Jet Li

WHY

 IS HE FAMOUS

The name "Jet Li" is of the household variety in China, where he is the most popular movie star of his generation. At the turn of the century, his roles in American blockbusters like Romeo Must Die(2000) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) made him famous on this side of the Pacific as well.

Jet Li Quote

"I can feel very brave through all the action scenes in front of the people who are on the set, but when a girl comes close to me my face turns red because I'm so shy."

79 MAGNETISM

With his star still on the rise in North America, Jet Li has not had the chance to make himself known to the women of this continent. Judging by his ability to turn his sultry female costars into mush, it seems as though he is one major picture away from calmly placing the female population squarely in the palm of his hand.

84 SUCCESS

It's almost ridiculous that a man who is beloved by a nation of over a billion is not considered truly famous until he can win over a nation of no more than 300 million. Yet American success remains the barometer by which we judge true fame. Jet Li has starred in some impressive films like Lethal Weapon 4 (1998) and The One(2001), yet he has not found the role to propel him into true leading man territory.

However, involvement in movies like Unleashed (2005) and The Warloads (2007) are definitely putting Jet Li on the Hollywood map.

JET LI BIOGRAPHY

Li Lian Jie, or Jet Li as he's known today, was born April 26, 1963, in Heibei, Beijing, China. At the tender age of 2, his father passed away and the young Jet Li was left to take care of his mother. As with most women who lose their husbands, she was extremely protective of her son. In fact, she wouldn't even let him ride a bicycle. This type of strict parenting resulted in Jet Li becoming very timid and fearful.

To combat what she saw as negative traits in her son, Jet Li's mother enrolled him in an amateur sports school in Beijing to learn the martial art of wushu. Training under the watchful eye of coach Wu Bin, Jet Li quickly established himself as the most talented student in the class. During this stage of his life, he acquired the nickname "Jet" for his blazing speed.

Jet Li Crowned Wushu National Champion

Still, the physical and mental strains of wushu began to wear on Jet Li, and he seriously considered quitting during his first year in the program. Coach Wu Bin, recognizing an almost limitless potential in the child, personally asked for Jet Li to remain in the program and offered to give him special attention. No one could have imagined what was yet to come.

In 1974, at the age of 11, Jet Li entered the National Wushu Championships and was crowned all-around Champion for his mastery of spearplay and swordplay. Almost overnight, he became a sensation in China as a sort of child prodigy. Rather than let the fame get to his head, Jet Li plunged himself back into a rigorous training schedule with Bin.

That work resulted in championships in 1975, 1977 and 1978. Finally, in 1979, Jet Li received his highest achievement in martial arts when he was crowned Gold Champion at the Chinese National Martial Arts Competition. To this date no other man has won more titles.

Jet Li's celebrity in China was so great that the government selected him to represent the country in over 45 countries by performing martial arts at various state functions. The most famous, in terms of history, was his 1974 performance on the lawn of the Whitehouse for President Richard Nixon, after he had just reopened American diplomatic relations with China.

Jet Li In Shaolin Temple

During this period of diplomatic travel, Jet Li was asked the same question at virtually every stop: "When are you going to star inkung fu movies?" Since the success of legendary Bruce Lee, it was a given that a martial arts master would eventually make a move to the silver screen. And Jet Li was no exception. His first foray into film was 1981's Shaolin Temple, in which he played a man who sets out to avenge the murderer of his father with the help of kung fu skills and a few monks.

Shot on location in Hu Nam Province, the film featured the real Shaolin Temple. Yet again, Jet Li was part of history as the movie was the first film to be released worldwide that showcased China's red curtain. Upon its release, it broke all kinds of box-office records in Hong Kong, China and Korea.

The success of Shaolin Temple propelled Jet Li from a mere martial arts master to a full-fledged Chinese movie star and celebrity almost overnight. His star shone so bright that almost any picture with his name attached became an instant success. Kids From Shaolin and Martial Arts of Shaolin, Jet Li's second and third films respectively, also enjoyed box-office success despite less-than-favorable critical reviews.

Like all movie stars, Jet Li then fell into the bust part of the boom-and-bust trajectory of big-screen success. He directed and starred in Born to Defend, a World War II epic that fared miserably, both critically and financially.

Jet Li In Once Upon A Time In China

Frustrated and dejected, Jet Li began trying to gain U.S. citizenship, which he hoped would allow him the artistic freedom denied him in China. On one of his frequent trips to the West he met Tsui Hark, who cast him in the historical martial arts film, 1991's Once Upon a Time in China. The film was a massive global success with critics and fans, so much so that it spawned two successful sequels, both starring Jet Li.

Jet Li In Lethal Weapon 4

Once again, Jet Li became the most in-demand star in China, and movie studios began a bidding war for his services, a war that claimed the life of his personal manager, Jim Choy, who was shot to death in Kowloon allegedly because Jet Li refused to star in an unscrupulous Triad (China's most powerful organized crime syndicate) production.

Jet Li's Midas touch seemed to return as he starred in a string of highly successful and profitable films throughout the early '90s. He established himself as mainland China's biggest star (and one of Asia's biggest, along with Jackie Chan), a title he has yet to relinquish.

The opportunity to expand his fame outside of China's borders came when Miramax enlisted Quentin Tarantino to help them develop a project to rival the success of Jackie Chan's crossover hit, Rumble in the Bronx. Quentin Tarantino had exactly one name on his list: Jet Li.

Unfortunately, the collaboration between the two never came to fruition, but Jet Li's name began appearing in the Hollywood trade papers and he soon found himself inundated with scripts and development deals. When the dust settled, he had to choose between Jean-Claude Van Damme's Knock Off or Lethal Weapon 4. Wisely, Jet Li selected the latter where he capably played a villain and instantly proved that he was a star that Hollywood could work with.

Jet Li In Fearless

Since his American debut, Jet Li has appeared in films like Romeo Must Die, The One, Kiss of the Dragon, which costarred Bridget Fonda, Hero in which he fought alongside Zhang Ziyi, Unleashedstarring Morgan Freeman, and, in 2006 Jet Li made what he claimed would be his last martial arts movie, Fearless starringMichelle Yeoh. That same year he starred in action film Roguewhere he shows off his acting abilities more than his fighting moves.  

Jet Li In The Forbidden Kingdom

Although Jet Li had threatened to not star in any more martial arts flicks, he appeared in two in 2007: War and The Warlords.

Then, in 2008, Tinseltown's two martial arts lords teamed up for the movie The Forbidden Kingdom: Jet Li and Jackie Chan. He also had a role in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and was nominated for AM's Top 49 Men of 2008.