Panna Rittikrai
Thai stuntman, choreographer and director, founder of the Muay Thai Stunt team, who discovered Tony Jaa and choreographed the films Ong-Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong.
Quick Facts
ThailandBiography
Panna Rittikrai, born Krittiya Lardphanna, was a Thai stuntman, fight choreographer and director. According to Wikipedia he was born on February 17, 1961, in Khon Kaen, while another source gives January 17, 1961. He died on July 20, 2014, in Bangkok at the age of 53.
He graduated from the Maha Sarakham Physical Education Institute and from 1979 worked in Bangkok as a physical trainer for actors. He was inspired to shoot action scenes by films with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee and by the James Bond films. He made his first film, Gerd ma lui (Born to Fight), in 1986. He founded the stunt team P.P.N. Stunt Team, later renamed Muay Thai Stunt. His principle was to shoot without protective tricks, which cost his team a number of serious injuries.
He discovered and mentored Tony Jaa, whom he trained in Muay Thai and Muay Boran from childhood and who became the star of his films Ong-Bak (2003) and Tom-Yum-Goong (2005); he choreographed the fight scenes for both. He also prepared the choreography for the films The Legend of Suriyothai (2001), Mercury Man (2006) and Chocolate (2008). In 2008 he directed, produced and choreographed Ong-Bak 2, whose direction and choreography Tony Jaa also contributed to, and in 2010 he directed Ong-Bak 3 and wrote and directed Bangkok Knockout. In Dynamite Warrior (2006) he played the sorcerer Nai Hoi Dam. His other students and collaborators included Diew Chupong, Jeeja Yanin, Kessarin Ektawatkul and Sasisa Jindamanee.
Between 1982 and 2014 he worked on more than 100 films. The last film he completed was Rew Talu Rew (Vengeance of an Assassin).
Teachers, students and family
Filmography
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