Born in Beijing, China, Li Lianjie, better known under his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion and international film star. He retired from Wushu at age 17, winning the first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. He then went on to be a martial arts film star in mainland China, and later in Hong Kong.
Jet Li made his debut in the 1982 film Shaolin Temple. He reprised his role in the other two sequels, earning more fame for his work. He is also noted for playing San Lung in the Kids from Shaolin series in 1984. In 1986, he was cast in other Chinese films like Zhong hua ying xiong (Born to Defend) and Nan bei Shao Lin (Martial Arts of Shaolin). Jet Li also became known for his role in the Once Upon a Time in China series, about the Chinese master Wong Fei Hung. He has also been recognized for playing Chen Zhen in the remake of Bruce Lee’s Fist of Fury, 1994’s Fist of Legend. He made another movie about a Chinese folk hero, portraying the title role in Fong Sai-Yuk and its sequel, Fong Sai-Yuk II.
Jet Li made his American film debut in the movie Lethal Weapon 4, his first time to play a villain in a film. He agreed to work in that movie after the producer, Joel Silver, agreed to give him the lead in his next film, 2000’s action thriller Romeo Must Die. His portrayal of Han Sing in the movie made it a box office hit and launched his career as a leading man in Hollywood. He turned down a role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon due to his wife’s pregnancy, as well as another role in The Matrix trilogy. In 2001, he appeared opposite Jason Statham in The One. He was also cast opposite Bridget Fonda in Kiss of the Dragon that year, a film that did rather well in the box office. This was followed by the period marital arts epic film Hero, released in the Chinese market. In 2003, Li worked once again with Joel Silver for Cradle 2 the Grave. He then did a voiceover for his character in the video game Jet Li: Rise to Honor. In 2005, he was cast in the drama Danny the Dog, an obvious departure from his martial arts films. The next year, he returned with the epic film Fearless, his last Wushu movie. He was reunited with Jason Statham in the 2007 Hollywood film War. He and fellow martial arts expert Jackie Chan appeared together for the first time onscreen in The Forbidden Kingdom in 2008.