Peter Malota: From a Black Belt to the Silver Screen

As a 14-year-old in Michigan, Peter Malota embarked on his Karate training while taking three buses to get to class. He built a newfound love for martial arts, quickly diving into the art. His passion and enjoyment of watching action movies started him on a life-changing journey through training and film.

Early Martial Arts Journey

Peter never had a plan to jump into the martial arts world. In fact, it was completely random. 

“I saw some Bruce Lee stuff at the time – [him as] Kato [in The Green Hornet] – and a couple martial arts movies and was interested… I joined a martial arts studio here in Michigan and really fell in love right away,” Peter said.

From there, Peter continued to develop his skills in traditional Japanese Karate, switching to Taekwondo a few years later. He earned his black belt in 1978 and soon began showcasing his abilities. Peter began winning many competitions (mostly forms) in Michigan and throughout the Midwest, including Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. 

By 19 years old, Peter was already a 2nd-degree black belt in Taekwondo, had been to 40+ tournaments, and was exposed to a variety of martial arts styles. He had made his mark in the area and was ready to take his talents to the next level.

Taking His Talents to The Mecca 

“I decided in 1979 that I was going to pack up from Michigan and move to California. California was really a mecca of martial arts with all the big names at that time: Chuck Norris, Jun Chong, He Il Cho, Bong Soo Han, Ed Parker. I wanted to go to Los Angeles and I wanted to continue learning, be inspired, and somehow, somewhere maybe get into the film business. At that time the Bruce Lee era was really huge and Chuck Norris was just becoming big at that time.”

Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris served as foundational motivators in Peter’s cross-country move. When he arrived, he began browsing magazines in the pursuit for the right school for him. After some searching, he found the perfect place: a Chuck Norris Karate Studio.

By the time Peter joined, Chuck Norris had already sold the studio to Jun Chong, who kept the studio as a premier home for martial arts training. Peter quickly dove into his training and, within a few weeks, became an instructor at the studio. For the next eight years, he spent six days a week teaching alongside an elite staff, including the legendary martial arts brotherly duo, Phillip and Simon Rhee.

In those years, Peter had the opportunity to work with some big names in martial arts, Hollywood, and society, including Ronald Reagan Jr., Lorenzo Lamas, and Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon).

Ronald Reagan Jr. in particular was noteworthy. At the time, his father was serving as the 40th President of the United States. Security was of the utmost importance. For two and a half years, Ronald Jr. would drive to the school followed by two cars for protection. In that time, Peter helped him reach his red belt.

“That was a beautiful experience. He was a wonderful guy and was very respectful and very talented.”

All those encounters and work with and around the entertainment industry would soon lead to Peter’s break in the film world.

Introduction to the Big Screen

In the summer of 1990. Peter was teaching a seminar in France when an emerging movie star walked in… but let’s rewind to eight years before this in 1982 in Los Angeles.

“There was an open casting call for martial arts black belts in a magazine called Variety and I picked it up and I said, ‘Okay, let me go try it out. It’s an opportunity, it’s open martial arts. Let me do my stuff.’ So I went there and it was probably a couple hundred people because it’s Los Angeles. I was preparing, stretching, working out, doing my kicks, and staying focused. This guy approached me and said ‘Hey man, you have great kicks’ and I said ‘Well thank you’ and he goes…

‘My name is Jean-Claude and I’m from Belgium.’ I go, ‘Well sit down man, I’m from Europe too.’”

The two got to know each other and ended up each getting called back for the next session. Sadly, the next session never happened and Peter continued his instruction at the school.

Now, back to 1990. Through the door came “The Muscles from Brussels”, Jean-Claude Van Damme. The Bloodsport star was promoting his upcoming film Lionheart and needed martial arts backdrops for the next film he was set to star in.

Jean-Claude walks recognized Peter from that audition and their conversation. The two learned they each lived in Los Angeles, and then Jean-Claude gave Peter the opportunity he’d been chasing for over a decade.

“He goes, ‘Listen, I’m doing a movie in October in Hong Kong called Double Impact, and I would like for you to be in that movie with me as a co-star and doing all the fights.’ I said, ‘Well, this sounds pretty crazy and pretty good.’… We reconnected in Los Angeles the following month and he goes ‘Hey, let’s meet up and go work out at the Billy Blanks martial arts studio… so we ended up working out together pretty much every other day.”

During this time, Jean-Claude officially gave Peter the offer to go to Hong Kong to film the Michael Douglas-produced movie, Double Impact. He worked with the stunts and fights while also starring as the bodyguard with spurs.

“It was a big deal, and I was like, ‘is this really happening to me?’ I wanted to do this and here I am… Bolo Yeung from Enter the Dragon was in the movie. It was really an amazing experience in Hong Kong. We got to train, cast some of the action guys, and I got to [coordinate] all the fights and work on it for about three months. We were filming at the Shaw Brothers Studios, which was really famous in Hong Kong at that time. I got to meet Jackie Chan in person throughout the project. It just turned out to be an amazing experience.”

After showing off his Taekwondo skills with his deadly boots in the 1991 film, Peter’s filmography skyrocketed. He continued to work in film, including collaborating with Jean-Claude Van Damme in nearly 10 films and over 20 in total. In this time, Peter worked with many different people, including Pierce Brosnan in Salvation Boulevard and Steven Seagal in The Perfect Weapon, always managing to thrive alongside his co-workers. He had been all over the movie world, serving as a stunt coordinator, actor, and even directed a movie, Kill ‘Em All, which came out in 2017.

“It’s funny because like I watched all these action movies for over the years… being one of the top martial artists in the world around all those years and fight choreography honestly came pretty easy because of my ability. I had a vision for the fights. Then acting was fun. It was not something… I was more interested in doing the behind the scenes stuff like fight coordinating, stunt coaching, and directing. So I kind of went that direction… And then an opportunity came when the studio came to me and said ‘Hey, we got Jean-Claude and we would like for you to direct it.’ I said fantastic, and went to Jean-Claude and said ‘Sony Pictures has a movie called Kill ‘Em All. They want me to direct it and they want you to star in it.’ And he goes, ‘So let me get this straight. So I’m starring and you’re directing?’ He goes ‘I’m in. Let’s do it!’ It was a very amazing experience.” 

During all this time working in movies, Peter was still providing martial arts training to students near his home.

Balancing Movies with Teaching

In 1993, Peter opened his first school in Birmingham, Michigan. For 20+ years, he balanced going back and forth between Los Angeles and Michigan. He credits his supportive team and wife running the administration to help him lead a school with 175+ students while working in Hollywood and traveling all over the world to film. This even included a four-month stint in Thailand for The Quest.

“During those 20 years, I was going back and forth to LA around six months a year. And then in 2016, I decided to get back to LA to film movies. That’s when I got to direct Kill ‘Em All with Jean-Claude and stayed there for a couple years.”

Eventually, Peter’s love for teaching led him back to his roots. In 2024, he opened Peter Malota Martial Arts in Oakland Township, Michigan. There, students of all ages have been able to grow physically and emotionally through his instruction.

While he’s changing lives in Oakland Township, Peter hasn’t given up on kicking his way back to the big screen. Peter is hoping to direct a future film that would bring back some of the 80s and 90s action with a style similar to the John Wick franchise.

His passion for martial arts and movies has shaped his life. Peter plans to attack each day with the mentality that took him from training as a beginner 14-year-old to the bright lights.

“It’s never ending. You make your goals and you just keep fighting.”