Christian Howard (actor)

• 1. Introduction

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  Christian Howard was born in Sunderland, near Newcastle, on the 4th of May 1984, and he grew up to become the actor who made one of the most beloved video game characters feel real on screen. At thirteen, Howard started training in martial arts in Essex. By his late twenties, he was playing Ken Masters alongside a Ryu on a short film that would shake the Street Fighter fan community and catch the attention of Capcom itself. How does a British kid from Sunderland end up co-writing, fight-choreographing, and starring in the most faithful live-action adaptation of a classic fighting game? And what does it take to spend years doubling for action legends before you finally get your own lead role?

• 2. The Martial Arts Foundation

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  Howard's first discipline was Kung Fu, but he did not stop there. He went on to train in Karate, Taekwondo, and Capoeira, building a range of movement that would later serve him in front of the camera and behind the scenes. He cites Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme as the influences that first drew him to martial arts training. That second name is not incidental. Howard would eventually work alongside Van Damme on U.F.O. in 2012, serving as assistant fight choreographer and doubling for the Belgian action star who had inspired his path. Getting close enough to your idol to stand in for him on camera is a peculiar kind of full circle, and Howard's career would be full of those moments.

• 3. Stuntman to Storyteller

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  Howard made his film debut in 2005 in the indie film Love Struck, where he was billed only as Door Evictee number one. For years he worked primarily in television movies and short films, often behind the scenes as much as in front of the lens. On the Bollywood film Force in 2011, he served as fight choreographer and doubled for lead actor John Abraham. On Dragon Crusaders the same year, he also took on fight choreography alongside a small acting role. Green Street 3: Never Back Down in 2013 added another layer: he co-starred as Wedge and served as assistant fight choreographer. This pattern of doing multiple jobs on a single production, acting, choreographing, and doubling, became a signature of his working method. On Warrioress, directed by Ross Boyask, he finally earned his first male lead role in a feature film, playing opposite Cecily Fay, an actress he had met while working as a stuntman.

• 4. Street Fighter Legacy

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  In 2010, a short film called Street Fighter: Legacy put Howard on a different kind of map. He played Ken Masters opposite Jon Foo as Ryu, and he did more than act: Howard co-wrote the screenplay and assisted director Joey Ansah with the fight choreography. The short's reception among fans was overwhelming, and that response opened a door neither Howard nor Ansah had anticipated. Capcom and Machinima agreed to finance a full web series. When it came time to cast Ryu for Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist in 2014, Foo was unavailable, and Mike Moh stepped into the role. Howard returned as Ken, again co-wrote the series, and again worked on the fight choreography alongside Ansah, who also directed. The series reached a global audience through Machinima and later received a broadcast cut.

• 5. Ken Masters, Extended Run

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  Mike Moh returned as Ryu for Street Fighter: Resurrection in 2016, the follow-up series, and Howard was back as Ken once more. Resurrection also introduced Alain Moussi as Charlie Nash, broadening the cast and the scope of the story. Howard's three-project run as Ken, spanning the 2010 short, the 2014 series, and the 2016 sequel, gave him an unusually sustained relationship with a single role across six years. Beyond Street Fighter, Howard has kept working steadily across a wide range of projects. His 2021 short Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves added yet another fighting game universe to his credits, this time as Terry Bogard, and he took on producer and fight choreography duties there as well. He has also expressed interest in playing He-Man in a rumored Masters of the Universe film from Mattel, a franchise whose physical demands would suit a performer who has been training since he was thirteen.