The martial arts have gained a lot of popularity in the western world. Since the famed Bruce Lee introduced the public to his unique form of martial arts known as Jeet Kune Do, thousands of martial arts studios have sprung up across the United States. And countless people join them for countless reasons.

Some are focused on the fitness aspect of the sport. Any form of martial arts requires tremendous fitness, strength and agility. Once you start participating in the martial arts classes, your fitness will constantly improve and improve. And for sure, after some time you would notice a significant change in your body. While others take these courses to learn self-defense as the streets become more unsafe, people often strive to improve their combat skills in case they need to defend themselves. A few fancy karate cuts and punches can be helpful in deterring an attacker.

Another thing that attracts people to other martial arts disciplines is that it is challenging. To be successful you need to put in a lot of hard work, discipline and dedication. And that’s a way of life for some people. And then, like some celebrities on this list, it’s part of their job requirements.

Here are eleven black belt celebrities you probably didn’t know about.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger

Thanks to his long bodybuilding career, Arnold Schwarzenegger is known for his physical prowess. The Austrian oak won the Mr. Universe title at the age of 20 and had won the Mr. Olympia competition seven times. Known for his determination and dedication to his work, Arnie decided to become a movie star. After appearing in about half a dozen films as a cameo and supporting actor, he broke through with the 1982 sword-and-magic epic Conan the Barbarian, which was a massive commercial success. His next hit was James Cameron’s sci-fi thriller The Terminator, which became the Austrian’s career marker. However, his career was far from established and he wanted to be the best action star in the business. He undertook extensive martial arts training to prepare for his role as a Delta Force operator colonel whose daughter was kidnapped by a gang of mercenaries in 1985. Honors First Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Although he didn’t progress through the various ranks to become that black Attaining the belt, he was awarded the Belt of Honor based on his outstanding level in the martial arts in general.

• Sean Connery

Most people know Sean Connery as an acting legend who has received numerous accolades and awards, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards (one of which is a BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award), and three Golden Globes. He is also known for playing the famous British spy James Bond in seven films. But did you know that the man who was voted the “sexiest man of the century” and goes by the name of “The Greatest Living Scot” did various jobs and chores before becoming a movie star? His first job was as a milkman in Edinburgh at St Cuthbert’s Co-operative Society. He then joined the Royal Navy but was discharged on medical grounds. His other various job titles include a truck driver, a lifeguard at Portobello’s swimming pools and a laborer, an artist model for the Edinburgh College of Art. He also added karate to his impressive resume. He has received the rank of Shodan (1st Dan) in Kyokushin Karate. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise as Connery has always done his own stunts and fight scenes.

• Eric Roberts

Although Eric Roberts isn’t as successful as his younger sister Julia Roberts has had a decent acting career. In fact, the beginning of his acting career was as good as it gets. He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Debut Best Actor for his role in Paramount’s ‘King of the Gypsies’ (1978). However, he then had to wait seven years before he could get a good film. In fact, that 1985 film Runaway Train would be a high point in his career. He received both a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for his performance in the supporting role in the film. After that, he was more in the news than his acting career for all the wrong reasons. In 1987, he was arrested for possessing cocaine and marijuana and resisting arrest. He even tried to attack a police officer. Perhaps his training in taekwondo gave him confidence in becoming an officer. He had started Tae Kwon Do training while preparing for the film “Best of the Best” and its sequel. He continued to train for years, eventually earning a first dan black belt in the discipline.

• Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar rose to fame thanks to her starringrole of Buffy Summers in the Warner Bros television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. For her performance in the film, she won six Teen Choice Awards, the Saturn Award for Best Genre Television Actress, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Television Series Drama. One of the reasons for her immense success was that she didn’t need to do any extra training for her fight scenes. She was naturally in them due to her previous martial arts training. And she had tremendous athletic ability to cope with the physical demands of the role. She had been a competitive athlete in her earlier years, studying kickboxing, street fighting, gymnastics and taekwondo. In fact, she managed

• Elvis Presley

Karate isn’t something you’d associate with Baby opposite Elvis Presley, who revolutionized the music industry with his fast-paced, backbeat-tinged fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. His pelvic thrusting dance style and energetic performances made him the first rocker to be larger than life. With estimated record sales of around 600 million copies worldwide, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. Such is his enduring appeal that he continues to make millions even after his death, peaking at $44 million in 2014. Returning to karate, Presley was introduced to the Japanese style of martial arts during his time with the Army. He was very fascinated by this martial arts discipline and studied it very seriously. When he received his first black belt in the 1960s, he was one of the first non-Asians to accomplish the feat. ‘The King’ has made it his mission to popularize karate and even incorporate it into his live performances.

• Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker is one of the most prominent players in the industry. He is best known for his intensive character work for films. He won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his brilliant performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker completed boot camp training for his role in the American war film Platoon, written and directed by Oliver Stone and based on the Vietnam War. Stone and Whitaker’s hard work and dedication paid off as the film was well received by both critics and audiences. While preparing for the film, he also began training in Kenpo Karate. Even after filming for the film was completed, he continued to study Kenpo Karate and managed to to reach the level of first dan black belt. He also trains in the Kali Filipino Martial Arts under Dan Inosanto, a California-based martial arts expert and former student of the legendary Bruce Lee.

• Guy Ritchie

Some just identify Guy Ritchie as Pop Queen’s Madonna’s former husband. For my part I think it was a great achievement because we are talking about Madonna before her stock started falling and was still one of the sexiest female celebrities. However, Guy Ritchie has also achieved tremendous success as a director. He first came to prominence with the 1998 crime comedy Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which was made on a modest budget of $1.35 million but grossed $28.3 million at the box office brought in. Since then, the British filmmaker has directed the highly successful film Sherlock Holmes and its sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

Ritchie’s other passion, aside from movies, is martial arts. He began training in Shotokan karate at the Budokwai in London at the age of seven, where he later earned a black belt in judo. He also trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, eventually earning a brown belt in the discipline.

• Sean Patrick Flanery

Sean Patrick Flanery has had a less decorated acting career than some of his influential peers on this list. However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t accomplished anything in his acting career, which has spanned over 53 films. He is known for playing Connor MacManus on The Boondock Saints, Greg Stillson on The Dead Zone and Jeremy “Powder” Reed on Powder. He also portrayed famous adventurer Indiana Jones in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. ‘Throughout his career he has favored the crime genre. Perhaps with his immense physical abilities, he feels more comfortable playing action roles. He is a martial arts expert and has been training longer than he has been playing.

• John Cusack

John Cusack is one of the few actors who often manages to stay away from controversy and tabloid headlines. Of course, that doesn’t mean Cusack hasn’t played enough good roles to garner the media spotlight. He has played various and notable roles. In “Max” he played the role of a Jewish art dealer who looks after the young Adolf Hitler. In “Being John Malkovich” he played the role of an obsessive puppeteer, but in “High Fidelity” he was the lovesick record store owner of the film. However, when he is not busy with his acting, he loves to train in martial arts. He has been training kickboxing with former world kickboxing champion Benny Urquidez for over 20 years. In preparation for his role, he was introduced to kickboxing and Urquidez. He had to act in Say Anything. He holds the rank of level six black belt in Urquidez’s Ukidokan kickboxing system.

• Ryan Phillippe

Most of you know Ryan Phillippe as ReeseWitherspoon’s former husband. However, those who watched movies in the 90’s would remember Phillippe starring in a number of great films. His most popular roles were in the films I Know What You Did Last Summer and Cruel Intentions. While filming Cruel Intentions, he met his future wife, Reese Witherspoon. His recent achievements are in the television series. On the critically acclaimed TV show Damages, he played Channing McClaren, a Julian Assange-like character.

Unlike other actors on this list, he didn’t take up martial arts to prepare for film roles. He was bullied as a child and to deal with it he started martial arts training. He is currently a true black belt holder.

• Evan Rachel Wood

Evan Rachel Wood is best known for dating Marilyn Manson and starring in ‘The Wrestler’ and ‘Ides of March.’ However, fans of the beautiful actress will not know that she is a martial arts expert. She has held a black belt in Tae Kwon Do since she was 12. And her reason for studying Tae Kwon Do at such a young age is even more intriguing. She hated ballet.