Michael Vendrell was born Nov. 18, 1953, in Los Angeles, California.   He became a martial arts master, healer, teacher and Hollywood stuntman and stunt coordinator.
    Michael moved to Fullerton, California when he was two.  He attended Richman Elementary School, St. Mary’s Catholic School, Nicholas Junior High School and Fullerton Union High School.  At FUHS he was involved in the Drama Department and participated in many plays.  He also was on the track team and was one of the first male students that signed up to take a dance class.  The highlight of Mike’s high school days was being elected by the student body to be their mascot, Willie Ugh.  He was elected both in his junior and senior year.
    After graduating from FUHS, Mike set a personal goal of becoming a stuntman.  He enlisted the help of a family friend, who worked at a movie studio, and became a driver at the studio.  He met many influential people while driving, two of the most helpful were Buddy Ebsen (Barnaby Jones) and David Carradine (Kwai Chang Caine).
    Michael spent over 30 years as a martial artist and 28 years as a stuntman and stunt coordinator in motion pictures and television.  During that time, Michael taught Yee Chuan Kung Fu and trained the likes of David Carradine, Pat Morita, Brandon Lee, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Miguel José Ferrer and many others.
    In his book, The Spirit of Shaolin, David Carradine wrote about the first time he met and worked with Michael Vendrell on Fast Charlie, the Moonbeam Rider (1977).  At this time Mike was still working as a driver.
    David Carradine wrote; “Throughout the movie I studied with Mike informally. His coaching was almost always in sparring. He would match his style with mine, work at my level of proficiency, then gradually lift me to higher levels, changing styles rapidly and talking all the while –coaxing, teasing, threatening, praising, probing, story telling, philosophizing.”
    “Steve Carver, the director (Fast Charlie, Moonbeam Rider), turned out to be a real guy. He liked Mike and gave him his shot. Mike’s first stunt was crashing a motorcycle into a hay bale. Never having been on a bike, the crashing part was easy for him; coming out of it in one piece was the hard part. He made it through and made it into the movie, Silent Flute.  Mike got his stunt card on that picture and then proved himself useful in other ways.”
    “He has healing hands and is adept at joint manipulation, reflexology, massage and other curative therapies, such as a passive skeletal alignment similar to the “Alexander technique”, and a “gong” therapy in which differently pitched massive bronze bells are placed around the subject’s body and struck alternately in patterns and cycles designed to clear blockage and align the chi. The amazing thing about all this is that it works. If this is hard to believe, you’ve got Mike exactly; hard to believe!”
    Michael used his abilities in the Chinese healing arts.  True masters can do both, using chi to hurt and to heal. Yee Chuan only “hurts” when someone attacks and there are only defensive moves in the non-violent art. Mike offered therapy in Chi Gung, Shiatsu and Gong healing, which is a unique form of healing that utilizes sound vibration. He treated injury and disease, and used his healing abilities for the general health and well-being of others.
    Sifu Mike used his Yee Chuan Kung Fu abilities in the movies, but he did not consider the art a sport, but an effective real world self-defense system.  Michael Vendrell believed that love is more important than violence, and that martial arts should be taught with more cooperation than competition. He believed that peace and harmony are the ultimate goals of a martial art, not aggression. Michael Vendrell studied a variety of martial arts, so he could be well-versed in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, and achieved the level of Teacher in over 20 systems. This included Judo, which he studied for six years with the famous Judo Gene LeBell. Even though he achieved black belt in many systems, Sifu Mike didn’t like to refer to “black belts” or other belt levels.  He believed that there are no levels in any true art. For Kung Fu, there is only “student” and “teacher.” After having studied all those other systems, Michael still believed that Yee Chuan Tao Kung Fu is the most effective of them all.
    Michael M. Vendrell is best known for his work on Barnaby Jones (1977-1980), The Rock (1996), Bad Boys (1995), Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993-1994) and Lost (2004).
    Mike brought a lot of laughter, knowledge and thrills to many people’s lives.  As a child, he always wanted to be like Peter Pan and never grow up.  Those of us who knew him, know that he realized this life goal.  Michael “Sifu Mike” Maurice Vendrell, 59, of Kailua-Kona died Feb. 17, 2013, at his home.  Mike died peacefully in his sleep, most likely dreaming of his next adventure.
    He is survived by mother, Maureen Vendrell; wife, Stephanie Vendrell; daughters, Jamie (Eric Lammerman) Vendrell, Heather (Jonathan) Arthur; sisters, Nancy Vendrell of Kula, Maui, Susan (Donald) Wilbur; one grandson; nieces and nephews.

    notice of death submitted by Karen Recla-Jones (1972)
    obituary provided by Sue Vendrell Wilbur (1968)
    photos provided by Sue Vendrell Wilbur

Michael is on the FUHS WALL OF FAME and was inducted in the STUNTMAN'S HALL OF FAME in 1982