Diana Lee Inosanto (born May 29, 1966 in Torrance, California) is an American martial artist, actress, stuntwoman, director, and children's books author of Filipino descent.
She grew up surrounded by martial arts and studied many forms of them, including Jeet Kune Do and Eskrima, which she learned from her father, Dan Inosanto, a student and training/movie partner of Bruce Lee (he appeared in Game of Death, most notably). Lee was also her godfather, he's the reason behind her middle name.
She's been doing stunt work, choreography, and stunt training in film and television productions since the mid-1990s, and she's had some acting credits among these. She made her directorial debut with The Sensei
in 2008, and she started writing and publishing children's books in 2020.
Her acting roles include:
- Moonlighting (1986–1987) as Office Staff Worker / Blue Moon Employee / Padua Resident
- Barb Wire (1995) as Customs Agent #2
- The Sensei (2008) as Karen O'Neil
- Star Wars as Morgan Elsbeth
- The Mandalorian (2020, Chapter 13)
- Ahsoka (2023, Chapters 1-4 and 6-8)
- Tales of the Empire (2024)
Tropes applying to her works include:
- Creator Couple: She and her husband, Ron Balicki, co-founded MARS Action Group, choreographing and teaching martial arts together. He also helped produce The Sensei.
- Promoted Fangirl: She loved Star Wars for decades prior to signing on to the franchise's TV shows. According to Star Wars Insider, she responded like such when her manager asked if she'd like to try out for The Mandalorian:That's a stupid question. You know I like The Mandalorian.
- Start My Own: Her difficulties finding work as a mixed-race actress motivated her to write, direct, and co-star in The Sensei. Eventually, the trailer would help convince the producers of The Mandalorian to cast her as Morgan Elsbeth.
