Jet Lee

Martial arts exponent and actor Jet Li was born on April 26, 1963, at Beijing, China. After his father's death, his mother enrolled him in the Wushu academy at the age of eight, his first exposure to self-defense training. His athletic prowess enabled him to join the Beijing Wushu team, entering numerous competitions where he earned fifteen gold medals and one silver medal, between 1974 and 1979. Li's sports winnings enabled him to enter films as a martial arts actor, first in China and, subsequently, in Hong Kong. His Chinese films include the 'Shaolin Temple' trilogy, 'Once Upon a Time in China', and 'Fist of Legend'. Li had his American film debut, as a villain, in 'Lethal Weapon 4'. This led to his first starring role in the martial arts flick 'Romeo Must Die' in 2000. In 2001, Li played a double role as both the hero and the villain in James Wong's 'The One', followed by 'Ying Xiong' in 2002. In 2003, this film was nominated for the Oscar in the foreign film category, and the next year it was released in the U.S. with the name 'Hero'. In 2003, Li teamed up with rapper DMC in the non-stop action adventure 'Cradle 2 the Grave'. In the film 'Unleashed' Li proved that alongside his action roles, he is equally adept as an emotional actor, portraying various human sentiments. Li's 1987 marriage to Beijing Wushu teammate and 'Shaolin Temple' co-star, Huang Quiyan, bore him two children and ended in 1990. In 1999, he married Hong Kong-based actress Nina Li Chi with whom he sired two more children. During the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami incident in 2004, Jet Li was in Maldives and injured his foot when leading his daughter to a safer location. Like most martial arts stars, Li performs most of his stunts himself and has broken 17 bones throughout his career.