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{{Multiple issues|
{{COI|date=June 2017}}
{{autobiography|date=June 2017}}
}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Ric Meyers
| name = Richard "Ric" Meyers
| image = 5.21.11RicMeyersByLuigiNovi.jpg
| image = Ric Meyers by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption = Meyers at the 2018 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]
| imagesize = 200px
| birth_date = August 3, 1953
| caption = Meyers at the [[Big Apple Convention]] in Manhattan, May 21, 2011.
| occupation = Writer, editor, consultant, actor, teacher
| pseudonym =
| genre = Mystery, science-fiction, fantasy, action-adventure, horror, TV, film, children's, comic books
| birth_date = 1953
| notableworks = Martial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee to the Ninjas, TV Detectives, Murder in Halruua, Year of the Ninja Master, The Incredible Hulk: Cry of the Beast, Dirty Harry: Duel for Cannons, Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie, the San Diego Comic-Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza.
| birth_place =
| spouse = Melissa Nichols, 1980 - 1984
| death_date =
| website = {{url|ricmeyers.com}}
| death_place =
| occupation = novelist, columnist, [[comics creator]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| nationality = [[United States|American]]
| education =
| alma_mater =
| period =
| genre = [[martial arts]], [[crime fiction]], [[superhero fantasy]]
| subject =
| movement =
| notableworks = ''Asian Cult Cinema''<br>''Inside Kung-Fu''<br>''[[The Incredible Hulk]]: Cry of the Beast''
| spouse =
| children =
| relatives =
| influences =
| influenced =
| awards=
| signature =
| website =
}}
}}
'''Richard Meyers''' (born 1953), is an American author, [[ghostwriter]], [[screenwriter]], consultant, actor, editor, and teacher, who may be best known for his contributions to the [[Martial arts film|martial arts film industry]] (Rim Films having called him "one of the men most responsible for the acceptance of Asian action movies and stars in America").
'''Richard Meyers''' (born 1953), is an American columnist, author and comic book writer. For his contributions to the [[martial arts]] film industry, he was the first non-martial artist to be inducted into the [[World Martial Arts Hall of Fame]].<ref>[http://www.the-dirtiest.com/ric.htm Portail d'informations Ce site est en vente!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Ric Meyers has met, talked with and written about the most influential people in Asian films. His book ''Great Martial Arts Movies'' is the reference tool many use to build their Asian Film collections.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

However, Meyers has been writing, editing, and performing professionally since 1974. He is the author of more than seventy novels and non-fiction books under variations of his own name, as well as several pseudonyms, such as [[Dane Hartman]] and Wade Barker.

His most successful and popular works include ''Doomstar'', ''Fear Itself'', ''Murder in Halruua'', ''TV Detectives'', ''For One Week Only: The World of Exploitation Films'', and ''Martial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee to the Ninjas''—as well as both the book ''Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book'', and the documentary ''Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie'' ''Movie''. In addition, he has made contributions to such diverse paperback book series as ''[[The Destroyer (novel series)|The Destroyer]]'', ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', ''Ninja Master'', and ''[[The Incredible Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk]]''.

Enjoying an eclectic life, Meyers has also entertained in film, television, arenas, major pop culture conventions, DVDs, radio, podcasts, and even in children's hospitals. He is also pleased to learn and teach writing, film, and kung-fu.

== Early life ==
Meyers was born in [[Connecticut]], and he is the son of Stanley Meyers, who was one of the top executives in the field that is now known as Intellectual Disability and Mental Health – having served as the Northeast Regional Advisor for the National Association of Retarded Citizens as well as [[Pennsylvania]]'s first state secretary for what is now known as Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services. Ric was raised by actress Vera Johnson, best known for playing the older version of [[Rosie O'Donnell|Rosie O’Donnell]]'s character in the 1992 film, ''[[A League of Their Own]]''.


== Early career ==
He writes for ''Asian Cult Cinema'' and ''Inside Kung-Fu'', and he is friends with [[Jackie Chan]] and [[Tsui Hark]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}} He has also done audio commentaries for more than forty DVDs as of 2008; he interviews [[Steven Chow]] on Sony's American release of ''Kung Fu Hustle''.
Although pursuing theater and cinema studies at [[Emerson College]], [[Boston University]], and the [[University of Bridgeport]], Meyers was already an inveterate reader and writer – leading to his being hired in 1974 as assistant editor at [[Atlas/Seaboard Comics|Seaboard Periodicals and Atlas Comics]]. After the company folded in 1975, Meyers decided to pursue a writing career rather than return to college, hoping, like one of his idols, [[Donald E. Westlake]], to create work in as many genres as he enjoyed reading.


With the help of his Seaboard Peridicals/Atlas Comics superior, [[Jeff Rovin]], Meyers authored such non-fiction books as ''TV Super Stars'', ''The Illustrated Soap Opera Companion'', ''Movies on Movies'', ''The Great Science Fiction Films'', and ''The World of Fantasy Films''. After their publication, he moved on to film and television genres he enjoyed even more, creating award-winning works on TV detectives and exploitation films. At around the same time, he was hired to be the first ghostwriter for the best-selling paperback series ''The Destroyer'', and shortly after went on to write more than two dozen paperbacks for several publishers in the police, martial arts, and war action genres. At the same time, he was pursuing genre work under variations of his own name, including two science fiction novels, three horror novels, and a fantasy mystery for the [[Forgotten Realms|Forgotten Realms series]] of [[Dungeons & Dragons|Dungeons and Dragons]].
He regularly attends [[FanimeCon]] and has hosted/presented the annual Superhero Kung-Fu Extravaganza at the [[San Diego Comic Con]] since 1998, where he has honored celebrated stars of action cinema as his guests such as [[Cynthia Rothrock]] and [[Jim Kelly (martial artist)]], as well as championing rising talent in martial arts filmmaking such as Eric Jacobus and [[Jan Lucanus]].<ref name="San Diego Comic Con 2012: 15th Annual Kung Fu Extravaganza">{{cite web|title=San Diego Comic Con 2012: 15th Annual Kung Fu Extravaganza|url=http://work.byhandmedia.com/2012/08/19/sdcc-comiccon-san-diego-comic-con-2012-images-ric-meyers-15th-annual-kung-fu-extravaganza/}}</ref> Although perhaps best known for his contributions to the martial art movie industry (Rim Films called him "one of the men most responsible for the acceptance of Asian action movies and stars in America"), Meyers has been writing, consulting, and performing professionally since 1974.


At the same time he continued to ply the editing trade, serving on the staffs of such publications as ''[[Starlog]]'', ''[[Famous Monsters of Filmland]]'', ''The Armchair Detective'', and ''Millimeter'' magazine, among others. He was also head writer for the first issue of ''[[Fangoria]]'', as well as the official tie-in magazines for the movies ''[[Moonraker (film)|Moonraker]]'' and ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]''.
He is the author of at least two dozen books of both fiction and nonfiction under variations of his name, as well as several pseudonyms, such as [[Dane Hartman]] and '''Wade Barker'''. His most successful and popular include ''Doomstar'', ''Fear Itself'', ''Murder in Halruua'', ''TV Detectives'', ''For One Week Only: The World of Exploitation Films'', and contributions to ''The Destroyer'', ''[[Dirty Harry]]'', and ''Ninja Master'' paperback series.


== Enter the Film Dragon ==
Periodicals he has contributed to such publications as ''[[Starlog]]'', ''Famous Monsters of Filmland'', ''The Armchair Detective'', and ''DirectTV The Guide''.
Although Meyers had seen ''[[Enter the Dragon]]'' and ''[[Five Fingers Of Death|Five Fingers of Death]]'' in 1973, martial art movies held no interest for him until ex-Atlas Comics artist/writer [[Larry Hama]] introduced him to [[samurai]] and [[kung-fu]] cinema in 1978. In short order, Meyers had secured his first contract to write a book on the subject, and was soon in [[Hong Kong]] meeting [[Jackie Chan]], which led to his inspiring [[Jonathan Ross]] to make a documentary on the kung fu star as part of his ''[[Son of The Incredibly Strange Film Show|Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show]]'' series in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. Upon its broadcast on the [[Discovery Channel|Discovery Network]] in the U.S., the English-speaking interest in kung-fu films was refreshed.


Meyers continued to promote the film genre in every medium he could, becoming a contributing editor for ''[[Inside Kung Fu]]'' magazine until it ceased publication in 2011, updating his book as ''Martial Arts Movies From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan & More'' in 2001, appearing on [[Bruce Lee]] and Jackie Chan specials for [[A&E Networks|A&E]]'s ''[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]]'' and [[Bravo (U.S. TV network)|Bravo]] ''Profiles'', and contributing audio commentaries, liner notes, and cover copy for hundreds of DVDs in Asia and America.
He has also written [[superhero fiction]], including the third [[Marvel Comics]] novel ''[[The Incredible Hulk]]: Cry of the Beast'', and contributing to the 60th anniversary issue of ''[[Detective Comics]]''.


Meyers hosted his first [[San Diego Comic-Con]] Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza in 1997, and recently prepared its 20th Anniversary Celebration for 2017. An artist seeing the Extravaganza led to Meyers being asked to present kung fu seminars to the staff of the first ''[[Kung Fu Panda]]'' film, as well as its subsequent [[Nickelodeon]] [[Kung Fu Panda TV Series|TV series]].
==DVD commentaries==
*''The Assassin''
*''[[Butterfly and Sword (film)|Butterfly Sword]]''
*''Code of Honor''
*''Deadful Melody''
*''Death Ring''
*''[[New Dragon Gate Inn|Dragon Inn]]''
*''[[Dragon Tiger Gate]]''
*''[[Drunken Master]]''
*''[[The Duel (2000 film)|The Duel]]''
*''[[Fatal Needles vs. Fatal Fists]]''
*''Fists and Guts''
*''[[Full Contact]]''
*''The Heroes''
*''Inheritor of Kung Fu''
*''The Kung Fu Master''
*''A Life of Ninja''
*''The Lost Kung Fu Secrets''
*''The Master of Death''
*''The Master Swordsman''
*''[[Moon Warriors]]''
*''My Kung Fu 12 Kicks''
*''My Schoolmate the Barbarian''
*''New Mr. Vampire''
*''[[Mystery of Chessboxing|Ninja Checkmate]]''
*''[[Ruthless Tactics|Ninja in the Deadly Trap]]''
*''[[Once Upon a Time in China]]''
*''[[Perhaps Love (2005 film)|Perhaps Love]]''
*''[[Running on Karma]]''
*''[[The Shaolin Drunken Monk]]''
*''[[Shaolin Vs. Evil Dead]]''
*''Shaolin Vs. Evil Dead: Ultimate Power''
*''[[Shogun Assassin]]''
*''[[Swordsman II]]''
*''[[Throw Down (film)|Throw Down]]''
*''Treasure Hunt''
*''[[The Victim (1980 film)|The Victim]]''
*''[[Shaolin Warrior|The Warrior from Shaolin]]''
*''[[shinobi no mono 2 vengeance]]''


== Stage Appearances ==
==References==
Although predominantly a writer, Meyers occasionally tires of typing, which has led to him playing the king at the [[Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament]] in [[Lyndhurst, New Jersey]], for almost two years. Shortly after, he was approached to appear as a certain jolly old elf in malls, stores, churches, homes, and even a dozen children's hospitals via video.
{{reflist}}


== Awards and honors ==
==External links==
Meyers has been inducted into The World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the World Wide Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the Budo Magazine Hall of Fame, and the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Fame, and received an [[Edgar Allan Poe Special Award]] by the [[Mystery Writers of America]].
{{Commons category}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

Latest revision as of 03:12, 5 October 2024

Richard "Ric" Meyers
Meyers at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Meyers at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
BornAugust 3, 1953
OccupationWriter, editor, consultant, actor, teacher
GenreMystery, science-fiction, fantasy, action-adventure, horror, TV, film, children's, comic books
Notable worksMartial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee to the Ninjas, TV Detectives, Murder in Halruua, Year of the Ninja Master, The Incredible Hulk: Cry of the Beast, Dirty Harry: Duel for Cannons, Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie, the San Diego Comic-Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza.
SpouseMelissa Nichols, 1980 - 1984
Website
ricmeyers.com

Richard Meyers (born 1953), is an American author, ghostwriter, screenwriter, consultant, actor, editor, and teacher, who may be best known for his contributions to the martial arts film industry (Rim Films having called him "one of the men most responsible for the acceptance of Asian action movies and stars in America").

However, Meyers has been writing, editing, and performing professionally since 1974. He is the author of more than seventy novels and non-fiction books under variations of his own name, as well as several pseudonyms, such as Dane Hartman and Wade Barker.

His most successful and popular works include Doomstar, Fear Itself, Murder in Halruua, TV Detectives, For One Week Only: The World of Exploitation Films, and Martial Arts Movies: From Bruce Lee to the Ninjas—as well as both the book Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Book, and the documentary Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie. In addition, he has made contributions to such diverse paperback book series as The Destroyer, Dirty Harry, Ninja Master, and The Incredible Hulk.

Enjoying an eclectic life, Meyers has also entertained in film, television, arenas, major pop culture conventions, DVDs, radio, podcasts, and even in children's hospitals. He is also pleased to learn and teach writing, film, and kung-fu.

Early life

[edit]

Meyers was born in Connecticut, and he is the son of Stanley Meyers, who was one of the top executives in the field that is now known as Intellectual Disability and Mental Health – having served as the Northeast Regional Advisor for the National Association of Retarded Citizens as well as Pennsylvania's first state secretary for what is now known as Intellectual and Developmental Disability Services. Ric was raised by actress Vera Johnson, best known for playing the older version of Rosie O’Donnell's character in the 1992 film, A League of Their Own.

Early career

[edit]

Although pursuing theater and cinema studies at Emerson College, Boston University, and the University of Bridgeport, Meyers was already an inveterate reader and writer – leading to his being hired in 1974 as assistant editor at Seaboard Periodicals and Atlas Comics. After the company folded in 1975, Meyers decided to pursue a writing career rather than return to college, hoping, like one of his idols, Donald E. Westlake, to create work in as many genres as he enjoyed reading.

With the help of his Seaboard Peridicals/Atlas Comics superior, Jeff Rovin, Meyers authored such non-fiction books as TV Super Stars, The Illustrated Soap Opera Companion, Movies on Movies, The Great Science Fiction Films, and The World of Fantasy Films. After their publication, he moved on to film and television genres he enjoyed even more, creating award-winning works on TV detectives and exploitation films. At around the same time, he was hired to be the first ghostwriter for the best-selling paperback series The Destroyer, and shortly after went on to write more than two dozen paperbacks for several publishers in the police, martial arts, and war action genres. At the same time, he was pursuing genre work under variations of his own name, including two science fiction novels, three horror novels, and a fantasy mystery for the Forgotten Realms series of Dungeons and Dragons.

At the same time he continued to ply the editing trade, serving on the staffs of such publications as Starlog, Famous Monsters of Filmland, The Armchair Detective, and Millimeter magazine, among others. He was also head writer for the first issue of Fangoria, as well as the official tie-in magazines for the movies Moonraker and Alien.

Enter the Film Dragon

[edit]

Although Meyers had seen Enter the Dragon and Five Fingers of Death in 1973, martial art movies held no interest for him until ex-Atlas Comics artist/writer Larry Hama introduced him to samurai and kung-fu cinema in 1978. In short order, Meyers had secured his first contract to write a book on the subject, and was soon in Hong Kong meeting Jackie Chan, which led to his inspiring Jonathan Ross to make a documentary on the kung fu star as part of his Son of the Incredibly Strange Film Show series in the UK. Upon its broadcast on the Discovery Network in the U.S., the English-speaking interest in kung-fu films was refreshed.

Meyers continued to promote the film genre in every medium he could, becoming a contributing editor for Inside Kung Fu magazine until it ceased publication in 2011, updating his book as Martial Arts Movies From Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan & More in 2001, appearing on Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan specials for A&E's Biography and Bravo Profiles, and contributing audio commentaries, liner notes, and cover copy for hundreds of DVDs in Asia and America.

Meyers hosted his first San Diego Comic-Con Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza in 1997, and recently prepared its 20th Anniversary Celebration for 2017. An artist seeing the Extravaganza led to Meyers being asked to present kung fu seminars to the staff of the first Kung Fu Panda film, as well as its subsequent Nickelodeon TV series.

Stage Appearances

[edit]

Although predominantly a writer, Meyers occasionally tires of typing, which has led to him playing the king at the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, for almost two years. Shortly after, he was approached to appear as a certain jolly old elf in malls, stores, churches, homes, and even a dozen children's hospitals via video.

Awards and honors

[edit]

Meyers has been inducted into The World Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the World Wide Martial Arts Hall of Fame, the Budo Magazine Hall of Fame, and the Action Martial Arts Magazine Hall of Fame, and received an Edgar Allan Poe Special Award by the Mystery Writers of America.