Ron Van Clief

Ron "The Black Dragon" Van Clief is a martial arts legend. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943, he started martial arts training in his early teens. At 5 feet 10 inches and 190 pounds, Van Clief was fast, powerful, and tough.

He won 10 New York State Full-Contact Karate Championships. He won multiple Karate Point-Fighting Titles. By the early 1970s he had earned his 10th Degree Black Belt.

His karate record was reported to be 110-8. In 1994 at age 51, he launched a comeback on December 16, 1994 fighting former World JuJitsu Lightheavyweight and Ultimate Fighting World Champion Royce Gracie. The Black Dragon landed one good punch, but was taken to the canvas where after a valiant battle was choked into submission, thus ending one of the greatest fighting careers in martial arts history.

Ron Van Clief is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 22 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Top Fighter (1995), Black Dragon's Revenge (1975), Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks (2019), Fist of Fear, Touch of Death (1980), Enter the Clones of Bruce (2023), UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors (1994), The Hanged Man: The Story of Ron Van Clief (2023), Death by Misadventure: The Mysterious Life of Bruce Lee (1993). The recorded credits span 1974 to 2023, including 22 movies and 0 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.