Not many people can say they were one of the most recognisable people on the planet at the age of six, but that was exactly the case for Jonathan Lipnicki.
The former child actor, who is still performing at the age of 31, shot to stardom with the role of Ray in Jerry Maguire before going on to appear in Stuart Little, Dr. Doolittle and plenty more.
Now all grown up, Lipnicki shares snippets of his life with followers on Instagram – including a new hobby which has seen him completely transform his appearance into a hench fighter.
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Lipnicki started training in mixed martial arts when he was younger after a fighter said he would teach him how to box.
(Image: Capital)
He is now a big MMA enthusiast and in 2020, he got his black belt in Jiu-jitsu after 14 years of training.
His dad was also the owner of an MMA promotion company, so he has had exposure to fighting from a young age.
He told ESPN in 2012: “My family actually owns an MMA promotion company, so it’s kind of a family deal.
“Because of that, I’ve given my mom a lot of the fighters to fight in a show. I’m actually training one of my friends right now — he’s fighting a jiu-jitsu guy. So I’m his sparring guy. If it’s someone way better, I won’t be a good sparring partner.”
(Image: John Phillips/Getty Images)
And not content with merely practising MMA in his spare time, in 2021, he decided to use skills for good by trying to stop anti-Semitic attacks by escorting orthodox Jews to the temple.
Following an incident outside a restaurant in Los Angeles where a group of Jewish men were attacked, Lipnicki and his friend Remy Franklin, who is also a martial arts enthusiast, organised groups to stand outside synagogues to ensure worshippers could go to temple and get home safely.
Lipnicki, whose family is Jewish, told TMZ: “There have been a lot of anti-Semitic hate crimes and violence towards Jews.
“He (Remy) started this group where we decided to make sure people got home and to the synagogue safely.
(Image: Ryan Caliendo, PacificCoastNews.com)
“A lot of us are martial artists or own martial arts gyms and not all of us are Jewish. It’s just people wanting to help other people.
“Everyone should have the right to worship without being discriminated against.”
He added: “Bullies of any sort or people who promote hatred don’t like when there’s a presence there and I think having a presence is a huge deterrent.”
Lipnicki continues to act and has appeared in a number of short films in recent years, as well as featuring on reality shows Celebs Go Dating and Worst Cooks in America.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
