American Ninja Actor Dies

PUBLISHED 18 NOV 2025

Jonathan Pienaar, ‘American Ninja 2’ actor, dies at 63

Jonathan Pienaar, the South African actor remembered by martial-arts film fans for his role as Tommy Taylor in American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987), has died at age 63. According to reports from South Africa’s Eye Witness News, Pienaar passed away in his sleep on Monday, 10 November, in Johannesburg after suffering heart failure.

His ex-wife, Rosana Maya, confirmed the news in an emotional Facebook post, writing: “Most beautiful man, unique soul. Like your wolves, you gave so much for so little. The world is a lesser place without you in it, my sadness too deep. Fly with angels, my love.”

A Memorable Face in a Cult Martial-Arts Sequel

For fans of ’80s action cinema, Pienaar will always hold a special place for his appearance in the American Ninja sequel. Pienaar portrayed Tommy Taylor, a conflicted character caught in the web of a Caribbean crime syndicate. Forced into collaboration by a criminal mastermind known as The Lion, Taylor complies only because his wife is held hostage. His grim task is to lure unsuspecting Marines to a local bar—where they are kidnapped and later used as genetic material to create an army of obedient “super-ninja.”

Though a supporting role, Pienaar’s character is pivotal to launching the film’s early momentum. Taylor pilots the boat that brings Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff) and Curtis Jackson (Steve James) to a seemingly idyllic tropical island, creating a dramatic lead-in to the film’s opening battle, as black-clad ninja emerge from behind the towering boulders on the beach.

Later, Taylor’s desperate attempts to help the Rangers cost him dearly. In one of the film’s darker turns, assassins silence him permanently after he cooperates with Armstrong, adding emotional weight to the heroes’ mission to dismantle The Lion’s operations on Blackbeard Island.