Jet Li

Born in Beijing, China Jet Li is an actor and martial artist. At the age of 11, Li won his first national championship in wushu. Li retired from the sport when he was 17 and made his film debut in Shaolin Temple, making him a star in his home country.

In 1994, Li landed his first English-language role, playing a bad guy in “Lethal Weapon 4” with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. He relocated to Los Angeles for the film, where he underwent intensive language training to prepare for his role as a Chinese crime boss. This action film, especially the scenes with Li, delighted movie audiences.

Li teamed up with rapper DMX and singer Aaliyah for “Romeo Must Die” (2000) a hip-hop-meets-martial-arts take on the classic tale of young love, “Romeo and Juliet.” Li and Aaliyah played star-crossed lovers from two warring crime families. The film scored big at the box office, earning roughly $100 million. In 2001, Li co-starred with Bridget Fonda in “Kiss of the Dragon” directed by Luc Besson. He helped develop the story for the film, which tells the tale of a wronged intelligence officer out to clear his name with the help of a prostitute (played by Fonda). He went on to appear in “The One,” the Chinese historical drama “Hero” and “Fearless.”

Continuing to move back and forth between Hollywood productions and Chinese language films, Li has also recently appeared in “Ocean Paradise” a Chinese father-son drama and all three films in “The Expendables” franchise. Interested in charitable causes, Li serves as an ambassador for the Red Cross. He established the Jet Li One Foundation in partnership with the Red Cross Society of China. The organization works in several different areas, and provides disaster relief to the people of China.