Joe Taslim

Johannes Taslim (born 23 June 1981) is an Indonesian actor, martial artist, and model. He was a member of Indonesia's national judo team from 1997 to 2009, becoming a three-time medalist (one Silver and two Bronze) at the Southeast Asian Games, and a Gold medalist at the 2008 Pekan Olahraga Nasional.

His film acting roles include Sergeant Jaka in The Raid (2011), Jah in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Manas in Star Trek Beyond (2016), and Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat (2021) and Mortal Kombat II (2026). He is also known for his role as Li Yong in the historical action drama television series Warrior (2019–‍2023).

Early life Taslim was born in Palembang, Indonesia, to a Christian family of Chinese descent. He has also practiced taekwondo, pencak silat and wushu.

Judo Taslim was a member of Indonesia's national judo team from 1997 to 2009. In 1999, he won a Gold medal at the Southeast Asia Judo Championships in Singapore, in the Men's Free Class. He was a Bronze medalist at the 2001 and 2005 Southeast Asian Games, and a Silver medalist at the 2007 Games. He won a Gold medal in the Men –81 kg class at the 2008 Indonesia National Games. He retired from active competition in 2009.

Film career Prior to his film debut, Taslim worked as a model in print ads and commercials. He made his acting debut in the 2008 film Karma.

In 2010, he won the role of Jaka, a sergeant in a special police squad, in the award-winning The Raid, after a series of fight auditions and reading.

Following The Raid, Taslim took part in HBO Asia's first action horror film, Dead Mine, which had a theatrical release in selected Asian territories in September 2012, followed by exclusive television premieres across the HBO Asia network.

Taslim appeared in the feature film Fast & Furious 6 (2013), as the villainous Jah, a mercenary who uses his martial arts to fight two of the film's protagonists, Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang).

In May 2013, it was reported that Taslim would star in the action thriller The Night Comes for Us. In September 2014, pre-production on the film was halted and the script was instead adapted as a graphic novel. The film was eventually released by Netflix on 19 October 2018.

In 2016, he played an antagonist character, Manas, a former first officer of Captain Balthazar Edison (played by Idris Elba), Anderson Le, turned into an alien in Star Trek Beyond.

In 2017, Taslim was cast in the role of Li Yong in the Cinemax action series, Warrior. He played Li Yong, a Long Zii enforcer and secretly Mai Ling's lover. His character serves as a rival to the series' protagonist Ah Sahm.

In July 2019, Taslim was cast as Bi-Han / Sub-Zero in the Mortal Kombat reboot. The film premiered in April 2021 in theaters and on HBO Max. Taslim then reprised the role in the sequel Mortal Kombat II, with the character coming back as Noob Saibot.

Personal life Taslim married his wife, Julia, in 2004, and they have three children.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 Karma Armand Guan 2009 Rasa Allivan 2011 The Raid Sergeant Jaka 2012 Dead Mine Djoko 2013 Fast & Furious 6 Jah Hollywood debut film La Tahzan Yamada 2014 The Raid 2 Sergeant JakaUncredited, archive footage 2016 Star Trek Beyond Anderson Le / Manas 2017 A Note to God Martin 2018 The Night Comes for Us Ito 2019 Hit & Run Tegar Satria 2026 Mortal Kombat II Bi-Han / Noob Saibot 2027 Extraction 3

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes 2019–2023 Warrior Li Yong Cinemax, Max Main cast 2023 Blindspotting Mustafa Starz Episode: "Karate Kiss"

Sport achievements Year Event Sport Division Result Ref(s). 1999 Southeast Asia Judo Championships Singapore Judo Men Free Class 2001 Southeast Asian Games Judo Men –81 kg – 2005 Southeast Asian Games Judo Men –73 kg – 2007 Southeast Asian Games Judo Men –81 kg