| Jet Li |
Jet Li at the premiere of Fearless in 2006. |
| Chinese name |
李連杰 (Traditional) |
| Chinese name |
李连杰 (Simplified) |
| Pinyin |
Lǐ Liánjié (Mandarin) |
| Jyutping |
Lei5 Lin4 Git6 (Cantonese) |
| Ancestry |
Beijing, China |
| Born |
April 26, 1963 (age 49)
Beijing, China |
| Other name(s) |
Lee Yeung Chung /
Li Yangzhong
李陽中 (Traditional)
李阳中 (Simplified)
Lǐ Yángzhōng (Mandarin)
Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 (Cantonese) (Chinese producer pseudonym) |
| Occupation |
Actor
Martial artist
Film producer |
| Years active |
1982–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990)
Nina Li Chi (1999–present) |
| Official Website |
www.jetli.com |
|
|
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Li.
Li Lianjie (
[lì ljǎntɕjɛ̌]; born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name
Jet Li, is a Chinese film actor, film producer, Chinese martial artist and wushu champion who was born in Beijing. He is of naturalized Singaporean citizenship.
[1]
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 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), but his first Hollywood film leading role was 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 Forbidden Kingdom (2008) with
Jackie Chan,
The Expendables (2010) with
Sylvester Stallone, and as the title character villain in
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008) opposite
Brendan Fraser. He also appeared in the Hong Kong film
Ocean Heaven (2010), directed and written by
Xue Xiaolu.
Early life and martial arts career
Li Lianjie was born in Beijing, People's Republic of China, the
youngest of two boys and two girls. His father died when he was two
years old, leaving the family struggling.
[2]
Li was eight when his talent for wushu was noticed at a summer course at school, and he began his practice there.
[3] Li participated in the sport of
wushu in the non-
sparring event. He began his wushu on the
Beijing Wushu Team, an athletic group organized to perform martial arts forms during the
All China Games. He was coached by renowned wushu coaches
Li Junfeng and
Wu Bin,
[4]
who made extra efforts to help the talented boy develop. Wu Bin even
bought food for Li's family because they could not afford to buy meat,
which was essential for the good physical condition of an athlete.
[4]
As a member of the team, he received wushu training and went on to win
fifteen gold medals and one silver medal in Chinese wushu championships,
where, despite his young age, he competed against adults.
[5]
| “ |
My winning first place caused quite a
sensation, because I was so young. I was 12 years old, and the other two
medallists were in their mid- to late twenties. During the awards
ceremony, as I stood on the top step of the podium, I was still shorter
than the 2nd and 3rd place medallists. It must have been quite a sight. |
” |
—Jet Li, China's Internet Celebrity[6] |
According to Li, once, as a child, when the Chinese National Wushu
Team went to perform for President Richard Nixon in the United States,
he was asked by Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li replied, "I don't
want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one
billion Chinese countrymen!"
[7]
Li is a master of several styles of wushu, especially
Changquan (Northern Longfist Style) and
Fanziquan (Tumbling fist). He has also studied other arts including
Baguazhang (Eight trigram palm),
Taijiquan (Supreme ultimate fist),
Xingyiquan (Shape intent fist),
Zuiquan (Drunken fist),
Yingzhaoquan (Eagle claw fist) and
Tanglangquan (
Praying mantis fist). He did not learn
Nanquan (Southern fist), because his training focused only in the Northern
Shaolin Styles. He has also studied some of wushu's main weapons, such
Sanjiegun (Three section staff),
Gun (staff),
Dao (Broadsword),
Jian (Straight sword) and many more.
[8]
It is Jet Li's authentic martial arts prowess that enabled his rise to domestic and international fame.
[9]
Acting career
Chinese films
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in
mainland China
and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982
in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was
too hard to pronounce. They likened his career to an aircraft, which
likewise "takes-off" as quickly, so they placed the name Jet Li on the
movie posters. Soon everybody was calling him by this new name, which
was also based on the nickname, "Jet," given to him as a young student,
due to his speed and grace when training with the Beijing Wushu team. He
made his debut with the 1982 film
Shaolin Temple. Some of his more famous Chinese films include:
Li starred in the 1995 film
High Risk,
where Jet Li plays a Captain who becomes disillusioned after his wife
is murdered by crime lords. Along the way, he pairs up with a wacky
sell-out actor, Frankie (played by
Jacky Cheung), and proceeds to engage in a series of violent battles in a high-rise building. The setting is similar to that of
Die Hard and both their Chinese film titles. This movie is notable in that director
Wong Jing had such a terrible experience working with
Jackie Chan in Jing's previous film
City Hunter
that he chose to make Cheung's character a biting satire of Chan. Jet
Li would later publicly apologize to Chan for taking part in it.
Li has two
wuxia feature films scheduled for release in 2011,
The Sorcerer and the White Snake and
Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, the latter is helmed by
Tsui Hark.
In order to promote tai chi, in 2012 Jet Li will star in a film titled
Tai Chi and will co-produce the movie with Chen Kuo-Fu. Li will portray Tai Chi master
Yang Lu-ch'an.
[10][11]
American films
In 1998, he made his American film debut in
Lethal Weapon 4 which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a film. He agreed to do
Lethal Weapon 4 after the producer
Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next film,
Romeo Must Die (2000) alongside late singer
Aaliyah. The film became a box office hit.
Li turned down
Chow Yun-fat's role in
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) because he promised his wife that he would not make any films during her pregnancy.
[12] He also turned down the role of
Seraph in
The Matrix
trilogy, based on his belief that the role was not one which required
his skills and that the films were iconic and stunning enough without
adding his name to the cast list.
In 2001, he appeared in two more Hollywood films:
The One which was the first of his films with
Jason Statham and
Kiss of the Dragon opposite
Bridget Fonda which did moderately well at the box office. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action film with
Jackie Chan
which was to be released in 2002 or 2003, but no further news of their
collaboration surfaced until 2006. In 2002, the period martial arts epic
film
Hero
was released in the Chinese market. This film was both a commercial and
critical success and became the highest-grossing motion picture in
Chinese film history at the time.
[13] In 2003 he reunited with producer Joel Silver for the action thriller film
Cradle 2 The Grave where he starred alongside
rapper DMX and fellow martial artist
Mark Dacascos. In 2004, Li lent his likeness, voice and provided motion capture work for the video game
Jet Li: Rise to Honor.
Li took on a more serious role in the 2005 film,
Unleashed (a.k.a.
Danny the Dog),
where he portrayed an adult with the mentality of a child who has been
raised like an animal. Although his martial arts skills were utilized
extensively, it was a somber film with more depth than had been
previously seen in Li's films, and co-starred dramatic actors
Bob Hoskins and
Morgan Freeman.
In 2006, the
martial arts film epic
Fearless, was released worldwide. Although he will continue to make martial arts films,
Fearless is his last wushu epic. In
Fearless, he played
Huo Yuanjia, the real-life founder of
Chin Woo Athletic Association,
who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in
publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding.
Together with the film
Fist of Legend, Li has portrayed both Chen Jun, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia (aka Fok Yun Gap), as well as Huo Yuanjia himself.
Fearless
was released on January 26, 2006 in Hong Kong, followed by a September
22, 2006 release in the United States where it reached second place in
its first weekend.
I stepped into the martial arts movie market when I
was only 16. I think I have proved my ability in this field and it
won't make sense for me to continue for another five or 10 years. Huo
Yuanjia is a conclusion to my life as a martial arts star.
[14]
Li has stated in an interview with the
Shenzhen Daily
newspaper that this will be his last martial arts epic, which is also
stated in the film's television promotions. However, he plans to
continue his film career in other genres. Specifically, he plans to
continue acting in action and martial arts films; epic films deal more
with religious and philosophical issues.
Li's 2007 Hollywood film,
War, was released in August of that year, and re-teamed him with actor
Jason Statham, who previously starred with him in
The One, and action choreographer
Corey Yuen.
War
raked in a disappointing $23 million at the box office, becoming one of
Li's lowest grossers in America; however, it was a hit on video,
accumulating nearly $52 million in rental revenue, more than doubling
its box office take.
[15] With the exception of
Romeo Must Die and the worldwide release of
Hero, most of Li's American films have been only modest hits like
Kiss Of The Dragon,
The One,
Unleashed,
Cradle 2 the Grave, and the worldwide release of
Fearless.
| “ |
He has a very good control of the strength
of every fist and kick. In the past, he used too much strength, those
that get hit would be in great pain. He's the archetype of power. [...]
Yes, he's still the best. |
” |
|
|
In late 2007, Li returned again to China to participate in the China/Hong Kong co-production of the period war film
The Warlords with
Andy Lau and
Takeshi Kaneshiro. This film with its focus on dramatics rather than martial arts netted Li the
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor.
Li and fellow martial arts veteran
Jackie Chan finally appeared together onscreen for the first time in
The Forbidden Kingdom,
which began filming in May 2007 and was released to critical and
commercial success on April 18, 2008. The film was based on the legend
of the
Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel
Journey to the West.
[17][18] Li also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors
Brendan Fraser,
Isabella Leong and
Michelle Yeoh.
[19]
After a one-year hiatus from filmmaking, Jet Li returned to acting in 2009, portraying a mercenary in the film
The Expendables, teaming up with action stars
Sylvester Stallone,
Jason Statham,
Dolph Lundgren,
Mickey Rourke,
Eric Roberts,
Steve Austin,
Terry Crews, and
Randy Couture. It was the third time he had teamed up with Statham.
Personal life
Li is a practitioner of
Tibetan Buddhism.
[20] His master is Lho Kunsang
[21] of the
Drikung Kagyu lineage of the
Kagyu school.
[22]
In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and
Kids from Shaolin co-star Huang Qiuyan,
[23] with whom he has two daughters, Si and Taimi.
[24] They divorced in 1990. Since 1999, he has been married to
Nina Li Chi
(born Li Zhi), a Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based actress. He has two
daughters with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).
[25]
Li was in the
Maldives when a
tsunami hit during the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster,
[26]
he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating
furniture, while he was guiding his 4-year-old daughter Jane and the
nanny holding his 1-year-old daughter Jada to safety. The four of them
were by the pool and slightly above the beach when the wave came ashore.
[27]
In 2009, Li, who previously had American citizenship, after years
working in the United States, was thought to have renounced his American
citizenship and taken up Singaporean
citizenship,
[1][28] although no official confirmation has been provided by Singapore authorities.
[29]
On July 28, 2009, the chairman of One Foundation (the Charity fund of
Jet Li) announced that Jet Li had indeed become a Singaporean citizen.
[1] He was said to have chosen Singapore for its education system for his two daughters.
[1]
In 2009, Li launched his own fitness program that he named "Wuji".
[30] The programme consists of elements of martial arts,
yoga and
pilates;
Adidas launched a special clothing line for it that bears the initials of "JL".
[31][32]
In his free time he likes to play badminton, table tennis, volleyball, ride his bicycle, read and meditate. He collects rare
Tibetan beads. He says he is never bored in his free time.
[33][34]
Views on life and martial arts
| “ |
I never say to myself I'm the best fighter
in the world. If someone learns martial arts solely to pick fights on
the street, to lean on it as a keystone weapon in conflicts, to use it
to bully and intimidate others – then that person, in my opinion, cannot
be considered a true martial artist. |
” |
|
|
Li as a Buddhist believes that the difficulties of everyday life can be overcome with the help of religious philosophies.
[36] He thinks that fame is not something he can control; therefore, he does not care about it.
[37]
According to Li, everything he has ever wanted to tell the world can be found in three of his films: the message of
Hero is that the suffering of one person can never be as significant as the suffering of a nation;
Unleashed shows that violence is never a solution and
Fearless
tells that the biggest enemy of a person is himself. Li thinks that the
greatest weapon is a smile and the largest power is love.
[38]
About Wushu, Li said that 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 Wushu 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,
according to him, place limitations on martial artists.
[39]
Li believes that Wushu is not primarily for self-defense and instead
of trying to play the hero people should think about peaceful
resolutions of conflicts and call the police if necessary: "A gun
outdoes years of martial arts training in a split second. Like I've said
many times before, it is important to differentiate between movies and
reality. The hero in movies may be able to knock the gun off his
opponent and save the day, but in real life – probably that is not the
case."
[40] He has also stated that he has never had to use his martial arts skills in a real life fight and he does not wish to, either.
[35]
Philanthropy
Li 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 his film
Fearless to the Red Cross' psychological sunshine project, which promotes mental health.
[41]
In April 2007, touched by his life-shaking experience in the Maldives
when he was close to dying during the 2004 tsunami, Li formed his own
non-profit foundation called
The One Foundation.
[42][43]
The One Foundation supports international disaster relief efforts in
conjunction with the Red Cross as well as other efforts, including
mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since the starting of
the foundation, Li has been involved with recovery efforts in seven
disasters, including the
2008 Sichuan earthquake[27] and
Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan.
[44] Wu Jing was a One Foundation volunteer and helped in the effort.
[45]
Li discussed his commitment to philanthropy in an interview with the
December 2009 issue of Alliance magazine, stating that "grassroots
non-government organizations can help the government in its blind spots.
Government relief is not always detail-oriented. Grassroots NGOs can’t
be as big as a government effort, but they need to be flexible and
independent."
[46]
In September 2010, Jet Li was appointed by the International Red
Cross as the first Good Will Ambassador. He posted online saying "Today I
signed a deal with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies – IFRC - to become the FIRST goodwill ambassador in
the history of this humanitarian organization. I am very honored! At the
same time, I will not pause to celebrate, but instead keep pushing
forward.. and do my best to help the world! Thank you all once again for
your support and belief in me!"
[47]
It was also announced that Jet Li would be meeting Bill Gates and
Warren Buffet to talk about charity work. "Three days ago, I received an
email from Gates, hoping I could make time because he and Buffett hoped
I could go for a 30-minute chat before the dinner about the future we
face as human beings, so I will go," Li said.
[48]
Filmography
Considering US box office statistics, the most successful Jet Li film as of August 2010 is
Lethal Weapon 4, which grossed over 130 million dollars domestically, while the second is
The Expendables with over 103 million dollars.
[49] Hero is the third most successful foreign language film in the US,
[50] and one of the best critically acclaimed Li movies.
[51] Fearless is the sixth most successful foreign language film of all time in the US.
[50] From a critical point of view, the best acclaimed Li movie is
Fist of Legend (Rotten Tomatoes: 100%) and the worst is
War (Rotten Tomatoes: 12%).
[51]
'Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,' with Jet Li, Zhou
Xun, Chen Kun, Li Yuchun, Gwei Lun Mei, Mavis Fan. Written and directed
by Tsui Hark. 121 minutes. Not rated; for mature audiences (contains
martial-arts violence, intense action). In Mandarin, with English
subtitles. IMAX at the Pacific Science Center, 
