Philippe Joly, a French actor of Chinese descent, was born in Moscow, Russia, and has made a name for himself in the Asian film industry by regularly playing the villain in action films. He has shared the screen with numerous prominent actors in the region, including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
In his role as Decimus in Jackie Chan's film Dragon Blade, Joly appeared alongside American actors John Cusack and Adrien Brody, as well as French singer/actress Lorie Pester. His recent projects include Juno Mak's film "Sons of the Neon Night", The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords, and the Chinese Sci-fi action film Ultimate Code, in which he plays a lead role as the main villain alongside a Chinese cast and fellow French actor and Parkour founder David Belle.
Aside from acting, Joly is a strong supporter of independent filmmaking and regularly writes screenplays and directs short films in Hong Kong. He is multilingual, speaking French, Russian, Italian, and English, and is an avid practitioner of close-up magic and card manipulation. Joly has also trained in various martial arts since the age of five and, although not a stuntman, often performs stunts as required by the action film genre and the type of characters he plays.
As a versatile actor, Joly has demonstrated his range by taking on a variety of roles, from playing the villain in action films to starring alongside major actors in the region. His extensive experience in the industry, combined with his passion for filmmaking and martial arts, has made him a respected figure in the Asian film industry.
