Young Karate master Leo Howard has sure had a busy year!
First, the black belted prodigy was signed to Disney XD for their new karate themed TV sitcom “Kick’n It” - about young Jack who tries to save the Wasabi Karate Dojo with his friends.
He also starred as the young Conan in the summer movie thriller “Conan the Barbarian”.
Leo also took part in Disney’s new prank show “PrankStar”, and had the opportunity to prank his biggest fan in a spoof involving a fake dojo and bizarre karate class.
And to round out his year, 14-year-old Howard was just profiled in “Black Belt” magazine where he talked about his career, family, social life, and what he looks for in a girl.
Now, Leo is back for a second season of Disney XD’s “Kick’n It” which launches its first new season showing on October 17th.
“The first season was a runaway success and Leo Howard quickly became the breakaway star. His fan base grew exponentially and it became clear that they wanted to see more of him. It was easy to order a second season after seeing the ratings of season one. Leo has become a teen idol.”
Leo, who has been performing martial arts since he was old enough to walk, has capitalized on his martial arts skills and turned them into a TV and movie career.
Anybody who has been watching the new Disney XD show “Kickin’ It” knows who 14-year-old Leo Howard is.
Leo, who has a black belt in karate and is a martial arts master in real life, has displayed his skills in the Disney Wasabi Dojo profiled in the show and has made “Kickin’ It” a smash hit for the network.
Now he is branching out into his first big screen action adventure movie while taking a starring role.
But in August we are going to see a side to Leo that Disney will never show you.
Howard is playing the young “Conan the Barbarian” in the August 19th release of the 3D action film starring Ron Pearlman, Jason Momoa as adult Conan, Rose McGowan - and Leo as Conan as a child.
“Conan the Barbarian 3D” tells the tale of a quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce warrior, but soon turns into an epic battle against enormous rivals, horrifying monsters, shirtless villains, and impossible odds.
Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.
Lionsgate has just released a new red band trailer showing Leo in his role as young Conan while taking part in an epic challenge to decide who will fight with the warriors.
It shows young Conan participating in a challenge where he has to race through the woods with and egg in his mouth, and deliver it unbroken to the final destination.
But along the way the group is ambushed by the enemy and an epic battle ensues and Leo kicks some serious butt.
There is lots of blood and gore and Leo Howard saves the group and returns to the elders with the severed heads of three bad guys – then spits the unbroken egg from his mouth!
This is the first “Conan” trailer where we really get to see Leo in action and he does impress us with both his acting ability and martial arts moves.
The kid definitely knows how to fight.
Watch Leo Howard in the Conan Red Band Trailer
Leo is no stranger to Hollywood.
He has already had roles in “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, “Shorts”, and “Logan” before snagging his role with Disney.
Howard also starred in the TV series “Zeke and Luther”, “Children of the Corn”, and “Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure”.
With a smash hit television series and now a major role in an action adventure movie we suspect Leo will be a hot property in the near future and will have directors beating down his door with job offers.
Being a teen idol seems to come naturally to the young star and he is not afraid to take the shirtless pose for teen idol magazines to keep the interest up among his young female fans.
If your kids aren’t talking about Leo Howard yet – they will be soon.
But beware, because over the next few years you’re going to hear a lot about this 14-year-old extraordinary young man.
Let’s start with the basics:
Leo Howard was born on July 13, 1997 in Newport Beach California and lives near San Diego today.
From a young age Leo was fascinated by the martial arts, karate and kobudo and has studied the arts since he was just a child.
Today, Leo is a black belt master in the field of karate, Shorei Ru, and Wu Shu, and has stunned audiences since he was just 8-years-old with his karate, martial arts, and stunt skills.
Watch Leo do a Karate kobudo Demonstration
Leo’s acting career started when he was just 8-years-old with a small role as the front desk clerk in the television documentary “Camp Hollywood”.
From there, Leo got his big break on the TV series “Monk” playing the role of a young karate expert. From that one appearance, Leo Howard’s acting career took off.
Black Belt Karate Master
His mix of acting ability combined with his karate expertise is amazing, and producers and talent scouts took notice and started beating down his door.
2009 was a breakout year for Leo as he appeared in six different movie and TV projects that propelled him into a fast track Hollywood vocation.
First was the movie “Aussie and Ted's Great Adventure” about a lovable Australian dog who embarks on a mission to return his young owner's missing Teddy Bear.
Next was the movie “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” working alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller and Dennis Quaid – a story about an elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe that takes on an evil organization led by a disreputable arms dealer. Leo performed all of his own stunts and impressed the director and audiences alike.
With two movies under his black belt, Leo completed his third movie titled “Shorts” working with Jon Cryer, William H. Macy, and James Spader.
“Shorts” told the story of a young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock that causes pandemonium in the town of Black Falls and the jealous kids and cunning adults that try to steal it from him.
“Shorts” was the big break for Leo and showed he could hold his own in a large movie project. But his celebrity status was just starting to be noticed.
Disney got wind of Leo and cast him in his own show in 2009 called “Leo Little’s Big Show” where he appeared in thirteen episodes about him and his sister Amy who host a show about Disney stars, shows, and movies from their family room.
After appearing in two episodes of “Zeke and Luther” about two best friends who want to become the world's greatest skateboarders, Leo was hired for his first starring role in the movie “Logan”, about two brothers who have their minds set on an impossible task.
Watch Leo Howard in "Logan" Movie Trailer
“Logon” showed Hollywood that Leo had the staying power to not only carry a feature length movie but also work the long hours necessary for a television series while performing action sequences and his own stunts at the same time. Leo Howard was becoming a star.
But his big big Hollywood break came in 2011 when the Disney XD network cast Leo in the role of Jake in the network’s karate action TV series “Kickin’ It” working with Hanna Montana veteran actor Jason Earles.
The series is set at the Bobby Wasabi Martial Arts Academy - a strip mall martial arts studio and the worst dojo in the nationwide Bobby Wasabi chain.
The plot revolves around a motley crew of endearing misfit teens who welcome a hotshot skateboarder named Jack who teaches them about life, karate, and how to just plain kick it.
Watch Leo in "Kickin' It" Interview
“Kickin’ It” was one of Disney’s highest rated new shows and forever cemented Leo’s star on Hollywood.
Leo also scored a major role as the young Conan in director Marcus Nispel’s “Conan the Barbarian” where again he performed all his stunts and karate moves while in heavy movie makeup and shirtless barbarian period costumes.
“Conan” tells of the quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the warrior but soon turns into an epic battle against colossal rivals, horrifying monsters, and impossible odds.
Watch "Conan" Movie Trailer
It’s clear that at only 14-years-old Leo Howard is going to be around for a long time. His combination of acting, humor, martial arts, karate, and teen idol appeal along with the marketing might of Disney tells us his star has just began to rise over Hollywood.
