Sasha Mitchell may not have been an A-list celebrity in the 90s, but he had a lot of potential and was tapped as Hollywood’s next Jean-Claude Van Damme. That notion was easily championed by the fact that he was deemed a worthy replacement for Van Damme in the Kickboxer franchise. However, the actor seems to have fallen out of the spotlight over the years.
Since his early years playing David Sloane, Sasha Mitchell has been involved in several B-rated projects. However, Sasha Mitchell will always be fondly remembered for his contribution to Hollywood’s martial arts genre. Here are six interesting things you didn’t know about Sasha Mitchell.
1. Where You Know Sasha Mitchell From
Sasha Mitchell has been involved in several productions on film and television. He played the main protagonist in the 1988 movie Spike of Bensonhurst. The storyline follows the life of Spike Fumo, who falls in love with the daughter of a Mafia boss.
Mitchell is easily remembered for his role in three film installments of Kickboxer. There are also appearances on TV shows. After playing James Beaumont on CBS’s Dallas from 1989 to 1991, Mitchell Joined the cast of Step by Step as Cody Lambert. The role became Mitchell’s most memorable and iconic on television, and he starred on the show from 1991 to 1998, through 114 episodes. Sasha Mitchell was also on a single episode of JAG, played the bartender and Patrick for four episodes of ER, and was also in NYPD Blue, where he played the character of Darian LaSalle.
2. How Sasha Mitchell’s TV Career was Formed
Sasha Mitchell made his first appearance on screen in the 1986 TV movie, Pleasures, where he played the role of Antonio. In 1987, Sasha Mitchell made his big screen debut playing Ruggieri in Terry Leonard’s Death Before Dishonor. When director Paul Morrissey searched for a lead actor to play Spike Fumo in his comedy/mafia film Spike of Bensonhurst, Sasha Mitchell was a right fit. At the time, Mitchell was an amateur kickboxing champion, and Morrissey needed an actor with the required martial arts skill set but not a popular face on TV screens. Playing Spike Fumo gave Mitchell the right amount of recognition to join the Kickboxer film series two years later.
3. Sasha Mitchell’s Biggest TV Role
When it comes to film, no other character had as much impact on Sasha Mitchell’s career as playing David Sloane. With Jean-Claude Van Damme unable to continue with the second film installment of the Kickboxer series, Sasha Mitchell was brought in as a new protagonist. Mitchell played the role of David Sloane, the younger brother of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s character. Although the second film didn’t get as many positive reviews as its producers might have hoped for, Mitchell went on to star in its next two films.
4. Sasha Mitchell Started With A Modeling Career
Before the movie world knew who Sasha Mitchell was as an actor, he had a career as a model. For about a year before delving into television, he worked with renowned American fashion photographer Bruce Weber. Weber is known to have worked with some of the world’s top fashion brands and magazines. Clients in his portfolio include Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Ralph Lauren.
5. Sasha Mitchell Can Really Fight!
Watching Sasha Mitchell play David Sloane in three films in the Kickboxer film series was no stunt play. The actor is not only skilled in Martial Arts, but he’s got a black belt to prove it. His martial arts prowess was actually part of the reason that Sasha Mitchell got the role of David Sloane in the first place.
6. Sasha Mitchell’s Upcoming Projects
Mitchell’s last work in film was in 2019. He played Shope in Fred Wolf’s comedy, Drunk Parents. Although not a main role, Mitchell starred alongside Alec Baldwin and Salma Hayek. Sasha Mitchell has got his hands and schedule busy with three upcoming movies. Mitchell will star in a Sci-Fi action movie, Cyborg Nemesis: The Dark Rift. Mitchell also has a completed film, Anadellia Rises. Finally, the actor will also star in a Kickboxer film, The Kickboxer: Algiers, that’s still in the pre-production phase. Release dates for all three movies have yet to be announced.
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