Darren Shahlavi

On 14 January 2015, Shahlavi died in his sleep at the age of 42 from a heart attack caused by atherosclerosis.

Shahlavi appeared in the psychological dark thriller film Red Riding Hood, and appeared in Mortal Kombat: Legacy as Kano. He played Devon in the 2013 film The Package alongside Dolph Lundgren and WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. Shahlavi played Cazel in the 2013 film The Marine 3: Homefront, along with Neal McDonough and WWE star Mike "The Miz" Mizanin. Shahlavi appears in his final film in the 2016 film Kickboxer: Vengeance as Eric Sloane, remake of the 1989 film Kickboxer (1989 film), along with Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista and original Kickboxer film star Jean-Claude Van Damme.

In 2010, Shahlavi landed a major role in the film Ip Man 2 starring Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Lynn Hung and Huang Xiaoming, as the villain Taylor "The Twister" Milos. Although he appeared only in the latter part of the film, he served as the film's main antagonist, his boxing fight with Hung and eventual defeat by Yen forming the film's climax.

After Tai Chi Boxer was released in Hong Kong cinemas, Seasonal Films Corporation boss Ng See-yuen and director Tony Leung Siu-hung saw potential in Shahlavi and signed him for their Hong Kong and United States film Bloodmoon (1997). The film, in which Shahlavi plays the villain opposite stars Gary Daniels and Chuck Jeffreys, remains a favourite with hardcore martial arts film fans.

At 16, Shahlavi started to pursue a career in film and got the attention of Hong Kong action cinema expert Bey Logan in the early 1990s. According to Logan's commentary on the Tai Chi Boxer DVD, Shahlavi spent time at Logan's home watching, studying and copying martial art films from Logan's personal collection. In an interview with the Persian Mirror, Shahlavi mentioned that Logan wrote a script for him to star in, and off he went to Malaysia. On arrival, however, it became apparent that no money was in place, and Logan's partner Mark Houghton put Shahlavi to work as a stuntman. Shahlavi later moved to Hong Kong to pursue his acting career.

After moving to Hong Kong in the mid-1990s to pursue a career in action cinema, Shahlavi was discovered by famed martial arts choreographer and director Yuen Woo-ping, who signed him to play the bad guy opposite Jacky Wu in Tai Chi Boxer. At the time, Shahlavi was working as a nightclub bouncer and a bodyguard for visiting celebrities.

Darren Majian Shahlavi (5 August 1972 – 14 January 2015), sometimes credited as Shahlavi, was an English actor, martial artist and stuntman. His surname is of Persian origin. He may be best known for his role as Taylor "The Twister" Milos in the 2010 film Ip Man 2.

Shahlavi was born to Iranian immigrant parents at Stockport, Cheshire, England on 5 August 1972. At the age of 7, he started studying Judo in a rented acting theatre, where he would arrive early to peek at the actors performing. After discovering the films of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, he dreamed of appearing in action films. He began training in Shotokan Karate at the age of 14 under Sensei Dave Morris and Horace Harvey; and later boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai at Master Toddy's gym in Manchester.