Jet Li

**Li Lianjie** (Chinese: 李連杰; born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name **Jet Li**, is a Chinese-born Singaporean martial artist, actor, and philanthropist best known for his martial arts and action films. He is widely 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.

## Early life and martial arts career

Li began practising Wushu at the age of eight. Between 1974 and 1979, he won the title of Men's All-Around National Wushu Champion five times.

Li is a master of several styles of Wushu, especially Chángquán (Northern Longfist Style) and Fānziquán (Tumbling Fist). He has mastered Wushu's main weapons, such as the Sanjiegun (Three Section Staff), Gùn, Dao (Broadsword), and Jian (Straight Sword). He has also studied other arts including Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist), Xing Yi Quan (Shape Intent Fist), Zui Quan (Drunken Fist), Ying Zhao Quan (Eagle Claw Fist) and Tanglangquan (Praying Mantis Fist).

## Film career

After retiring from competitive Wushu at age 18, Li went on to win great acclaim as an actor. He made his debut with the Chinese-Hong Kong martial arts film _Shaolin Temple_ (1982), which instantly catapulted him to stardom in East Asia.

Though continued success followed after two sequels (_Kids From Shaolin_) and (_Martial Arts of Shaolin_), Li had a major breakthrough across Asia with the Tsui Hark-produced _Once Upon a Time in China_ film series (1991–1993), where 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).  In the late 1990s, Li reinvented himself from a period kung fu movie star to a modern action hero, appearing in several contemporary Hong Kong action films which fused guns and kung fu (Gun fu), most notably _High Risk_ (1995), _Black Mask_ (1996), and _Hitman_ (1998).

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). He continued to be active in Chinese and 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_.

In 2008, he portrayed the title character villain in _The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor_ and starred in _The Forbidden Kingdom_, which marked his first collaboration with fellow martial arts star Jackie Chan. After his hyperthyroidism diagnosis in 2010, Li stepped away from more physically demanding film roles. He played against type in the drama film _Ocean Heaven_ (2010) and was part of the ensemble action film _The Expendables_ (2010) and its two sequels. In 2026, he appeared in the wuxia action film _Blades of the Guardians_ (also known as The Valiant Ones), directed by Yuen Woo-ping.

## Philanthropy

After a long movie career, in 2007 Li turned to philanthropy. He founded the _One Foundation_, an independent fundraising foundation in mainland China which mainly focuses on natural disaster relief, environmental protection, medical treatment, education and poverty problems. Since the start of the foundation, Li has been involved with recovery efforts in seven disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the 2008 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan, and the 2013 Lushan earthquake in Ya’an, Sichuan. Li also subsequently founded _Taiji Zen_, an online health and wellness program providing instruction in meditation and Tai chi.

## Artistry, influence and cultural impact

Li's films often incorporate Buddhist themes, reflecting his personal Buddhist philosophy, as seen in films like _Shaolin Temple_ (1982), _Hero_ (2002), _Unleashed_ (2005), and _Fearless_ (2006).

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. Li appeared on the cover of _Time_ in both 2002, in which he appeared on the cover as a superstar in _Hero_, and 2008, in which he appeared on the cover as the founder of his charity, One Foundation. In 2010, Li was named by _Time_ as one of the 100 Most Influential People.

Li's movie career in China is credited with revitalising the Shaolin Temple (Shaolin Monastery) in Dengfeng, as the popular 1982 film _Shaolin Temple_ is considered to be the film which sparked its rebirth. The film also spawned a revival of popularity in mainstream martial arts in China. Li is also credited with reviving wushu in Hong Kong martial arts films during the 1990s. Li is also noted for his contribution to making new wuxia films popular internationally during his career. Li’s career has crossed numerous cultural and geographic boundaries outside mainland China and Hong Kong, such as Hollywood and France.

Many martial artists and filmmakers have cited Li as an inspiration, such as Tony Jaa, Robin Shou, Mark Dacascos, Yayan Ruhian, Iko Uwais, Chad Stahelski, Daniel Wu, Jason Scott Lee, Jaden He Jingde, Lester Pimentel, Janice Hung, Cung Le, Zara Phythian, Silvio Simac, Kevin Lee, Gareth Evans, Israel Adesanya, Michael Page, Aung La Nsang, Rahul Raju, Song Yadong, Giga Chikadze, Ricky Turcios, Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu, John Albert, Cody Hackman, and Brandon Kahn. Li has also been listed as an influence on the _John Wick_ series, the fictional video game character Johnny Gat, and Turnstile's _Glow On_.

## Personal life

Li stands at a height of 5 ft 6 in. He weighs 145 lbs.

## Filmography

|width=5%|Year|width=25%|Title|width=20%|Chinese Title|width=25%|Role|width=25%|Notes|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|1982|_Shaolin Temple_||"Jueh Yuan"|||||||
|1983|_Kids From Shaolin_||"San Lung"|||||||
|1986|_Born to Defence_||"Jet" Director || Jet Li's directorial debut|||||||
|_Martial Arts of Shaolin_||"Zhi Ming"|aka _Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin_|||||||
|1988|_Dragon Fight_||"Jimmy Lee"|||||||
|1989|_The Master_||"Jet"|||||||
|1991|_Once Upon a Time in China_||"Wong Fei Hung"|||||||
|_Swordsman II_||"Ling Wu Chung"||||||||
|1992|_Once Upon a Time in China II_||"Wong Fei Hung"|||||||
|1993|_Tai Chi Master_||"Zhang Sanfeng" Producer || aka _Twin Warriors_ (USA)|||||||
|_Fong Sai Yuk_||"Fong Sai Yuk" Producer || aka _The Legend_||||||||
|_Fong Sai Yuk II_||"Fong Sai Yuk" Producer || aka _The Legend 2_||||||||
|_Kung Fu Cult Master_||"Cheung Mo-Kei" Producer || aka _The Evil Cult_ aka _Lord of the Wu Tang_ aka _Kung Fu Master_||||||||
|_Last Hero in China_||"Wong Fei Hung" Producer || aka _Claws of Steel_ aka _Deadly China Hero_||||||||
|_Once Upon a Time in China III_||"Wong Fei Hung"|aka _The Invincible Shaolin_|||||||
|1994|_The Bodyguard from Beijing_||"Allan Hui Ching Yeung" / "John Chang" Producer || aka _The Defender_ aka _Zhong Nan Hai bao biao_|||||||
|_Fist of Legend_||"Chen Jun" Producer ||||||||||
|_The New Legend of Shaolin_||"Hung Hei-Kwun" Producer || aka _Legend of the Red Dragon_||||||||
|1995|_High Risk_||"Kit Li"|aka _Meltdown_||||||
|_My Father Is a Hero_||""Kung Wei"|aka _The Enforcer_ aka _Letter To Daddy_|||||||
|1996|_Black Mask_||"Michael" / "Simon" / "Tsui Chik" / "Black Mask"|released 1999 in US||||||
|_Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words"_||"Chow Si Kit"|aka _Adventure King_ aka _The Scripture With No Words_|||||||
|1997|_Once Upon a Time in China and America_||"Wong Fei Hung"|aka _Once Upon A Time In China VI_||||||
|1998|_Hitman_||"Fu"|aka _The Hitman_ aka _The Contract Killer_||||||
|_Lethal Weapon 4_||"Wah Sing Ku"||||||||
|2000|_Romeo Must Die_||"Han Sing"|||||||
|2001|_The One_||"Gabe Law" / "Gabriel Yulaw" / "Lawless"|||||||
|_Kiss of the Dragon_||"Liu Jian" Associate Producer ||||||||||
|2002|_Hero_||"Nameless"|Released 2004 in US||||||
|2003|_Cradle 2 the Grave_||"Su"|||||||
|2005|_Unleashed_||"Danny" Producer  || aka _Danny the Dog_|||||||
|2006|_Fearless_||"Huo Yuanjia" Producer Presenter |||||||||
|2007|_The Warlords_||"Pang Qing Yun"|||||||
|_War_||"Rogue" aka "Victor Shaw"|aka _Rogue Assassin_ or _Rogue_|||||||
|2008|_The Forbidden Kingdom_||"Sun Wukong the Monkey King" / "Silent Monk"|||||||
|_The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor_||"Emperor Han"||||||||
|2009|_The Founding of a Republic_||"Chen Shaokuan"|aka _Jian Guo Da Ye_ (lit. _The Great Cause of China's Foundation_) aka _Founding of the Nation_ aka _Lofty Ambitions of Nation Building_||||||
|2010|_Ocean Heaven_||"Sam Wong"|||||||
|_The Expendables_||"Yin Yang"||||||||
|2011|_The Sorcerer and the White Snake_||"Reverend Fahai"|||||||
|2011|_Flying Swords of Dragon Gate_||"Chow Wai-On"|||||||
|2012|_The Expendables 2_||"Yin Yang"|||||||
|2013|_Badges of Fury (The One Detective)_||Huang Feihong|||||||
|2014|_The Expendables 3_||"Yin Yang"|||||||
|2016|_League of Gods_||"Jiang Ziya"|||||||
|2017|_Gong Shou Dao_||Old Servant|Also producer||||||
|2020|_Mulan_||The emperor of China|||||||

## Infobox (chinese)

- **s**: 李连杰
- **t**: 李連杰
- **p**: Lǐ Liánjié
- **w**: Li Lien-chieh
- **j**: Lei5 Lin4 Git6
- **altname**: Li Yangzhong
- **t2**: 李陽中
- **s2**: 李阳中
- **p2**: Lǐ Yángzhōng
- **w2**: Li Yang-chung
- **j2**: Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1
- **child**: yes


## Infobox (actor)

- **name**: Jet Li
- **image**: Jet Li 2006.jpg
- **imagesize**: 200px
- **caption**: Jet Li at the premiere of _Fearless_.
- **birth place**: Beijing, China
- **occupation**: Martial artist, actor, and philanthropist
- **height**: 168 cm
- **years active**: 1984–present
- **spouse**: Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990)
Nina Li Chi (1999–present)
- **awards**: **Hong Kong Film Award: Best Actor**
2008 _The Warlords_
**Golden Horse Award: Special Award**
1995
**Hong Kong Film Critics Society Award: Best Actor**
2006 _Fearless_