Jet Li Biography and Networth

Jet Li

Early Years and Career in Martial Arts

On April 26, 1963, Li Lianjie, best known by his stage name Jet Li, was born in Beijing, China. He was the youngest of the family’s two boys and two girls, making him the youngest kid. When he was two years old, his father died, leaving his family struggling and living in poverty.

His skill in Wushu was discovered when he was eight years old and enrolled in a summer session at school. Later, he joined the Beijing Wushu Team, where he received instruction from illustrious teachers Li Junfeng and Wu Bin. Wu Bin would even buy meals for Li’s family because they couldn’t afford to buy meat. He competed in the Chinese Wushu Championships as an adult when he was still a child, taking home fifteen gold medals and one silver.

Li is a master of many Wushu forms, with a focus on Chángquán (Northern Longfist Style) and Fnziquán (Tumbling Fist). He has also studied Baguazhang (Eight Trigram Palm), Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist), Xing Yi Quan (Shape Intent Fist), Zui Quan (Drunken Fist), Ying Zhao Quan (Eagle Claw Fist), and Tanglangquan, among other disciplines and styles (Praying Mantis Fist).

Career in Acting

Li started a career as a martial arts film star in China thanks in large part to his fame built on by his accomplishment in the martial arts. With the 1982 Hong Kong-Chinese film “Shaolin Temple,” he made his acting debut. This movie was the first of its sort to be produced in mainland China; up until this point, all martial arts movies had been produced in Hong Kong. At the Chinese box office, “Shaolin Temple” is thought to have sold 300 million tickets, generating an estimated US$85 million in revenue. Li became the first mainland Chinese star in Hong Kong and eventually Hollywood as a result of this. Shaolin Temple 2: Youngsters from Shaolin (1984) and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin are two sequels that also starred Li (1986).

His “Once Once a Time in China” television series, which is about the fabled Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung, is one of his other renowned Chinese productions. Li only appeared in the first three films of this series, as well as the last one, which included a total of six movies and a television show that were all broadcast between 1991 and 1997. Moreover, he appeared in the movies “Fong Sai-yuk” (1993) and “Fong Sai-yuk II,” both remakes of Bruce Lee’s 1972 film “Fist of Fury,” as well as “Fist of Legend” (1994). (1993).

With the release of “Lethal Weapon 4” in 1998, Li made his American film debut. Also, he portrayed the villain for the first time in his career; in all of his prior Chinese films, he had played the main hero. Li’s performance was well-received despite the fact that he didn’t speak any English at the time. Because “Lethal Weapon 4” producer Joel Silver had promised to offer him the major role in his upcoming movie, he had agreed to do it. Li and the late singer Aaliyah co-starred in the 2000 movie “Romeo Must Die” in this capacity. At this time, he also starred in the Hollywood movies “The One” (2001) and “Kiss of the Dragon” (2001).

With the acclaimed and financially successful historical epic martial arts movie “Hero,” Li made a triumphant return to the Chinese market in 2002. It made a total of $177.4 million globally, making it the most successful movie ever made in Chinese cinema at the time. Since then, he has worked on both Chinese and American films, including “Cradle 2 the Grave” (2003), “Unleashed” (2005), “Fearless” (2006), “War” (2007), “The Warlords” (2007), “The Forbidden Kingdom” (2008), “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (2008), “The Expendables” (2010), “The Expendables 2” (2012), “The Expendables 3” (2014) (2020).

What Jet Li is worth

A martial artist, producer, actor, and Wushu champion from China, Jet Li has a $250 million fortune. He has a reputation for having a fruitful career both in China and the West.