Noah Ringer

Noah Andrew Ringer (born November 18, 1996) is an American martial artist and former child actor. He starred as Aang in the 2010 film The Last Airbender and played Emmett in Cowboys & Aliens. Life and career Ringer was born in Dallas, Texas. When he was ten, his mother enrolled him at ATA Martial Arts in Carrollton, Texas, part of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). He showed early promise and soon began competing in tournaments. In December 2008, at age twelve, Ringer earned his first degree black belt. Ringer kept his head shaved, and fellow students nicknamed him "Avatar", after the character Aang in the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Ringer's taekwondo instructor, Master Eric Pechacek, started watching the show and also noticed the resemblance of Ringer to Aang, in both appearance and personality. He introduced the show to Ringer, who became an immediate fan. In July 2008, Pechacek received an email from the ATA, inviting any interested students to audition for the role of Aang in The Last Airbender. Pechacek urged Ringer to try out for the part. For the audition video, Ringer dressed in Aang's attire, using his Halloween costume from the previous year. He performed an XMA Jahng Bong routine and recited a few lines. A month after sending in the video, Ringer was called to Philadelphia to meet with director M. Night Shyamalan. A month after that, he was offered the part. Ringer had one month to prepare for the film. He did an intense study with director Linda Seto at the Dallas Young Actors Studio, where continued classes afterwards. He also began training in different types of martial arts, which continued during the filming process.