Kurt McKinney
| Kurt McKinney | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Kurt Robin McKinney February 15, 1962 Louisville, Kentucky |
| Years active | 1985-present |
| Spouse(s) | Maronda McKinney (?-Present) |
| Children | 2 |
Kurt Robin McKinney (born February 15, 1962 in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American actor. McKinney is perhaps best known for his role as Jason Stillwell in 1986 martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender.
McKinney had earned a black belt in karate and was a former amateur kickboxing champion in Kentucky prior to his pursuit of an acting career. Kurt McKinney is also a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do, Tae Kwon Do, Kung-Fu, & Kickboxing.
McKinney moved to Hollywood in the mid-1980s and found fame within few months. He auditioned for the lead in American Ninja (1985) but was turned down due to his youth. Instead his film debut would come playing Jason Stillwell in 1986 martial arts film No Retreat, No Surrender, which also starred Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails and Tai Chung Kim. The movie grossed $5 million at the US box office (and spawned two sequels). Although this success was moderate compared to similar movies of the time, such as the Rocky series or The Karate Kid series, it remains a cult classic film to many people around the world. 1987's No Retreat, No Surrender 2 was originally intended to be a direct sequel to this film, but safety concerns over filming in Cambodian jungles persuaded Van Damme to back out of the project, and he convinced McKinney to do the same.
Early in his career, McKinney had guest starring roles on series such as Gimme a Break! (1985–86), Highway to Heaven (1987) and ALF (1989). He reportedly turned down the chance to star in American Ninja 3, and instead accepted his first contract role in a TV series. He appeared as the first Ned Ashton on the ABC soap opera General Hospital, from 1988 to 1991. In 1990, he won the Soap Opera Digest Award for "Outstanding Male Newcomer: Daytime" for his performance.
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