Rudy" Reyes (born 1971 in Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base
, Kansas City, Missouri
) is a United States Marine, champion in martial arts
, and actor
. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV series "Generation Kill".
Marine father en route to Vietnam
. Rudy was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. Rudy spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually a boys home. Rudy's childhood hero was Bruce Lee
, and at 15 Rudy started studying kung fu. At 17 Rudy emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved them back to Kansas City, Missouri
where he got an apartment and helped them find work. Between 1996 and 1998 Rudy won 14 gold medals, four at the Wushu-Kung Fu Midwest Championships and five in both the '97 and '98 Jing Woo International Championships. Besides Rudy, Bruce Lee
is the only other American
-born martial artist to defeat fighters from the Jin Woo Academy.
and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan
and took part in the Iraq war. In 2005 he left the military.
.
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located south of Kansas City, Missouri. It was closed in 1994....
, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
) is a United States Marine, champion in martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known for portraying himself in the HBO TV series "Generation Kill".
Early years
Rudy Reyes was born in 1971 to a United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Marine father en route to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Rudy was raised by his grandparents until 1976 when both his grandmother and grandfather died in the same year. Rudy spent the next few years being shuffled between relatives and eventually a boys home. Rudy's childhood hero was Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
, and at 15 Rudy started studying kung fu. At 17 Rudy emancipated himself and took custody of his two younger brothers, after which he moved them back to Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
where he got an apartment and helped them find work. Between 1996 and 1998 Rudy won 14 gold medals, four at the Wushu-Kung Fu Midwest Championships and five in both the '97 and '98 Jing Woo International Championships. Besides Rudy, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
is the only other American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born martial artist to defeat fighters from the Jin Woo Academy.
Military career
In 1998 Reyes joined the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and was ultimately selected for (and passed) Marine Recon training. He served in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
and took part in the Iraq war. In 2005 he left the military.
Trainer and Actor
After leaving the military Reyes became a fitness trainer at a gym in San Diego. His acting roles included playing himself in Generation Kill 2008 and the TV Series Apocalypse ManApocalypse Man
Apocalypse Man is an American television program that premiered on January 6, 2010 on History hosted by former US Marine and martial-artist Rudy Reyes. The show is based on how to survive the aftermath of the end of the world, if the world was to come to an end...
.