Cynthia Rothrock (born March 8, 1957), is an American actress specializing in Martial arts films.
Cynthia was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and was brought up in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Rothrock gained appreciation for martial arts from an early age. At 13, she began taking lessons, and soon after was encouraged by parents and teachers to enter competitions to showcase her unique abilities. Soon earning her first black belt of at least five in varying disciplines, Rothrock would eventually earn a coveted spot in the Black Belt Hall of Fame and Kung-Fu Insider Hall of Fame. She began taking interest and developing skills in multiple disciplines, she holds five Black belts in various Far Eastern martial disciplines, including Tang Soo Do (also "tangsudo", Korean), Tae Kwon Do (Korean), Eagle Claw (Chinese), Wu Shu (contemporary Chinese), and Northern Shaolin (classical Chinese). She also works as a martial arts instructor and her favorite weapons are the hook swords.
Northern California was her home in 1983 where she worked with the West Coast Demonstration Team. At this time Golden Harvest was searching in Los Angeles for the next Bruce Lee. Rothrock's forms and maneuvers were observed and Golden Harvest signed a contract with her. It was two years (1985) later that she made her first martial arts movie for them, Yes, Madam (also known as Police Assassins or In the Line of Duty Part 2) which also starred Michelle Yeoh. It proved to be a box office success. She ended up staying in Hong Kong until 1988 doing seven films there. She may be the first Caucasian actress that ever had a lead role in a Chinese film as a heroine. At the time, the typical role for Caucasians was cast as either as a villain or as comic relief.
Rothrock became one of the few Caucasian performers to achieve genuine stardom in the local Hong Kong film industry before achieving success in their own country. She also appeared as Bertha Jo in the 1997 television film The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion. She was an inspiration for the video game characters Sonya Blade of Mortal Kombat and lent her voice on the animated series Eek the Cat.
Rothrock's stated that, "throughout my life, I've been opening the door for other women to get involved with this (martial arts movies). I was the first woman to be on the cover of a karate magazine and the first woman to win a men's championship."