Celebrity
Jeff Speakman Net Worth
Jeff Speakman has decades of work experience across entertainment and the martial arts world.
Jeff Speakman is an American actor and martial artist who has earned black belts in American Kenpo and Japanese Gōjū-ryū. He was born on November 8, 1958. He pursued martial arts from a young age before transitioning into an acting career in the late 1980s.
He is best known for his martial arts action films in the 1990s, such as The Perfect Weapon and Street Knight, through which he gained recognition for his fighting skills on screen.
With decades of work across entertainment and the martial arts world, he has amassed a respectable net worth.
In this article, we take a closer look at how Speakman built his career and fortune over the years through acting roles and martial arts leadership.
Jeff Speakman’s net worth and career
Speakman has accumulated a net worth of $1 million over his career as an actor and martial artist. He first rose to prominence in the early 1990s with lead roles in martial arts action films like The Perfect Weapon and Street Knight.
Though he never became an A-list celebrity, he sustained consistent acting work through the 1990s and 2000s, appearing in movies like The Expert and Deadly Outbreak as well as guest spots on TV shows. His martial arts background likely helped him land these roles.
In addition to on-screen work, Speakman supplements his income by teaching and hosting martial arts camps. He runs an annual international training event called the Jeff Speakman International Kenpo Camp.
Jeff Speakman is an adept martial artist (Source: Jeff Speakman’s Kempo 5.0)
Beyond performing and teaching, Speakman has held leadership roles in the martial arts community. From 2008-2018, he served as President of the International Kempo Federation.
This position gave him authority over the global development and standards of American Kenpo karate. He holds a rare 10th-degree black belt in the discipline, reflecting his exceptional skill and contributions to its growth.
In 1993, Speakman was named Black Belt Magazine’s Instructor of the Year. He has also been inducted into the Masters Hall of Fame and received lifetime achievement awards from martial arts institutions.
Although the monetary rewards of these honors are minimal, they demonstrate Speakman’s standing and renown in the close-knit martial arts world.
Jeff Speakman’s early life
Speakman’s early life and journey into martial arts and entertainment reveals a determined and entrepreneurial spirit even from a young age.
Born in 1958 in Chicago, he displayed natural charisma and wit as a small child, once making a room full of Masons laugh with a knock-knock joke at age four. In grade school, he would cleverly leverage his lunch into profits by selling or trading it with classmates.
At John Hersey High School, he excelled as a springboard diver, earning All-American honors despite not having a coach.
Academics did not initially come quickly to Speakman. But fueled by the desire to attend college, he paid his tuition through six years of determined effort, ultimately graduating with honors from Missouri State with a psychology degree.
Jeff Speakman in ‘The Perfect Weapon’ (Source: International Kempo Federation)
His interest in martial arts blossomed after watching the TV show Kung Fu as a teen. He started training in Okinawan Goju-Ryu and progressed to black belt level.
His instructor then connected him with American Kenpo founder Ed Parker – Speakman sold his car to finance the move to train under Parker.
Over decades of diligent training, he earned elite black belt ranks in multiple disciplines under top masters like Parker and Larry Tatum.
So, from an unruly jokester child through some early academic struggles to his eventual exceptional achievements in college, diving, and martial arts, Speakman displayed remarkable persistence, work ethic, and ability to master new skills.
These traits indeed enabled his subsequent success as an actor, martial arts teacher, and leader as well.
Jeff Speakman established the American Kenpo Karate System
Despite some of the prevalent information, Speakman did not create the American Kenpo style itself. Grandmaster Ed Parker actually founded American Kenpo Karate.
What he established is an organization called AKKS (American Kenpo Karate Systems), which brings together schools and Kenpo experts worldwide to promote and teach the system.
Speakman serves as the head and founder of AKKS, which now includes over 130 schools globally. In addition, he runs his franchise of Jeff Speakman’s Kenpo Karate 5.0 schools, with locations in 20 countries currently.
He also launched the Champions Foundation, a non-profit focused on providing Kenpo instruction to underprivileged youth across several nations.
So, he has contributed enormously to the growth of American Kenpo through his schools, foundations, and organizational leadership.
Speakman continues to teach and promote Kenpo worldwide, bringing his interpretation and evolution of Parker’s foundational art to new generations of students.
Through films and extensive teaching, his impact is significant, even if he did not create the discipline of American Kenpo Karate itself initially.
Jeff Speakman’s battle with throat cancer
In 2013, martial arts legend and actor Speakman received the shocking news that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer.
Doctors discovered a large tumor in his esophagus that was affecting his vocal cords. Surgery was not an option due to the risk of permanent voice damage.
Speakman bravely chose to undergo intense chemotherapy and six weeks of daily radiation treatments. He shared the news publicly and received an outpouring of support from friends, fans, and his Kenpo martial arts community.
Fundraising efforts were launched to establish the Jeff Speakman Medical Fund to help cover his medical costs.
Remarkably, as Speakman processed the diagnosis, he received word the same day that a film project he had been developing for three years had received the funding to move forward.
He took this as a sign to continue pursuing his passions despite the health challenges he now faces. True to his motto of “Never Give Up,” he tackled the cancer treatments with courage and tenacity.
He updated supporters along the way about his progress. Although it was undoubtedly a complicated ordeal, Speakman emerged cancer-free on the other side.
Now in his mid-60s, Speakman has made a full recovery and continues his prolific career. He is actively teaching and promoting his Jeff Speakman Kenpo 5.0 martial arts across the globe. He also has revived his acting pursuits since then.