Former female bodybuilder, powerlifter, actress, female fitness trainer, stunt woman, martial artist and fight choreographer (whew!) Michiko Nishiwaki (Nishiwaki Michiko) , was born on November 21st, 1957 in Funabashi, Chiba, Japan.

As with a lot of fitness stars, Michiko started out in gymnastics.

Because of the gymnastics, her legs were larger than the rest of her, so she turned to weightlifting to try to balance things out.

It must have worked, because Michiko became a powerlifter.

Japan's first female powerlifting champion as a matter of fact, and eventually Japan's first female bodybuilding champion which was very unusual for a woman in Japanese society at that time.

She went on to open three fitness gyms with her brother.

Michiko started acting in 1985 when she caught the eye of Jackie Chan.

Jackie put her in his film, "My Lucky Stars" a Hong Kong martial arts/comedy film as a Japanese fighter.

(and if you get to see it, she looks awesome!)

Michiko got several roles in Hong Kong movies after that, usually playing a villain or a femme fatale.

After that, she returned to Japan, but then went to Thailand and made a few more films.

Eventually she came to the US and began a career as a stunt woman appearing in a lot of movies you may have seen, but had no idea that she was in.

Movies like Blade, Man on the Moon, Charlie's Angels, Rush Hour 2, The Scorpion King, Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Memoirs of a Geisha and Resident Evil: Extinction.

She also worked on 2009's Afro Ninja as Yuko.

Michiko has stunt doubled for Lucy Liu in four films and Kelly Hu in one.