Micahel Dudikoff started out as a model before getting smaller roles on TV shows such as Dallas, Happy Days, and small roles in movies like Bloody Birthday and Uncommon Valor. He had his first break in 1984 with Bachelor Party starring Tom Hanks.

In 1985 he had his big break, being cast in American Ninja as Joe Armstrong. He won a role that was passed on by Chuck Norris and beat over 5,000 candidates for it based on his "James Dean like appeal". Despite having no martial arts background he took the role and did a pretty respectable job.

He then had a pretty good run in 1986 with North and South: Book 2(with Patrick Swayze who he worked with in Uncommon Valor) and Avenging Force with American Ninja costar Steve James. From there he had roles in Platoon Leader, Midnight Ride(with Mark Hamil) and River of Death.

Unfortunately two things derailed his career. One was that Cannon's Golan and Globus despite promising him big things( he was supposed to be Spider-Man, Superman, Captain America and was supposed to be the lead in Bloodsport since Menaham Golan said that Jean Claude Van Damme could never be a movie star) they never marketed him to his full potential, instead choosing to focus on Chuck Norris, Charles Bronsan and trying to sign big name stars like Sylvester Stallone. Plus, when Cannon went bankrupt he started his descent into straight to video land.

After spending the entirety of the 90's doing straight to video roles, with the exception of Jerry Springer's Ringmaster and a brief TV series called Cobra, Dudikoff retired in 2002 after doing Quicksand for Roger Corman.

The must see Michael Dudikoff 5:

1. Bachelor Party: Doesn't hold up very well, but its fun to see Dudikoff show off some comedic chops/

2. American Ninja: Really fun ninja movie that while not great is honestly a lot of fun and entertaining.

3. Avenging Force: This is a really fun pairing with Dudikoff and Steve James(they were always great together) and is still criminally underrated for an 80's action movie.

4. Bounty Hunters: One of his better movies in the 90's direct to video years.

5. Soldier Boyz: Dudikoff's version of the Dirty Dozen that was an HBO world premiere. Honestly while not great, its way more entertaining than it deserves to be.

Dudawhat?

Its sad seeing the documentary on Canon with the Dude talking. He really did deserve to do better and he had the looks and onscreen presence to do well. Shame he got stuck with Canon and not someone better to take him under their wing.

I remember watching the Cobra series, and enjoying it. One thing I found out about Dudikoff is that he is dyslexic. Apparently it was quite the process for him to learn his lines, involving a second person reading the entire script to him for hours on end.

I always wondered if his career might have been stronger and more varied if he'd given up on being the lead in nearly everything he was in. He was a much better actor than most of his movies could show, but he rarely seemed to accept anything that wasn't a lead role, even when the pictures got small. He'd have been excellent as a supporting or ensemble player in bigger pictures, but it often seemed like he was bound and determined to live up to those empty promises lavished on him by Golan & Globus.

One movie of his I recall enjoying -- modestly -- was RESCUE ME from 1992, precisely because it was a little more high concept and lighthearted than his usual fare, even if it did go straight to video after a barely-there theatrical release (Cannon, 'nuff said).

Honestly, Dudikoff was a likable lead but was never going to be anything more than a C-lister, at best. If it weren't for Golan-Globus, he wouldn't have had any real career.

Platoon Leader was amazing

I honestly don't recall many of his movies other than Bachelor Party and Avenging Force. I don't even recall if I saw American Ninja.

Avenging Force and the America Ninja flicks were great. In fact, I think Surviving the Game was a remake of Avenging Force, right? It's been years since I've seen both.

Hope we get a Jeff Speakman thread.

THIS is what we need.

Good idea...who is up for a Jeff TheAlpaca Speakman thread?

Make it so.

Then we can send these links to Scott Adkins and tell him to keep striving to reach their levels of greatness.

OP mispronouncing his name made this thread funnier.

American Ninja is the movie which he will always be well known for.

Jeff Speakman is awesome. Granted, his only two films that I like are Perfect Weapon and Street Knight.

I saw American Ninja in theaters. The brunette from Weird Science (not Kelly LeBrock, the teen girl) was in it. I was 14. The right age for such swill.

Oh yes. She's still fine, too, for a broad in her early 50's.


EDIT - Judie Aronson is her name.

I remember Dudikoff being a decent actor, probably from American Ninja. For some strange reason reading the posts in this thread, I was reminded of Olivier Gruner from the movie Nemesis. Don't ask me why, I don't know.

Followed by Stephen Dorff

I'm planning on two more. Jeff Speakman, and Don "The Dragon" Wilson. After that I'm calling it quits.

He’s no Jeff Kober. That’s for damn sure!

Come to think of it all these guys getting mentioned for possible threads can't hold a candle to Carl Ewles.

^ Is that Cary Elwes dyslexic brother?

This guy? Speakman and Dudi can smoke his ass and beat him with a couple of candles.

Holy shit!