Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Iko Uwais has been learning Indonesian traditional martial art, Silat since he was 10 years old. National champion in 2005 in Silat Demonstration category, Iko's talent as a martial art actor was discovered by Welsh film Director, Gareth Evans who visited Iko's silat school for a documentary in 2007. Evans then asked Iko to quit his daytime job as a driver in a telecommunication company and join Evans' movie production company as the leading actor in his movies.

Many Indonesians still mistakenly assume that Iko is a Minang (native West Sumateran) because of his role in Merantau. In real life, Iko is native Jakartan.Iko Uwais was once a soccer player in a local Jakarta club.