Li Lianjie (born April 26, 1963), better known by his English stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, martial artist, and wushu champion who was born in Beijing.
Early life[]
Li was born Li Lian in Beijing, China, the youngest of five children. When he was at the age of two, his father died. He started training at the Beijing wushu academy (wushu is China's national sport, largely a performance version of various martial art styles) at age eight. He won five gold medals in the Chinese championships, his first when he was only 11.
Acting career[]
In 1982, Li made his film debut before he hit the age of 20, in the film Shaolin Temple. He then began to star in films such as Born to Defence, The Master, Kung Fu Cult Master, Fist of Legend, Jet Li's The Enforcer and Hitman. In 1998, he starred in Lethal Weapon 4, which became his first American debut film and the first time he played a villain. Li along with singer Aaliyah starred in the 2000 film Romeo Must Die. His other films include Kiss of the Dragon, Unleashed, War, The Forbidden Kingdom, alongside Jackie Chan, and The Expendables films.
Filmography[]
- Shaolin Temple (1982)
- Kids From Shaolin (1984)
- Born to Defence (1986)
- Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986)
- Dragon Fight (1989)
- The Master (1989)
- Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
- Once Upon a Time in China II (1992)
- Swordsman II (1992)
- Tai Chi Master (1993)
- Fong Sai Yuk (1993)
- Fong Sai Yuk II (1993)
- Kung Fu Cult Master (1993)
- Last Hero in China (1993)
- Once Upon a Time in China III (1993)
- The Bodyguard from Beijing (1994)
- Fist of Legend (1994)
- The New Legend of Shaolin (1994)
- High Risk (1995)
- My Father Is a Hero (1995)
- Black Mask (1996)
- Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" (1996)
- Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997)
- Hitman (1998)
- Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
- Romeo Must Die (2000)
- The One (2001)
- Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
- Hero (2002)
- Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
- Unleashed (2005)
- Fearless (2006)
- The Warlords (2007)
- War (2007)
- The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
- The Founding of a Republic (2009)
- Ocean Heaven (2010)
- The Expendables (2010)
- The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2010)
- Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)
- The Expendables 2 (2012)
- Badges of Fury (2012)
- The Expendables 3 (2014)
- Feng Shen Bang 3D (2015)