When Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, wielding the sword Talzin has just summoned for her, and the titular heroine Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) cross swords in the finale of “Ahsoka,” it is an excellently staged and choreographed fight… which quickly makes up for the fact that the earlier skirmishes with the “zombie stormtroopers” were not that successful.
Above all, the scene proves why Diana Lee Inosanto is such a successful choice for the role of the mysterious and loyal Morgan Elsbeth. Because the actress certainly wasn’t cast just because she seemed so wonderfully devious and aloof (which certainly helped), but also especially because of their martial arts skills.
Diana Lee Inosanto: Master in Martial Arts and…
Because Diana Lee Inosanto is not primarily known as an actress, but rather appeared in Hollywood primarily as a martial arts artist and stuntwoman. She celebrated her breakthrough in the stunt world in the mid-1990s with the action smash “Barb Wire”. She then became Sarah Michelle Gellar’s doppelgänger in the cult hit series “Buffy”. In the years that followed, she was involved in stunts for projects as diverse as Tony Scott’s “Spy Game,” John Woo’s “Face/Off” and the Marvel horror actioner “Blade.”
Little by little, Inosanto shifted more and more to a career behind the camera. She made a name for herself as a ‘sensei for the stars’ as she whipped countless actresses into shape for their film and series roles. Melissa McCarthy (“Spy”), Rosa Salazar (“Alita: Battle Angel”) and Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”), among others, learned the right moves for action scenes from her.
… Diana Lee Inosanto: Goddaughter of Bruce Lee!
The fact that Inosanto is an excellent martial arts fighter was something she was born with. Her father is Dan Inosanto, one of the most famous martial arts trainers in America. He trained stars like Denzel Washington, Chuck Norris and even the great Bruce Lee. Inosanto Senior taught Lee how to use nunchucks, among other things. The martial arts legend and his trainer became close friends, and the student even became Diana’s godfather – hence her middle name “Lee”.
As she revealed in interviews, she grew up with martial arts equipment and weapons. Her godfather visited often during the first years of her life (Bruce Lee died when she was seven). It was of course clear that Diana regularly trained in the dojo even as a small child.
With her appearances in ‘The Mandalorian’ and now ‘Ahsoka“Diana Lee Inosanto was seen in a series again after a long time. Although she already has a lot going on as a martial arts instructor, book author and theater actress, she may show off her skills in front of the camera more often in the future – even though her story in “Star Wars” is probably over for now…