Who Is Ernie Reyes Jr.? Inside His Martial Arts Career and Personal Life

Ernie Reyes Jr. is an American actor, martial artist, stunt performer, and producer whose remarkable fighting skills helped him build a lasting career in Hollywood. Best known for his memorable appearances in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Surf Ninjas, and The Rundown, he became a familiar face to audiences who grew up watching action-packed movies during the 1980s and 1990s.

What makes his story particularly interesting is that martial arts came long before Hollywood. Raised in San Jose, California, Reyes began training under his father, respected martial arts instructor Ernie Reyes Sr., while he was still a child. Those early lessons developed the speed, discipline, and confidence that eventually opened doors in the entertainment industry.

Over the years, his career has taken him from martial arts demonstrations to leading movie roles, television appearances, stunt performances, and motion capture work. Away from the cameras, his life includes a strong family connection, Filipino American heritage, and serious health challenges that attracted public attention.

Here’s a closer look at Ernie Reyes Jr.’s biography, martial arts achievements, movies, wife, children, net worth, and personal life in 2026.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Quick Bio Information

Who Is Ernie Reyes Jr.?

Born Ernest E. Reyes on January 15, 1972, in San Jose, California, Ernie Reyes Jr. is a Filipino American entertainer whose career combines professional martial arts training with acting and stunt work. As of November 2026, he is 54 years old.

He first attracted attention as a talented young martial artist before making the transition into television and movies. His ability to perform demanding fighting sequences made him especially valuable during a period when martial arts entertainment was becoming increasingly popular.

Unlike performers who learn fighting techniques specifically for a role, Reyes brought years of practical training to the screen. His experience in Taekwondo and Muay Thai gave his movements a level of speed, precision, and authenticity that audiences could recognize.

Among his most familiar characters are Keno in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Johnny in Surf Ninjas, and Manito in The Rundown. These performances helped establish his reputation as an action entertainer with genuine martial arts abilities.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Early Life and Childhood

Long before audiences knew his name, Ernie Reyes Jr. was growing up in a household where martial arts played an important role. His father, Ernie Reyes Sr., was already established in martial arts instruction, and young Ernie had the opportunity to learn from someone with extensive knowledge of the discipline.

Training became a regular part of his childhood. He spent years developing balance, flexibility, coordination, and concentration, skills that would eventually become central to his professional success.

His early experiences also taught him that martial arts required more than physical strength. Progress depended on patience, repetition, and the willingness to improve through consistent practice.

Reyes grew up with a Filipino American cultural background, which remains an important part of his identity. Although detailed accounts of his formal education and private childhood experiences are limited, his early dedication to martial arts is well established.

By the time he began appearing in entertainment productions, he had already developed abilities that set him apart from many young performers.

Family Background and Ernie Reyes Sr.’s Influence

Few people have had a greater influence on Ernie Reyes Jr.’s career than his father, Ernie Reyes Sr.

An experienced martial artist and instructor, Reyes Sr. helped his son build a strong technical foundation while introducing him to the discipline required for serious training. Their relationship went beyond ordinary instruction, developing into a professional connection that would eventually reach Hollywood.

One of their best-known collaborations came in the 1993 movie Surf Ninjas, where father and son appeared together. Their shared background gave the production a genuine family connection that made the experience particularly meaningful within Reyes Jr.’s career.

The Reyes family also includes five younger siblings: Lee Reyes, Santino Ramos, Ki Reyes, Destiny Reyes, and Espirit Reyes.

There is another interesting detail behind the family name. According to IMDb’s biographical trivia, both Reyes Jr. and his father were named after his paternal grandfather, Ernesto Reyes. That naming tradition connects three generations of the family.

For Reyes Jr., martial arts wasn’t simply a childhood interest. It was part of a family tradition that shaped his personal development and professional opportunities.

How Ernie Reyes Jr. Started His Martial Arts Journey

Ernie Reyes Jr.’s martial arts journey began under his father’s guidance, with Taekwondo becoming one of his primary disciplines.

Known for its powerful kicks, quick movements, and emphasis on technical control, Taekwondo requires years of consistent practice to master. Reyes developed his abilities through structured training, eventually earning what his published IMDb biography identifies as a sixth-degree black belt.

He didn’t limit himself to one fighting style, either.

Reyes also trained and competed in Muay Thai, a combat sport from Thailand that uses punches, kicks, elbows, and knee strikes. His experience included competition in the light welterweight division.

Learning different disciplines helped him become a more versatile martial artist. Taekwondo strengthened his kicking techniques and flexibility, while Muay Thai added practical striking experience.

Those abilities later proved useful in filmmaking. Although movie fights are carefully choreographed to protect performers, an experienced martial artist can bring greater control, timing, and credibility to an action sequence.

For Reyes, the transition from martial arts training to screen fighting was a natural extension of skills he had spent years developing.

From Martial Arts Training to Hollywood

Reyes Jr. entered the entertainment industry while he was still young, bringing a level of athletic ability that made him well suited to action-oriented productions.

His early film credits included The Last Dragon and Red Sonja, both released in 1985.

In Red Sonja, he portrayed Prince Tarn, appearing in a fantasy adventure that featured sword fighting, action, and elaborate physical performances. The experience introduced him to a larger Hollywood production and gave him an opportunity to develop his acting abilities.

These early roles also taught him how martial arts techniques could be adapted for storytelling. Performing in front of a camera required more than executing movements correctly. Timing, positioning, facial expressions, and interaction with other actors were equally important.

As he gained experience, Reyes became increasingly comfortable combining physical performance with acting.

His athletic background helped him stand out, but his willingness to develop as an entertainer allowed him to move beyond martial arts demonstrations and pursue more substantial screen roles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and His Breakthrough Role

For many movie fans, Ernie Reyes Jr. will always be associated with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

His involvement began with the original 1990 film, where he performed as Donatello’s stunt double. The job was physically demanding because the turtle costumes restricted movement while adding weight and heat during action sequences.

Despite those challenges, Reyes brought impressive speed and control to the performance.

His work reportedly impressed the filmmakers enough that they created an opportunity for him to appear more prominently in the sequel.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, released in 1991, Reyes played Keno, a pizza delivery worker who becomes involved in the turtles’ adventures.

Keno was a natural fit for him. The character’s confidence, humor, and martial arts abilities allowed Reyes to demonstrate his personality alongside his physical skills.

The performance became one of his most recognizable roles and helped introduce him to a much wider audience.

According to IMDb trivia, Reyes was later offered another opportunity involving Donatello in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III. However, his existing commitment to Surf Ninjas prevented him from accepting it.

His connection to the franchise remains a defining part of his Hollywood career.

Surf Ninjas and His Rise as an Action Star

After gaining recognition through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Reyes Jr. took on a leading role in the 1993 action comedy Surf Ninjas.

The movie follows two brothers who discover their connection to the fictional kingdom of Patusan and become involved in an adventure filled with danger, humor, and martial arts.

Reyes portrayed Johnny, one of the central characters, giving him considerably more screen time than many of his earlier projects.

The role allowed him to show a broader range of abilities. Alongside fast-paced fighting sequences, he had opportunities to explore comedy, character development, and the responsibilities of carrying a film.

His father, Ernie Reyes Sr., also appeared in the production, bringing their real-life martial arts connection to the screen.

Although Surf Ninjas received mixed reviews, it gradually developed a loyal following among viewers who enjoyed its lighthearted approach to action entertainment.

For audiences who grew up during the 1990s, the film remains a nostalgic favorite and one of Reyes Jr.’s most memorable performances.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Movies and Career Highlights

Ernie Reyes Jr.’s filmography reflects a career that has moved between fantasy adventures, family comedies, martial arts films, and more serious action productions.

His early appearances in The Last Dragon and Red Sonja introduced him to Hollywood, while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and Surf Ninjas brought greater public recognition.

He later appeared in Rush Hour 2 and The Rundown, demonstrating that his fighting abilities remained valuable as action filmmaking evolved.

In The Rundown, released in 2003, Reyes portrayed Manito, a character involved in a memorable fight sequence with Dwayne Johnson’s character. The scene showcased his speed and agility while placing him alongside one of Hollywood’s rising action stars.

His later credits include Act of Valor, Ninja Apocalypse, and How I Got There.

Each production represents a different stage of his professional journey. Some gave him opportunities to act, while others benefited from his physical performance experience.

Rather than being limited to one franchise or character, Reyes developed a career built around versatility and a willingness to take on different kinds of entertainment projects.

Television Shows and Entertainment Projects

Although movies helped establish his reputation, television has also played an important role in Ernie Reyes Jr.’s career.

One of his earliest major television opportunities came through Sidekicks, a martial arts adventure series in which he starred alongside Gil Gerard.

The show gave him a recurring role and allowed viewers to become familiar with his personality and fighting abilities beyond individual movie appearances.

He also appeared in Highway to Heaven, MacGyver, and Charmed, demonstrating his ability to work across different television genres.

As his career continued, he took on roles in NCIS: Los Angeles, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Superstore, and The Librarians.

His appearance as the Monkey King in The Librarians was particularly suited to his background, combining fantasy storytelling with a character associated with agility and combat.

Reyes also hosted Final Fu, a martial arts reality competition that featured skilled participants demonstrating their abilities.

Through these projects, he remained connected to entertainment while reaching audiences who might not have been familiar with his earlier movies.

Stunt Work and Motion Capture Performances

Not every important contribution Ernie Reyes Jr. has made to Hollywood has involved a visible acting role.

His background in martial arts has also supported a career in stunt performances and motion capture work.

His early stunt contribution to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remains one of his most recognizable achievements, but his experience extends to other major productions.

He has been associated with stunt and motion capture work on films including Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Avatar, and Alice in Wonderland.

Stunt work demands careful coordination between performers, directors, and production teams. Even experienced martial artists must adapt their movements to camera positions, safety requirements, and storytelling needs.

Motion capture introduces another challenge. Performers use their bodies to create movements that can later be translated into digital characters or visual effects.

For someone with Reyes Jr.’s background, these techniques provide another way to apply years of physical training.

His involvement in different areas of production shows that his career has never depended entirely on appearing as an actor in front of the camera.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Wife and Married Life

Away from Hollywood, Ernie Reyes Jr. has maintained a relatively private personal life.

According to his IMDb biography, he married Lisa Reyes on November 11, 2009. The couple has two children together.

Although Reyes has spent much of his life in the public eye, he hasn’t shared every aspect of his marriage or family activities with audiences.

There is also limited reliable information about Lisa Reyes’s professional background, age, and personal interests.

That privacy is worth respecting, particularly because much of the public’s interest in the family comes from Reyes Jr.’s entertainment career rather than his wife’s public activities.

For readers wondering about Ernie Reyes Jr.’s wife, Lisa Reyes is the spouse identified in his published biographical records.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Children and Personal Life

Ernie Reyes Jr. is the father of two children, Lotus Blossom and Phoenix Reyes.

According to IMDb, Lotus Blossom was born on October 31, 2007, while Phoenix Reyes was born on January 7, 2013.

Lotus Blossom has also pursued acting, continuing a family connection to entertainment that began with earlier generations.

The Reyes family’s involvement in martial arts and Hollywood makes this connection especially interesting. Ernie Reyes Sr. introduced his son to martial arts, Reyes Jr. developed a successful entertainment career, and Lotus Blossom has followed a creative path of her own.

Still, Reyes has generally kept his children’s everyday lives away from extensive media coverage.

Although fans may be curious about his family, publicly confirmed information provides a more reliable picture than speculation about private relationships or personal routines.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Health Challenges and Recovery

In 2015, Ernie Reyes Jr. faced one of the most difficult periods of his personal life when reports revealed that he was experiencing serious kidney problems.

At the time, he was reportedly dealing with kidney failure and undergoing dialysis three times a week.

Dialysis is a medical treatment that helps remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys can no longer perform those functions effectively.

His sister, Destiny Reyes, organized an online fundraising campaign to help cover medical expenses and support his need for a kidney transplant.

The news attracted considerable attention from fans who remembered Reyes as an exceptionally athletic performer.

His situation also highlighted an important reality: serious medical conditions can affect anyone, regardless of physical fitness or athletic experience.

Supporters responded with donations and encouraging messages, demonstrating the connection he had built with audiences throughout his career.

However, the widely reported information from 2015 does not establish his complete medical outcome or current health condition in 2026.

Without reliable updated information, it would be inaccurate to claim that he has fully recovered or to describe his present treatment status.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Net Worth and Income Sources

Ernie Reyes Jr. has spent decades working in entertainment, developing several professional income sources along the way.

His career has included acting in feature films, appearing on television, performing stunts, participating in martial arts-related projects, and contributing to entertainment production.

His involvement in well-known franchises such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles helped establish his public profile, while later projects provided additional professional opportunities.

However, his exact net worth in 2026 has not been reliably verified.

Various celebrity websites publish financial estimates, but such figures often lack supporting records about income, investments, assets, and expenses.

For that reason, assigning a specific dollar amount to his wealth would create a misleading impression of certainty.

What can be established is that Reyes has maintained a varied entertainment career extending across several decades.

His professional longevity and range of credits provide a more meaningful measure of his accomplishments than an unsupported net worth estimate.

Where Is Ernie Reyes Jr. Now?

As of 2026, Ernie Reyes Jr. remains closely associated with the martial arts movies that helped establish his career.

His later screen credits include How I Got There, released in 2022, while his work in action entertainment has continued beyond his early Hollywood success.

The lasting popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and Surf Ninjas has also helped introduce his performances to younger audiences.

For longtime fans, his appearances remain reminders of a period when martial arts films combined practical fighting techniques, adventurous storytelling, and family-friendly entertainment.

Although detailed information about his current daily activities is limited, his professional history demonstrates a career that extends far beyond his childhood roles.

His exact residence, current health status, and complete schedule of professional activities in 2026 have not been reliably established through publicly available information.

Interesting Facts About Ernie Reyes Jr.

Ernie Reyes Jr.’s career includes several lesser-known experiences that reveal how varied his interests and opportunities have been.

According to IMDb trivia, he was considered for the role of Liu Kang in the 1995 film Mortal Kombat. The character was ultimately portrayed by Robin Shou.

He also recorded a hip-hop project titled Asia’s Last Dragon, although it reportedly never received an official commercial release.

Another interesting detail involves his connection to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Before audiences saw him playing Keno, he had already contributed to the original movie as Donatello’s stunt double.

His martial arts qualifications are equally notable. His published biography identifies him as a sixth-degree black belt in Taekwondo, and his training also includes competitive Muay Thai experience.

Reyes shares his January 15 birthday with British television presenter Claudia Winkleman.

These details help explain why his career has remained interesting to fans beyond his most recognizable movie appearances.

Ernie Reyes Jr. Legacy in Martial Arts and Hollywood

Ernie Reyes Jr. belongs to a generation of performers who helped make martial arts an exciting part of mainstream action entertainment.

During the 1980s and 1990s, his appearances introduced many younger viewers to martial arts through movies that combined adventure, humor, and impressive physical performances.

His work also contributed to Filipino American visibility in Hollywood, particularly within action-oriented productions.

What makes his professional journey distinctive is the combination of genuine technical training and entertainment experience.

He wasn’t simply performing choreographed movements. He had spent years studying martial arts before adapting those abilities to filmmaking.

His collaborations with Ernie Reyes Sr. also demonstrate how family knowledge and professional training can influence an entertainer’s development.

Beyond acting, his involvement in television, stunt work, and motion capture shows the range of opportunities available to performers with specialized physical skills.

For fans of classic martial arts entertainment, Reyes remains a recognizable figure whose work helped define a memorable period in action cinema.

Final Thoughts

Ernie Reyes Jr.’s journey from a young martial arts student in San Jose to a recognizable Hollywood action performer is a story built around discipline, talent, and persistence.

His early training under Ernie Reyes Sr. gave him the technical foundation to pursue opportunities that eventually led to memorable performances in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, Surf Ninjas, and other action productions.

Yet his career extends beyond the roles that first made him famous. His work in television, stunt performances, and motion capture demonstrates an ability to adapt his skills to different forms of entertainment.

His personal story, including his family connections and publicly reported health challenges, adds another dimension to a career that audiences often associate primarily with action movies.

For viewers who remember his performances from childhood, Reyes represents a familiar part of Hollywood’s martial arts history. For newer audiences discovering his work, his career offers an interesting example of how genuine athletic ability can become the foundation of a lasting entertainment career.

Ultimately, Ernie Reyes Jr. remains a memorable figure in martial arts cinema, recognized for the energy, precision, and dedication he brought to the screen.

FAQs About Ernie Reyes Jr.

How Old Is Ernie Reyes Jr.?

Ernie Reyes Jr. was born on January 15, 1972, in San Jose, California. As of November 2026, he is 54 years old. He began martial arts training during childhood and entered the entertainment industry at a young age.

Who Is Ernie Reyes Jr.’s Wife?

Ernie Reyes Jr. is married to Lisa Reyes. According to IMDb, they married on November 11, 2009, and have two children together. The couple generally keeps its personal life private.

Does Ernie Reyes Jr. Have Children?

Yes, Ernie Reyes Jr. has two children named Lotus Blossom and Phoenix Reyes. Lotus Blossom has also pursued acting, continuing the family’s connection to the entertainment industry.

Is Ernie Reyes Jr. a Real Martial Artist?

Yes. Reyes has extensive training in Taekwondo and Muay Thai. According to his published biography, he holds a sixth-degree black belt in Taekwondo under his father, Ernie Reyes Sr. His martial arts background has been central to his acting and stunt career.

What Movies Is Ernie Reyes Jr. Famous For?

His most recognizable movies include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, Surf Ninjas, Red Sonja, and The Rundown. He also performed stunt work as Donatello in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.

What Happened to Ernie Reyes Jr.?

In 2015, Reyes experienced serious kidney problems and reportedly required dialysis while seeking a kidney transplant. The situation attracted public support, although his current medical condition has not been reliably confirmed.

What Is Ernie Reyes Jr.’s Net Worth?

Ernie Reyes Jr.’s exact net worth in 2026 is not publicly verified. His professional income sources have included acting, stunt performances, martial arts-related work, and entertainment production.

Is Ernie Reyes Jr. Still Acting?

Reyes has continued to receive entertainment credits beyond his early Hollywood success. His later projects include How I Got There, released in 2022. However, a complete and independently verified list of his current acting activities in 2026 is not available.

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