Jet Li
Jet Li (born April 26, 1963) is a martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. After three years of intensive training, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring at age 17, 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 where he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei Hung. His first role in a Hollywood movie 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 mostly recently starring in the action film War (2007).
Biography
Early life & career as athlete
Li was born Li Lianjie in Beijing, China. His father died when he was two. His mother took him to the Beijing Amateur Sports School at the age of eight. 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. 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:
1974 — Youth National Athletic Hi Competition: broadsword form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, all-round gold medal;
1975 — Third Chinese Wushu Championships: long fist form gold medal, spear form silver medal.
1977 — National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal .
1978 — National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, all-round gold medal;
1979 — Fourth Chinese Wushu Championships: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, sparring form gold medal, all-round gold medal.
All his optional empty-hand form medals were won with a form called fanzi yingzhaoquan (翻子鷹爪拳, Fanzi eagle claw). His success led to the PRC declaring Jet Li to be a "National Treasure".
Acting Career
Jet Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong
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 to 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:
The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3), which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;
The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung.
Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in Chinese, named after the martial arts school);
The Fong Sai-Yuk films Fong Sai-Yuk and Fong Sai-Yuk II (1993), about another Chinese folk hero.
Li starred in the 1995 movie, Shu dan long wei, known in English as "Courage of a Mouse and Power of a Dragon". The movie, known in the US as either High Risk or Meltdown, portrays Jet Li as a cop 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 (which similarly, is known in China as Hu Dan Long Wei, or "Courage of a tiger and power of a dragon").
In 1998 he made his Hollywood film debut in Lethal Weapon 4 which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a movie. He agreed to do Lethal Weapon 4 after the producer Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next movie, Romeo Must Die (2000) which was a box office hit launching his career as a leading man in Hollywood.
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 movies during her pregnancy. 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 two more Hollywood films: The One (film) opposite Jason Statham and Kiss of the Dragon opposite Bridget Fonda. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action movie 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. 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.
Li departed from his usual martial arts actions films with the 2005 dramatic film, Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog) where he portrays 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.
His 2006 release was the martial arts film epic Fearless. Although he will continue to make martial arts movies, 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 Zhen, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia, as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on September 22, 2006 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.
”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 movie'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 latest Hollywood film, War, was released in August 2007, and re-teamed him with actor Jason Statham who previously starred with him in The One and action choreographer Corey Yuen. Surprisingly War failed to do well at the box office despite having Li and Statham in leading roles.
With the exception of Romeo Must Die and Hero, most of Jet's American films have been only modest hits like Kiss of the Dragon, The One, Unleashed, Fearless and Cradle 2 the Grave.
Jet Li and fellow martial arts veteran Jackie Chan are to come together onscreen for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom which began filming in May 2007. The film will be based on the legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West and will be released on April 18, 2008.Jet Li will also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors Brandon Fraser and Michelle Yeoh.
Personal life
Li is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and Shaolin Temple series co-star Huang Qiuyan, with whom he had two children. 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 children with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).
Li was in the Maldives when the tsunami hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster, he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating furniture, while he was guiding his daughter to safety.The two were in the lobby of their hotel when the wave came ashore.
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!" which earned him much respect in his homeland.
Jet Li (born April 26, 1963) is a martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. After three years of intensive training, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring at age 17, 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 where he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei Hung. His first role in a Hollywood movie 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 mostly recently starring in the action film War (2007).
Biography
Early life & career as athlete
Li was born Li Lianjie in Beijing, China. His father died when he was two. His mother took him to the Beijing Amateur Sports School at the age of eight. 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. 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:
1974 — Youth National Athletic Hi Competition: broadsword form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, all-round gold medal;
1975 — Third Chinese Wushu Championships: long fist form gold medal, spear form silver medal.
1977 — National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal .
1978 — National Wushu Competition: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, all-round gold medal;
1979 — Fourth Chinese Wushu Championships: long-fist form gold medal, optional empty-hand form gold medal, broadsword form gold medal, sparring form gold medal, all-round gold medal.
All his optional empty-hand form medals were won with a form called fanzi yingzhaoquan (翻子鷹爪拳, Fanzi eagle claw). His success led to the PRC declaring Jet Li to be a "National Treasure".
Acting Career
Jet Li's hand print and autograph at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong
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 to 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:
The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3), which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;
The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung.
Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in Chinese, named after the martial arts school);
The Fong Sai-Yuk films Fong Sai-Yuk and Fong Sai-Yuk II (1993), about another Chinese folk hero.
Li starred in the 1995 movie, Shu dan long wei, known in English as "Courage of a Mouse and Power of a Dragon". The movie, known in the US as either High Risk or Meltdown, portrays Jet Li as a cop 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 (which similarly, is known in China as Hu Dan Long Wei, or "Courage of a tiger and power of a dragon").
In 1998 he made his Hollywood film debut in Lethal Weapon 4 which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a movie. He agreed to do Lethal Weapon 4 after the producer Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next movie, Romeo Must Die (2000) which was a box office hit launching his career as a leading man in Hollywood.
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 movies during her pregnancy. 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 two more Hollywood films: The One (film) opposite Jason Statham and Kiss of the Dragon opposite Bridget Fonda. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action movie 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. 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.
Li departed from his usual martial arts actions films with the 2005 dramatic film, Unleashed (a.k.a. Danny the Dog) where he portrays 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.
His 2006 release was the martial arts film epic Fearless. Although he will continue to make martial arts movies, 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 Zhen, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia, as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. Fearless was released on September 22, 2006 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.
”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 movie'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 latest Hollywood film, War, was released in August 2007, and re-teamed him with actor Jason Statham who previously starred with him in The One and action choreographer Corey Yuen. Surprisingly War failed to do well at the box office despite having Li and Statham in leading roles.
With the exception of Romeo Must Die and Hero, most of Jet's American films have been only modest hits like Kiss of the Dragon, The One, Unleashed, Fearless and Cradle 2 the Grave.
Jet Li and fellow martial arts veteran Jackie Chan are to come together onscreen for the first time in The Forbidden Kingdom which began filming in May 2007. The film will be based on the legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West and will be released on April 18, 2008.Jet Li will also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor with actors Brandon Fraser and Michelle Yeoh.
Personal life
Li is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and Shaolin Temple series co-star Huang Qiuyan, with whom he had two children. 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 children with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).
Li was in the Maldives when the tsunami hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster, he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating furniture, while he was guiding his daughter to safety.The two were in the lobby of their hotel when the wave came ashore.
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!" which earned him much respect in his homeland.
No comments:
Post a Comment