Phillip Rhee
American actor and taekwondo practitioner (6th dan) born in South Korea, who wrote, produced and starred as Tommy Lee in the film Best of the Best (1989).
Quick Facts
United StatesBiography
Phillip Rhee is an American actor, screenwriter, producer and director, born on 7 September 1960 in South Korea. He grew up in San Francisco, California.
According to sources he holds a 6th dan in taekwondo and a 3rd dan in hapkido, and he also trained in Wing Chun and boxing. In 1980 he represented the US taekwondo team in a match against the South Korean team at the Asian Games. This experience became the basis of the screenplay of the film Best of the Best. His brother Simon Rhee, who also appeared in the series, is likewise a martial artist.
He wrote and produced the film Best of the Best (1989) himself and played the lead role of Tommy Lee in it. He took part in all four instalments of the series, including the second from 1993, as producer or screenwriter. For the sequels Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995) and Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998) he was also the director. In August 2025 a fifth sequel, Best of the Best: Honor the Brave, was announced. He also appeared in the films The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) and Silent Assassins (1988); in 2015 he directed and produced the film Underdog Kids.
Associated Martial Arts
Filmography
A screen role does not mean the person actually practises the art — that is listed above.