Biography
Who is Jet Li?
Early life and real name
Jet Li was born Jet Li Lianjie on April 26, 1963, in Beijing, China. His ancestral home is in Shenyang, Liaoning. He was the youngest of two boys and two girls in his family. When he was two years old, his father died, leaving the family to live in poverty.
At the age of eight, his talent for wushu was noticed during a school summer course at the Beijing Sports and Exercise School. Coaches Li Junfeng and Wu Bin supported his athletic development, with Wu Bin even helping provide food for the family to improve protein intake. At age eleven, Jet joined the 1974 China national wushu team and traveled to the United States during the period of Ping-pong diplomacy.
Wushu career and championships
Jet trained as a wushu athlete at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School. He won multiple national championships with the Beijing Wushu Team from 1974 to 1979 under coach Wu Bin. He became the national all-around champion four times from 1975 to 1979.
He mastered several styles of wushu, including changquan, fanziquan, baguazhang, taijiquan, and others, alongside various traditional weapons. He retired from competitive wushu at the age of eighteen due to a knee injury and briefly served as an assistant coach for the Beijing Wushu team.
Film career highlights
Jet made his feature film debut in the 1982 movie Shaolin Temple, which became a big box office success in China. He acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company likened his career speed to an aircraft, basing it on his childhood nickname.
He established himself as a leading action star by portraying folk hero Wong Fei-hung in Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China series. He later transitioned to international cinema, playing a villain in Lethal Weapon 4 in 1998, which led to starring roles in Romeo Must Die, Kiss of the Dragon, and Unleashed.
Philanthropy and personal life
In 2007, Jet founded the One Foundation, which was registered in 2011 as the first private charitable fundraising organization in China. He also co-founded Taiji Zen, an online health program focused on meditation and tai chi instruction.
Jet has been married to Nina Li and Huang Qiuyan, and he has a daughter named Jane Li. In recognition of his cultural impact, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame in 2023.
Birthday and age
Jet Li was born on April 26, 1963, which makes Jet 63 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Jet shares the date with 29 other famous people.
Explore more
