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At age 11, Jet Li won his first of five Chinese national wushu championships. By 19, he had starred in Shaolin Temple 1982, igniting a martial arts film boom. He moved to Hong Kong and became a top star, later crossing over to Hollywood with roles in Lethal Weapon 4 and Hero. Li also survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and founded the One Foundation charity.
Jet Li by the numbers โ life, work, and family.
The relatives of Jet Li โ parents, partners, children, and siblings.
Jet Li โ early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At eight years old, Jet Li began training at the Beijing wushu academy, where China’s national sport of wushu is taught as a performance art. He won his first national gold medal at age 11, earning a trip to meet President Richard Nixon in Washington, D.C. By his teens, he had already become a national coach. His father Li Qingquan and mother Zhang Feng Lan raised him in Beijing, where his early exposure to martial arts set the stage for a film career.
Jet Li’s first film, Shaolin Temple 1982, made him an instant star and sparked the 1980s kung-fu craze in mainland China. He moved to Hong Kong and dominated the early 1990s kung-fu revival with films like Once Upon a Time in China 1991 and Fist of Legend 1994. His Hollywood breakthrough came with Lethal Weapon 4 1998, followed by Romeo Must Die 2000. Li turned down the role of Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded 2003 but starred as Nameless in Hero 2002, a global hit. He also appeared in The Expendables series, beginning in 2010.
Jet Li married Qiuyan Huang in 1987; they divorced in 1990. He later married actress Nina Li Chi on September 19, 1999; they have a daughter, Jane Li, born in 2000. Li became a Singaporean citizen in 2009, citing the education system for his daughters. In 2004, he and his four-year-old daughter survived the Boxing Day tsunami in the Maldives, escaping with minor injuries. Li has hyperthyroidism, diagnosed in 2013, and takes medication to control his heart rate.
Jet Li’s influence on martial arts cinema is profound. He inspired a generation of performers with his wushu-based style and philosophical approach to action. In 2006, he became a philanthropic ambassador for the Red Cross Society of China and founded One Foundation. His films Hero, Unleashed, and Fearless encapsulate his personal beliefs: the suffering of a nation, the futility of violence, and self-conquest. Li remains the most internationally recognized wushu champion turned actor, with a career spanning over four decades.
Browse the complete filmography of Jet Li โ every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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A wall of memorable lines from Jet Li โ lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Can Feel Very Brave Through All the Action Scenes in Front of the People Who Are on the Set, but When a Girl Comes Close to Me My Face Turns Red Because I’m so Shy.
I Have Met Jackie Chan About 6 Times up ‘Til Now . . . and Even Though Many People Think We Are Natural Enemies, I Personally Think He Is a Cool Bloke and Would Honestly Love to Work with Him in a Film One Time That Would a Well Brilliant Movie!
You Can Beat Me Up, but Don’t Touch My Hair, I Will Kill You!
We Are a Global Family. the Religion Is Different, the Languages Are Different but We Are Human Beings and We Need to Help Each Other.
She’s a Wonderful Actress and I’m Glad Luc Besson Decided to Use Her in This Film. Usually, for Action Movies, the Actress Is a Beautiful Flower. They Put the Flower There, and Then They Fight. When They Need the Flower to Come In, They Bring Her In. but This Film, Bridget Is the Key.
You Cannot Make One Film and Make Everybody Happy. You Make a PG Movie and Your Hardcore Fans Say, It’s Too Soft.
Little-known facts about Jet Li โ origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He injured his foot while escaping the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that followed a 9.0 earthquake; Li and his four-year-old daughter were on vacation in the Maldives on December 26th, 2004. They were in the hotel lobby when the wave came ashore. Scooping up his daughter and running for higher ground, a piece of furniture hit his foot, causing the injury.
In 2013, Li revealed that he suffers from hyperthyroidism and has been dealing with the issue for three years. Since his heart rate can hit 130 to 140 at rest, he takes medication to control it and was advised not to exercise. In 2016, he stated he had recovered and that accepting fewer film offers was due to his charity work, not his health.
He won the Chinese national championship in wushu at age 11; his prize was a trip to Washington D.C. to meet President Richard Nixon.
He studies English with a tutor for four hours a day.
According to Li, everything he has ever wanted to tell the world can be found in three films: the message of Hero 2002 is that the suffering of one person can never be as significant as the suffering of a nation; Unleashed 2005 shows that violence is never a solution; and Fearless 2006 tells that the biggest enemy of a person is himself. Li thinks the greatest weapon is a smile and the largest power is love.
About wushu, he said he believes the essence of martial arts is not power or speed but inner harmony, and considers it a sad development that today’s wushu championships place greater emphasis on form than on the essence of being a martial artist. He believes wushu now lacks individuality and competitors move like machines, whereas according to his views it should not be considered a race where the fastest athlete wins. He would like to see wushu as a form of art where artists have a distinctive style. Li blames the new competition rules that place limitations on martial artists.
As a Buddhist, he believes that the difficulties of everyday life can be overcome with the help of religious philosophies. He thinks that fame is not something he can control; therefore, he does not care about it.
In 2009, he renounced his US citizenship. He was thought to have taken up Singaporean citizenship, although Singaporean authorities did not initially provide confirmation. On July 28, 2009, the chairman of One Foundation announced that Li had indeed become a Singaporean citizen. He was said to have chosen Singapore for its education system for his two younger daughters.
In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action film with Jackie Chan to be released in 2002 or 2003, but no further news surfaced until 2006. That project became The Forbidden Kingdom 2008.
He was originally cast as Li Mu Bai in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2000 but turned it down due to a promise to his wife Nina Li Chi not to work while she was pregnant. The role went to Chow Yun-Fat. Li mentioned this on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno while promoting Kiss of the Dragon 2001.
In 2009, he launched his own fitness program, Wuji, which combines martial arts, yoga and pilates; Adidas released a special clothing line with his initials JL.
He nearly died during the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami but both he and his daughters barely escaped with minor injuries.
He has been a philanthropic ambassador of the Red Cross Society of China since January 2006. He contributed 500,000 yuan US$62,500 of box office revenues from Fearless 2006 to the Red Cross’ psychological sunshine project.
He was originally set to star in Crime Story 1993. While the film was in pre-production, his agent Jim Choy was gunned down by the Triads. The incident caused Li to opt out of making a movie about organized crime, choosing to do Tai Chi Master 1993 instead.
The Wachowskis originally wrote the role of Seraph in The Matrix Reloaded 2003 and The Matrix Revolutions 2003 with him in mind. He turned it down because he felt the role did not require his skills and the films were iconic enough without his name.
He sustained bruised ribs while filming fight stunts with Anthony Anderson for Romeo Must Die 2000.
He founded Taiji Zen in 2011 with co-founder Jack Ma. Taiji Zen is a lifestyle company spreading health and happiness through physical wellness and mental fitness, combining Taijiquan with mindfulness practices.
His Mandarin name is Li Lianjie; his Cantonese name is Lei Lin-Git.
He has played both an attempted assassin of the First Emperor of China Hero, 2002 and the First Emperor of China The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, 2008.
He was offered the part of Deacon Frost in Blade 1998 but opted to do Lethal Weapon 4 1998 instead.
Li and wife Nina Li Chi became parents to a 6 lb. 13 oz. daughter, Jane.
He was originally cast as Xiang in xXx: Return of Xander Cage 2017 but dropped out; Donnie Yen replaced him.
He has played both real-life legend Huo Yuan Jia in Fearless, 2006 and his semi-fictional student Chen Zhen in Fist of Legend, 1994.
He was originally set to star in The Art of War 2000.
In his free time he likes to play badminton and table tennis, ride his bicycle, read, and meditate. He collects rare Tibetan beads. He says he is never bored.
Other than providing voice-overs for Kit Yun in Rise to Honor 2003, he also did motion-capture for his fight scenes.
He was considered for the role of The Amazing Yen in Ocean’s Eleven 2001.
He was one of 105 people invited to join AMPAS in 2008.
He worked with director Hark Tsui on five films: Once Upon a Time in China 1991, Once Upon a Time in China II 1992, The Master 1992, Once Upon a Time in China III 1992, and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 2011.
He worked with director Jing Wong on four films: Last Hero in China 1993, Kung Fu Cult Master 1993, The New Legend of Shaolin 1994, and High Risk 1995.
Director Corey Yuen had wanted Korean martial arts director Won Jin to star in Fong Sai-yuk 2 alongside Jet Li, but Won Jin was unable to participate due to other commitments.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Jet Li.
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