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Jet Li | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Li in 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Li Lianjie 26 April 1963 Beijing, China | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |
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| Years active | 1982–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 李連杰 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 李连杰 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Li Yangzhong | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 李陽中 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 李阳中 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||
Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963),[2] better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean martial artist, actor, and philanthropist. After three years of training with acclaimed wushu teacher Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team in 1974, winning the first of five men's national championships.[3] After his retirement from the sport in 1979, he went on to win great acclaim as an actor, making his debut with the Chinese-Hong Kong martial arts film Shaolin Temple (1982), which instantly catapulted him to stardom in East Asia.[4]
Though continued success followed after two sequels in 1984 and 1986, Li had a major breakthrough across Asia with the Once Upon a Time in China film series (1991–1993), in which he portrayed Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung. He starred in his directorial debut film Born to Defence (1986), which saw Li, for the first time, playing a character in a period setting. Many of his 1990s martial arts films are regarded as classics of the genre, particularly Swordsman II (1992), Fong Sai-yuk (1993), and Fist of Legend (1994).[5] Before transitioning to Hollywood in the late 1990s, he appeared in several contemporary Hong Kong action films which fused guns and kung fu, most notably High Risk (1995), Black Mask (1996), and Hitman (1998).[6] His movie career in China is credited with reviving wushu in Hong Kong martial arts films during the 1990s,[3] and revitalising the Shaolin Temple.[7] Li is also noted for his contribution to making new wuxia films popular internationally during his career.[4]
Li made his Hollywood debut as a villain in the 1998 buddy cop action film Lethal Weapon 4. His first leading role in a Hollywood film was as Han Sing in Romeo Must Die (2000). He went on to star in many international action films, including in French cinema with the Luc Besson-produced films Kiss of the Dragon (2001) and Unleashed (2005). In 2008, he portrayed the title character villain in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and starred in the US-China co-production The Forbidden Kingdom, which marked his first collaboration with fellow martial arts star Jackie Chan. From 2010 to 2014, he appeared in the first three films in the ensemble action film series The Expendables. He continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema, appearing in the critically acclaimed film Hero (2002), Fearless (2006), which marked his final wushu martial arts film, and The Warlords (2007). For the latter, he became the highest paid actor in a Chinese-language movie, previously holding the record for his part in Hero.[8]
With a film career spanning more than forty years, Li is regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars, one of the most renowned martial arts stars of his generation, and one of the greatest martial arts stars in the history of cinema.[9][10][11] In 2004, he topped Forbes list of China's richest stars.[12] As a philanthropist, he founded One Foundation in 2007, which was registered in 2011 as the first private charitable fundraising organization in China.[13][14][15][16] He also co-founded Taiji Zen, an online health and wellness program providing instruction in meditation and tai chi.[17][18] Li was named by Time as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2010.[19]
- ^ Edwards, Louise; Jeffreys, Elaine (September 2010). Celebrity in China. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-962-209-087-3.
- ^ "Biography.com". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.,
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "12 of the best Jet Li movies that redefined martial arts". 24 April 2023.
- ^ "Jet Li | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica". 19 September 2024.
- ^ "3 Jet Li action movies fusing guns and kung fu – before he went to Hollywood". 3 March 2024.
- ^ "How Jet Li turned the Shaolin Temple into a kung fu cash cow". South China Morning Post. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Jet Li breaks Chinese film salary record". Digital Spy. 26 November 2007.
- ^ Lines, Craig (6 June 2018). "The Shaolin Temple Movies: The Series That Launched Jet Li's Career". Den of Geek. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ Jr, Robert Yaniz (5 February 2023). "Jet Li Walked Away From 3 of the Biggest Movies in History". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "The silver screen's greatest martial arts stars". 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Jet Li tops Forbes list of richest stars". 12 February 2004.
- ^ "Jet Li shifts focus to charity - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn.
- ^ "15 Best Jet Li Movies of All Time". March 2018.
- ^ "Jet Li: Spreading Love with One Yuan". 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Chinese "One Foundation" First to Accept Bitcoin, Receives $30,000". 26 April 2013.
- ^ "Jet Li invites you to share your dream!". 4 March 2017.
- ^ https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/alibabas-jack-ma-teaches-taiji-to-entrepreneurs-for-20000-for-a-course-of-six-classes
- ^ Versace, Donatella (29 April 2010). "The 2010 TIME 100 - TIME". Time.