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THE CHAIRMAN<br />
MARK<br />
DACASCOS<br />
The Chairman is portrayed by<br />
actor and martial artist Mark<br />
Dacascos, who plays the same<br />
role on Iron Chef America.<br />
The Chairman reveals the secret ingredient<br />
and oversees Kitchen Stadium<br />
Mark Dacascos has appeared in a wide<br />
variety of feature films during the course<br />
of his career. Among his credits are the<br />
internationally acclaimed French epic<br />
Brotherhood of the Wolf, Cradle to the Grave<br />
in which he starred opposite Jet Li, Only<br />
the Strong, in which he plays a capoeira<br />
instructor, the global cult favorite Drive and<br />
the indie film, Only the Brave.<br />
Mark also starred in the period piece Nomad,<br />
which was filmed in Kazakhstan over a twoyear<br />
period.<br />
His TV roles include Eric Draven in The Crow:<br />
Stairway to Heaven and Eubulon, the Advent<br />
Master, on Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.<br />
He also competed in season nine of the US<br />
version of Dancing with the Stars. His partner<br />
was So You Think You Can Dance finalist<br />
Lacey Schwimmer. The pair was eliminated in<br />
the seventh episode.<br />
Malia Bernal, was the first woman to grace<br />
the cover of Black Belt magazine. Both are<br />
former national champions who still teach.<br />
Mark likens the energy in Kitchen Stadium<br />
to that of a martial arts tournament. “The<br />
energy in Kitchen Stadium during a battle<br />
is amazing,” he says. “My parents are both<br />
Kung-Fu teachers and I fought in Martial Arts<br />
tournaments from the age of 7-18.<br />
“The feeling that’s in the air before and during<br />
a battle is palpable, and brings me right<br />
back to my earlier years when I was the one<br />
entering the ring.”<br />
Mark is married to actress Julie Condra, who<br />
starred with him in Crying Freeman. The<br />
couple has two sons and a daughter.<br />
At home he loves to cook for his family. “My<br />
favorite dish to cook is my Aunty Gwen’s<br />
banana pancakes. My kids expect me to cook<br />
them banana pancakes every Sunday morning<br />
and I love that they expect that from me.<br />
This is Mark’s second trip to Australia. He<br />
first visited our shores in 1996 to film The<br />
Island of Dr Moreau with legendary actor<br />
Marlon Brando. “I played his first son. We<br />
shot in Cairns. It was an honour to work with<br />
Brando, who arrived two weeks late so I<br />
learnt how to scuba dive during that time. So I<br />
thank him for my extra time here.”<br />
Mark’s passion for Martial Arts began at an<br />
early age under the tutelage of his parents.<br />
His father, Al Dacascos, is the founder of the<br />
martial art Wun Hop Kuen Do and his mother,<br />
“It’s become our tradition. I love watching the<br />
kids play, and show me their drawings, or<br />
explain to me what they’ve built with Leggo<br />
while I’m cooking in the kitchen.”<br />
IRON CHEF