For the second week of Women’s History Month we’re celebrating Grand Master Cynthia Rothrock, one of the most well-known martial artists of all time. She is also known as the “Queen of Martial Arts,” and “Lady Dragon,” and she is the inspiration for the Mortal Kombat character Sonya Blade.
Bored with dance and baseball, Rothrock got her start in Tang So Doo at the age of 13 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Between 1981 and 1985, she became the 5-time world champion in kata and weapons competition, often competing in men’s divisions because there were none for women; she was undefeated in kata competitions in over 100 tournaments. In 1983 she became the first female to appear on the cover of a martial arts magazine when she was named “Female Competitor of the Year” for Black Belt Magazine.
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In 1985 she retired from competition with an eye on acting, having been discovered by Golden Harvest. She moved to Hong Kong to appear in her first movie, Yes, Madam, starring Michelle Yeoh. She stayed in Hong Kong through 1988 after having made 7 films. She returned to the U.S. and went on to star in many films including Martial Law, No Retreat, No Surrender 2 and over 60 more.
Cynthia holds 7 black belts and sashes in Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, Eagle Claw Kung Fu, Wushu, Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Ng Ying Kung Fu, and Pai Lum White Dragon Kung Fu.
Rothrock currently teaches at a dojo in Studio City, California and makes appearances around the world teaching seminars and workshops.
