Rayna Vallandingham
Rayna Vallandingham | |
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| Born | Rayna Vallandingham January 18, 2003 Encinitas, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
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Rayna Vallandingham (born January 18, 2003) is an American mixed martial artist, actress, and social media influencer. She is a 13-time American Taekwondo Association champion in Taekwondo—the youngest one to earn that feat—and holds a fourth-degree black belt.[1]
Personal life
[edit]Vallandingham was born and raised in Southern California.[citation needed]
Her parents are Jeff and Joty Vallandingham. Rayna has ancestry from India.
Martial arts career
[edit]She began practicing taekwondo at the age of 2, encouraged by her grandfather, who played an instrumental role in her early development.[citation needed] By the age of 8, she won her first American Taekwondo Association world championship, becoming one of the youngest black belts to achieve this feat. Her achievements are not in World Taekwondo official championships, her name is not found in Taekwondo Data or any official WT posts. [1]
Over her career, Vallandingham has earned 13 American Taekwondo Association world titles, excelling in both traditional combat and weapons forms such as the bo staff and nunchaku.[citation needed] She is inspired by martial arts legend Bruce Lee and has collaborated with the Bruce Lee Foundation to promote martial arts worldwide.[2] Alongside her competition accolades, she is a prominent social media influencer with millions of followers,[3][4] showcasing martial arts as both a sport and an art form.
Acting career
[edit]Early career
[edit]After winning the XMA Forms world championships, Vallandingham flew to Los Angeles to start her acting career at the age of 10 on Underdog Kids as Leticia Hernandez, directed by six-time taekwondo black belt and actor Phillip Rhee.[5][6] The movie was released on July 7, 2015.[7] Vallandingham made an appearance in her first music video role in 2018, starring as herself in Youth by Shawn Mendes, featuring Khalid demonstrating her martial arts skills.[8][9]
Starring in Cobra Kai
[edit]Vallandingham starred in her first television show on Netflix's martial arts series, Cobra Kai.[10][11] She plays a supporting antagonist in the final season, portraying Zara Malik, a cocky, high-maintenance, social media influencer, and skilled martial artist, as a co-captain under the dojo Iron Dragons, starring besides Lewis Tan as Sensei Wolf and Patrick Luwis as Axel Kovačević.[12] Malik was introduced during the Sekai Taikai tournament as the defending champions and as an undefeated rival team.[13]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Underdog Kids | Leticia Hernandez | Film debut | [14] |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–present | Cobra Kai | Zara Malik | Recurring (Season 6) | [15][16] |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Artist | Title | Role | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Shawn Mendes | "Youth" | Herself | [8][9] |
Advocacy and legacy
[edit]As an advocate for women in sports, Vallandingham seeks to challenge stereotypes in martial arts, a field traditionally dominated by men. She embraces the phrase “kick like a girl” as a positive expression of strength and skill.[17][18] She also uses her platform to promote diversity, proudly representing her Indian heritage.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Cobra Kai's Rayna Vallandingham: From world record holder to YouTube sensation". Yahoo News. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
- ^ Felt, Klein (16 Nov 2024). "Meet Rayna Vallandingham from Cobra Kai: 5 Things to Know About Zara Actress". The Direct. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Rayna Vallandingham's Instagram Social Blade Statistics". Social Blade. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Rayna Vallandingham's TikTok Social Blade Statistics". Social Blade. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Local 10-year-old to co-star in martial arts movie 'Underdogs'". San Diego Union-Tribune. 21 Aug 2013. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ Houck, Kristina (13 June 2015). "Local martial artist's skills give a kick to 'Underdog Kids'". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Underdogs Kids | DVD (Anchor Bay) | cityonfire.com". CityOnFire. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ a b Mendes, Shawn (5 Nov 2018). "Shawn Mednes - Youth ft. Khalid". YouTube. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ a b Shawn Mendes Feat. Khalid: Youth (Music), Black Hand Cinema, 2018-11-05, retrieved 2024-11-23
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (17 Oct 2024). "Lewis Tan Joins 'Cobra Kai' Season 6, Part 2, as Sensei Wolf". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ Siddhika (15 Nov 2024). "Cobra Kai Season 6 Gets a Killer Martial Artist in Cast: 13x World Champion Rayna Vallandingham is a Scary Fighter in Real Life". Fandomwire. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ Peralta, Diego (17 Oct 2024). "'Cobra Kai's Final Season Call Sheet Adds Three More". Collider. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Dhruv (17 Nov 2024). "The Iron Dragon Team In Cobra Kai Explained". ScreenRant. Retrieved 25 Nov 2024.
- ^ Rhee, Phillip (7 Jul 2015), Underdog Kids (Action, Family), Phillip Rhee, Mirelly Taylor, Max Gail, Group Hug Productions, Itsy Bitsy Film, retrieved 24 Nov 2024
- ^ Singh, Jasneet (21 Nov 2024). "Zara Malik Is One of the Best New Villains in 'Cobra Kai' Season 6". Collider. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Cobra Kai". IMDB. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 24 Nov 2024.
- ^ Clark, Laura (1 May 2023). "Tae kwon do world champion Rayna Vallandingham takes pride in 'kicking like a girl'". In The Know. Retrieved 23 Nov 2024.
- ^ "Tae kwon do world champion Rayna Vallandingham takes pride in 'kicking like a girl'". Yahoo Life. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2024-11-19.