Li Lianjie ( born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and retired Wushu champion who was born in Beijing. He is a naturalized Singaporean citizen.
After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from Wushu at age 19, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably as the lead in director Zhang Yimou's 2002 Hero and the Once Upon A Time in China series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung.
Li's first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), and his first leading role in a Hollywood film was as Han Sing in Romeo Must Die (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, including Kiss of the Dragon and Unleashed. He co-starred in The One (2001), The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with Jackie Chan, all three of The Expendables films with Sylvester Stallone, and as the title character villain in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser.
Chinese name |
李連杰 |
Chinese name |
李连杰 |
Pinyin |
Lǐ Liánjié |
Jyutping |
Lei5 Lin4-git6 |
Born |
26 April 1963 (age 53)
Beijing, China |
Other name(s) |
- 李陽中
- 李阳中
- Lǐ Yángzhōng
- Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 (Cantonese) (Chinese producer pseudonym)
|
Occupation |
- Actor
- martial artist
- director
- film producer
- singer
- author
|
Years active |
1982–present |
Spouse(s) |
- Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990)
- Nina Li Chi (1999–present)
|
Children |
4 daughters:
|
Ancestry |
Beijing, China |
Official website |
JetLi.com |