Karen Sheperd

Did you know?!

1. A first

   Sheperd was the first woman to take the Grand Championship title at the US Open Battle of the Superstars, beating all male and female forms competitors. The event was held at the Bayfront Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, on November 1, 1980.

2. Big break

   As the top-ranked women's black belt forms champion, Sheperd was offered a role in The Shinobi Ninja by Tadashi Yamashita. She left competition to accept it, and became the first American female martial artist to be an action film star.

3. A change of course

   Karen Sheperd first took up karate in 1973, at a time when she was a student at the University of Oregon.

4. A first

   In 1979, Sheperd became the first woman to hold the number one spot as Women's Black Belt Forms Champion in the Karate Illustrated ratings, and she kept that title in 1980. She was also the first woman rated number one in the STAR System ratings in 1980.

5. A first

   After Cynthia Rothrock appeared on the cover of Karate Illustrated magazine, Karen Sheperd became the second woman to do so, and it was the first of many magazine covers for her.

6. A first

   Karen Sheperd's first episode as "The Enforcer" on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, titled "The Enforcer", got the highest ratings for the entire series.