Jet Li
Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean[1] martial artist, retired Wushu champion, actor, film producer, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars and one of the most renowned martial arts stars of his generation.[2][3]
Jet Li | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Jet Li at the premiere of Fearless. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | April 26, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Actor Martial artist | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1982–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Website | www.jetli.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.[4] 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).[5]
After retiring from competitive Wushu at age 18, Li went on to win great acclaim as an actor. His most notable Chinese films include Shaolin Temple (1982), the first three films in the Once Upon a Time in China series (1991–1993), the Fong Sai-yuk series (1993), Fist of Legend (1994), Hero (2002), Fearless (2006), and The Warlords (2007). His movie career in China is credited with reviving Wushu in Hong Kong martial arts films during the 1990s,[4] and revitalising the Shaolin Temple.[6] Li is also noted for his contribution to making new Wuxia films popular internationally during his career.[7] His most notable non-Chinese films include Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), Romeo Must Die (2000), Kiss of the Dragon (2001), The One (2001), Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), and Unleashed (2005). He also starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Forbidden Kingdom (2008).
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.[8][9][10] Li also subsequently founded Taiji Zen, an online health and wellness program providing instruction in meditation and Tai chi.[11]
Movies
| Year | Title | Chinese Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Shaolin Temple | 少林寺 | "Jueh Yuan" | |
| 1983 | Kids From Shaolin | 少林小子 | "San Lung" | |
| 1986 | Born to Defence | 中華英雄 | "Jet" Director |
Jet Li's directorial debut |
| Martial Arts of Shaolin | 南北少林 | "Zhi Ming" | aka Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin | |
| 1988 | Dragon Fight | 龍在天涯 | "Jimmy Lee" | |
| 1989 | The Master | 龍行天下 | "Jet" | |
| 1991 | Once Upon a Time in China | 黃飛鴻 | "Wong Fei Hung" | |
| Swordsman II | 笑傲江湖之東方不敗 | "Ling Wu Chung" | ||
| 1992 | Once Upon a Time in China II | 黃飛鴻之二男兒當自强 | "Wong Fei Hung" | |
| 1993 | Tai Chi Master | 太極張三豐 | "Zhang Sanfeng" Producer |
aka Twin Warriors (USA) |
| Fong Sai Yuk | 方世玉 | "Fong Sai Yuk" Producer |
aka The Legend | |
| Fong Sai Yuk II | 方世玉續集 | "Fong Sai Yuk" Producer |
aka The Legend 2 | |
| Kung Fu Cult Master | 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主 | "Cheung Mo-Kei" Producer |
aka The Evil Cult aka Lord of the Wu Tang aka Kung Fu Master | |
| Last Hero in China | 黃飛鴻之鐵雞斗蜈蚣 | "Wong Fei Hung" Producer |
aka Claws of Steel aka Deadly China Hero | |
| Once Upon a Time in China III | 黃飛鴻之三：獅王争霸 | "Wong Fei Hung" | aka The Invincible Shaolin | |
| 1994 | The Bodyguard from Beijing | 中南海保鑣 | "Allan Hui Ching Yeung" / "John Chang" Producer |
aka The Defender aka Zhong Nan Hai bao biao |
| Fist of Legend | 精武英雄 | "Chen Jun" Producer |
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| The New Legend of Shaolin | 洪熙官之少林五祖 | "Hung Hei-Kwun" Producer |
aka Legend of the Red Dragon | |
| 1995 | High Risk | 鼠胆龍威 | "Kit Li" | aka Meltdown |
| My Father Is a Hero | 給爸爸的信 | ""Kung Wei" | aka The Enforcer aka Letter To Daddy | |
| 1996 | Black Mask | 黑俠 | "Michael" / "Simon" / "Tsui Chik" / "Black Mask" | released 1999 in US |
| Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" | 冒險王 | "Chow Si Kit" | aka Adventure King aka The Scripture With No Words | |
| 1997 | Once Upon a Time in China and America | 黃飛鴻之西域雄獅 | "Wong Fei Hung" | aka Once Upon A Time In China VI |
| 1998 | Hitman | 殺手之王 | "Fu" | aka The Hitman aka The Contract Killer |
| Lethal Weapon 4 | 致命武器4 | "Wah Sing Ku" | ||
| 2000 | Romeo Must Die | 致命羅密歐 | "Han Sing" | |
| 2001 | The One | 最後一強 | "Gabe Law" / "Gabriel Yulaw" / "Lawless" | |
| Kiss of the Dragon | 龍之吻 | "Liu Jian" Associate Producer |
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| 2002 | Hero | 英雄 | "Nameless" | Released 2004 in US |
| 2003 | Cradle 2 the Grave | 同盜一擊 | "Su" | |
| 2005 | Unleashed | 不死狗 | "Danny" Producer |
aka Danny the Dog |
| 2006 | Fearless | 霍元甲 | "Huo Yuanjia" Producer Presenter |
|
| 2007 | The Warlords | 投名狀 | "Pang Qing Yun" | |
| War | 玩命對戰 | "Rogue" aka "Victor Shaw" | aka Rogue Assassin or Rogue | |
| 2008 | The Forbidden Kingdom | 功夫之王 | "Sun Wukong the Monkey King" / "Silent Monk" | |
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | 盜墓迷城3 | "Emperor Han" | ||
| 2009 | The Founding of a Republic | 建國大業 | "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 | 海洋天堂 | "Sam Wong" | |
| The Expendables | 浴血任務 | "Yin Yang" | ||
| 2011 | The Sorcerer and the White Snake | 白蛇傳說之法海 | "Reverend Fahai" | |
| 2011 | Flying Swords of Dragon Gate | 龍門飛甲 | "Chow Wai-On" | |
| 2012 | The Expendables 2 | 敢死队2 | "Yin Yang" | |
| 2013 | Badges of Fury (The One Detective) | 不二神探 | Huang Feihong | |
| 2014 | The Expendables 3 | 敢死队3 | "Yin Yang" | |
| 2016 | League of Gods | 封神榜 | "Jiang Ziya" | |
| 2017 | Gong Shou Dao | 功守道 | Old Servant | Also producer |
| 2020 | Mulan | 花木蘭 | The emperor of China |
Jet Li Media
Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong
References
- ↑ "李连杰20年前移民美国 被证实已经移民新加坡" [Jet Li, emigrated to United States 20 years ago, has been confirmed migrated to Singapore]. News.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
- ↑ {{Cite web |last=Lines |first=Craig |date=2018-06-06 |title=The Shaolin Temple Movies: The Series That Launched Jet Li's Career |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-shaolin-temple-movies-the-series-that-launched-jet-lis-career/[bare URL]
- ↑ {{Cite web |last=Jr |first=Robert Yaniz |date=2023-02-05 |title=Jet Li Walked Away From 3 of the Biggest Movies in History |url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jet-li-walked-away-from-3-movies.html/[bare URL]
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 {{Cite web |date=2020-11-22 |title=What is wushu, which Jet Li studied and made famous in Hong Kong martial arts movies? |url=https://ampwww.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3110712/what-wushu-how-jet-li-studied-it-and-made-it-famous-hong[dead link][bare URL]
- ↑ "Wushu-ography". Jetli.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2010. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
- ↑ "How Jet Li turned the Shaolin Temple into a kung fu cash cow". South China Morning Post. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ↑ https://www.lifestyleasia.com/kl/entertainment/movies/best-jet-li-movies/#:~:text=Jet%20Li%20is%20one%20of,Hong%20Kong%20cinema%20and%20beyond.
- ↑ http://www.china.org.cn/arts/2011-09/28/content_23508417.htm
- ↑ https://chillopedia.com/best-jet-li-movies-of-all-time/
- ↑ https://www.borgenmagazine.com/jet-li-spreading-love-one-yuan/
- ↑ https://kungfukingdom.com/jet-li-invites-you-to-share-your-dream/amp/
Other websites
Media related to Jet Li at Wikimedia Commons