Name	Jet Li
Tradchinesename	李連杰
Simpchinesename	李连杰
Pinyinchinesename	Lǐ Liánjié
Jyutpingchinesename	Lei5 Lin4 Git6
Ancestry	Beijing, China
Birth date	April 26, 1963
Birth place	Beijing, China
Othername	Lee Yeung Chung /Li Yangzhong李陽中 (Traditional)李阳中 (Simplified)Lǐ Yángzhōng (Mandarin)Lei5 Joeng4 Zung1 (Cantonese) (Chinese producer pseudonym)
Occupation	ActorMartial artistFilm producer
Yearsactive	1982–present
Religion	Buddhist
Spouse	Huang Qiuyan (1987–1990)Nina Li Chi (1999–present)
Hongkongfilmwards	Best Actor2008 ''The Warlords''
Goldenhorseawards	Special Award1995
Hkfcsawards	Best Actor2006 ''Fearless''
Awards	Shanghai Film Critics Awards2008 Best Actor (''The Warlords'')
Website	www.jetli.com }}

Li Lianjie (; born April 26, 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese martial artist, actor, film producer, wushu champion, and international film star who was born in Beijing, and has taken up Singaporean citizenship in 2009.

After three years of intensive training with Wu Bin, Li won his first national championship for the Beijing Wushu Team. After retiring from wushu at age 17, he went on to win great acclaim in China as an actor making his debut with the film ''Shaolin Temple'' (1982). He went on to star in many critically acclaimed martial arts epic films, most notably the ''Once Upon A Time In China'' series, in which he portrayed folk hero Wong Fei-hung.

Li's first role in a Hollywood film was as a villain in ''Lethal Weapon 4'' (1998), but his first Hollywood film leading role was in ''Romeo Must Die'' (2000). He has gone on to star in many Hollywood action films, most recently co-starring in The ''Expendables'' (2010) with ''Sylvester Stallone'', in ''The Forbidden Kingdom'' (2008) with Jackie Chan, and as the title character villain in ''The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor'' (2008) opposite Brendan Fraser. He also appeared in the Hong Kong film ''Ocean Heaven'' (2010), directed and written by Xue Xiaolu.

Early life and martial arts career

}}

Li Lianjie was born in Beijing, People's Republic of China, the youngest of two boys and two girls. His father died when he was two years old, leaving the family struggling.

Li was eight when his talent for wushu was noticed at a summer course at school, and he began his practice there. Li participated in the sport of wushu in the non-sparring event. He began his wushu on the Beijing Wushu Team, an athletic group organized to perform martial arts forms during the All China Games. He was coached by renowned wushu coaches Li Junfeng and Wu Bin, who made extra efforts to help the talented boy develop. Wu Bin even bought food for Li's family because they could not afford to buy meat, which was essential for the good physical condition of an athlete. As a member of the team, he received wushu training and went on to win fifteen gold medals and one silver medal in Chinese wushu championships, where, despite his young age, he competed against adults. According to Li, once, as a child, when the Chinese National Wushu Team went to perform for President Richard Nixon in the United States, he was asked by Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li replied, "I don't want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one billion Chinese countrymen!" which earned him much respect in his homeland.

Li is a master of several styles of wushu, especially Changquan (Northern Longfist Style) and Fanziquan (Tumbling fist). He has also studied other arts including Baguazhang (Eight trigram palm), Taijiquan (Supreme ultimate fist), Xingyiquan (Shape intent fist), Zuiquan (Drunken fist), Yingzhaoquan (Eagle claw fist) and Tanglangquan (Praying mantis fist). He did not learn Nanquan (Southern fist), because his training focused only in the Northern Shaolin Styles. He has also studied some of wushu's main weapons, such Sanjiegun (Three section staff), Gun (staff), Dao (Broadsword), Jian (Straight sword) and many more.

It is Jet Li's authentic martial arts prowess that enabled his rise to domestic and international fame.

Acting career

Chinese films

The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce. They likened his career to an aircraft, which likewise "takes-off" as quickly, so they placed the name Jet Li on the movie posters. Soon everybody was calling him by this new name, which was also based on the nickname, "Jet," given to him as a young student, due to his speed and grace when training with the Beijing Wushu team. He made his debut with the 1982 film ''Shaolin Temple''. Some of his more famous Chinese films include:

The ''Shaolin Temple'' series (1, 2 and 3), which are considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;

The ''Once Upon a Time in China'' series (Chinese title: ''Wong Fei Hung''), about the legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung.

''Fist of Legend'' (Chinese title: ''Jing Wu Ying Xiong''), a remake of Bruce Lee's ''Fist of Fury.''

The ''Fong Sai Yuk'' films about another Chinese folk hero.

Li starred in the 1995 film ''High Risk'', where Jet Li plays a Captain who becomes disillusioned after his wife is murdered by crime lords. Along the way, he pairs up with a wacky sell-out actor, Frankie (played by Jacky Cheung), and proceeds to engage in a series of violent battles in a high-rise building. The setting is similar to that of ''Die Hard'' and both their Chinese film titles. This movie is notable in that director Wong Jing had such a terrible experience working with Jackie Chan in Jing's previous film ''City Hunter'' that he chose to make Cheung's character a biting satire of Chan. Jet Li would later publicly apologize to Chan for taking part in it.

Li has two wuxia feature films scheduled for release in 2011, ''The Sorcerer and the White Snake'' and ''The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate'', the latter is helmed by Tsui Hark.

In order to promote tai chi, in 2012 Jet Li will star in a film titled ''Tai Chi'' and will co-produce the movie with Chen Kuo-Fu. Li will portary Tai Chi master Yang Lu-ch'an.

American films

In 1998, he made his American film debut in ''Lethal Weapon 4'' which also marked the first time he had ever played a villain in a film. He agreed to do ''Lethal Weapon 4'' after the producer Joel Silver promised to give him the leading role in his next film, ''Romeo Must Die'' (2000) alongside late singer Aaliyah. The film became a box office hit.

Li turned down Chow Yun-fat's role in ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' (2000) because he promised his wife that he would not make any films during her pregnancy. He also turned down the role of Seraph in ''The Matrix'' trilogy, based on his belief that the role was not one which required his skills and that the films were iconic and stunning enough without adding his name to the cast list.

In 2001, he appeared in two more Hollywood films: ''The One'' which was the first of his films with Jason Statham and ''Kiss of the Dragon'' opposite Bridget Fonda which did moderately well at the box office. In July 2001, Li agreed to produce and star in an action film with Jackie Chan which was to be released in 2002 or 2003, but no further news of their collaboration surfaced until 2006. In 2002, the period martial arts epic film ''Hero'' was released in the Chinese market. This film was both a commercial and critical success and became the highest-grossing motion picture in Chinese film history at the time. In 2003 he reunited with producer Joel Silver for the action thriller film ''Cradle 2 The Grave'' where he starred alongside rapper DMX and fellow martial artist Mark Dacascos. In 2004, Li lent his likeness, voice and provided motion capture work for the video game ''Jet Li: Rise to Honor''.

Li took on a more serious role in the 2005 film, ''Unleashed'' (a.k.a. ''Danny the Dog''), where he portrayed an adult with the mentality of a child who has been raised like an animal. Although his martial arts skills were utilized extensively, it was a somber film with more depth than had been previously seen in Li's films, and co-starred dramatic actors Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman.

In 2006, the martial arts film epic ''Fearless'', was released worldwide. Although he will continue to make martial arts films, ''Fearless'' is his last wushu epic. In ''Fearless'', he played Huo Yuanjia, the real-life founder of Chin Woo Athletic Association, who reportedly defeated foreign boxers and Japanese martial artists in publicized events at a time when China's power was seen as eroding. Together with the film ''Fist of Legend'', Li has portrayed both Chen Jun, the student and avenger of Huo Yuanjia (aka Fok Yun Gap), as well as Huo Yuanjia himself. ''Fearless'' was released on January 26, 2006 in Hong Kong, followed by a September 22, 2006 release in the United States where it reached second place in its first weekend.

Li has stated in an interview with the ''Shenzhen Daily'' newspaper that this will be his last martial arts epic, which is also stated in the film's television promotions. However, he plans to continue his film career in other genres. Specifically, he plans to continue acting in action and martial arts films; epic films deal more with religious and philosophical issues.

Li's 2007 Hollywood film, ''War'', was released in August of that year, and re-teamed him with actor Jason Statham, who previously starred with him in ''The One'', and action choreographer Corey Yuen. ''War'' raked in a disappointing $23 million at the box office, becoming one of Li's lowest grossers in America; however, it was a hit on video, accumulating nearly $52 million in rental revenue, more than doubling its box office take. With the exception of ''Romeo Must Die'' and the worldwide release of ''Hero'', most of Li's American films have been only modest hits like ''Kiss Of The Dragon'', ''The One'', ''Unleashed'', ''Cradle 2 the Grave'', and the worldwide release of ''Fearless''. }} In late 2007, Li returned again to China to participate in the China/Hong Kong co-production of the period war film ''The Warlords'' with Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro. This film with its focus on dramatics rather than martial arts netted Li the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor.

Li and fellow martial arts veteran Jackie Chan finally appeared together onscreen for the first time in ''The Forbidden Kingdom'', which began filming in May 2007 and was released to critical and commercial success on April 18, 2008. The film was based on the legend of the Monkey King from the Chinese folk novel ''Journey to the West''. Li also starred as the lead villain in the fantasy action film ''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' with actors Brendan Fraser, Isabella Leong and Michelle Yeoh.

After a one-year hiatus from filmmaking, Jet Li returned to acting in 2009, portraying a mercenary in the film ''The Expendables'', teaming up with action stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture. It was the third time he had teamed up with Statham.

Personal life

Li is a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. His master is Lho Kunsang of the Drikung Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school.

In 1987, Li married Beijing Wushu Team member and ''Kids from Shaolin'' co-star Huang Qiuyan, with whom he has two daughters, Si and Taimi. They divorced in 1990. Since 1999, he has been married to Nina Li Chi (born Li Zhi), a Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based actress. He has two daughters with her as well, Jane (born 2000) and Jada (born 2002).

Li was in the Maldives when a tsunami hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Although it was widely reported at the time that he had died during the disaster, he only suffered a minor foot injury, caused by a piece of floating furniture, while he was guiding his 4-year-old daughter Jane and the nanny holding his 1-year-old daughter Jada to safety. The four of them were by the pool and slightly above the beach when the wave came ashore.

In 2009, Li, who previously had American citizenship, after years working in the United States, was thought to have renounced his American citizenship and taken up Singaporean citizenship, although no official confirmation has been provided by Singapore authorities. On July 28, 2009, the chairman of One Foundation (the Charity fund of Jet Li) announced that Jet Li had indeed become a Singaporean citizen. He was said to have chosen Singapore for its education system for his two daughters.

In 2009 Li launched his own fitness program that he named "Wuji". The programme consists of elements of martial arts, yoga and pilates and Adidas launched a special clothing line for it that bears the initials of "JL".

In his free time he likes to play badminton, table tennis, volleyball, ride his bicycle, read and meditate. He collects rare Tibetan beads. He says he is never bored in his free time.

Views on life and martial arts

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Li as a Buddhist believes that the difficulties of everyday life can be overcome with the help of religious philosophies. He thinks that fame is not something he can control; therefore, he does not care about it.

According to Li, everything he has ever wanted to tell the world can be found in three of his films: the message of ''Hero'' is that the suffering of one person can never be as significant as the suffering of a nation; ''Unleashed'' shows that violence is never a solution and ''Fearless'' tells that the biggest enemy of a person is himself. Li thinks that the greatest weapon is a smile and the largest power is love.

About Wushu Li said that he believes the essence of martial arts is not power or speed but inner harmony and considers it a sad development that today's Wushu championships place greater emphasis on form than on the essence of being a martial artist. He believes Wushu now lacks individuality and competitors move like machines, whereas according to his views Wushu should not be considered a race where the fastest athlete wins. He would like to see Wushu as a form of art, where artists have a distinctive style. Li blames the new competition rules that, according to him, place limitations on martial artists.

Li believes that Wushu is not primarily for self-defense and instead of trying to play the hero people should think about peaceful resolutions of conflicts and call the police if necessary: "A gun outdoes years of martial arts training in a split second. Like I've said many times before, it is important to differentiate between movies and reality. The hero in movies may be able to knock the gun off his opponent and save the day, but in real life – probably that is not the case." He has also stated that he has never had to use his martial arts skills in a real life fight and he does not wish to, either.

Philanthropy

Li has been a "philanthropic ambassador" of the Red Cross Society of China since January 2006. He contributed 500,000 yuan (US$62,500) of box office revenues from his film ''Fearless'' to the Red Cross' psychological sunshine project, which promotes mental health.

In April 2007, touched by his life-shaking experience in the Maldives when he was close to dying during the 2004 tsunami, Li formed his own non-profit foundation called The One Foundation. The One Foundation supports international disaster relief efforts in conjunction with the Red Cross as well as other efforts, including mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Since the starting of the foundation, Li has been involved with recovery efforts in seven disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan. Wu Jing was a One Foundation volunteer and help in the effort.

Li discussed his commitment to philanthropy in an interview with the December 2009 issue of Alliance magazine, stating that "grassroots Non-government-organizations can help the government in its blind spots. Government relief is not always detail-oriented. Grassroots NGOs can’t be as big as a government effort, but they need to be flexible and independent."

In September 2010, Jet Li was appointed by the International Red Cross as the first Good Will Ambassador. He posted online saying "Today I signed a deal with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies – IFRC to become the FIRST goodwill ambassador in the history of this humanitarian organization. I am very honored! At the same time, I will not pause to celebrate, but instead keep pushing forward.. and do my best to help the world! Thank you all once again for your support and belief in me!"

It was also announced that Jet Li would be meeting Bill Gates and Buffet to talk about charity work. "Three days ago, I received an email from Gates, hoping I could make time because he and Buffett hoped I could go for a 30-minute chat before the dinner about the future we face as human beings, so I will go," Li said.

Filmography

Considering US box office statistics, the most successful Jet Li film as of August 2010 is ''Lethal Weapon 4'', which grossed over 130 million dollars domestically, while the second is ''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' with over 102 million dollars. ''Hero'' is the third most successful foreign language film in the US, and one of the best critically acclaimed Li movies. ''Fearless'' is the sixth most successful foreign language film of all times in the US. From a critical point of view, the best acclaimed Li movie is ''Fist of Legend'' (Rotten Tomatoes: 100%) and the worst is ''War'' (Rotten Tomatoes: 12%).

See also

Cinema of China;

Cinema of Hong Kong.

References

Further reading

Ducker, Chris, and Stuart Cutler. ''The HKS Guide to Jet Li''. London: Hong Kong Superstars, 2000.

Marx, Christy. ''Jet Li''. Martial Arts Masters. Rosen Publishing Group, 2002. ISBN 0823935191.

Parish, James Robert. ''Jet Li: A Biography''. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. ISBN 1560253762.

Farquhar, M.(2010) ‘Jet Li: "Wushu Master" in Sport and Film’ in Jeffreys, Elaine. & Edwards, Louise (eds.), Celebrity in China, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong pp. 103–124. ISBN 9622090885

External links

Jet Li's Foundation: The One Foundation Project

Jet Li Biography (HKCinema)

Jet Li Biography (HKFilm)

Jet Li discusses The One Foundation

Interview At FarEastFilms.com

Category:1963 births Category:Living people Category:Best Actor HKFA Category:Chinese actors Category:Chinese wushu practitioners Category:Chinese martial artists Category:Hong Kong film actors Category:Hong Kong Buddhists Category:Hong Kong film producers Category:People from Beijing Category:People's Republic of China Buddhists Category:Immigrants to Singapore Category:Singaporean Buddhists Category:Tibetan Buddhists from Singapore

ar:جيت لي ast:Jet Li az:Cet Li bo:ལི་ལན་ཅིའེ། bg:Джет Ли ca:Jet Li cs:Jet Li da:Jet Li de:Jet Li et:Jet Li el:Τζετ Λι es:Jet Li fa:جت لی fr:Jet Li ko:이연걸 hr:Jet Li id:Jet Li it:Jet Li he:ג'ט לי ka:ჯეტ ლი sw:Jet Li lv:Džets Lī hu:Jet Li mn:Жет Ли my:ဂျက်လီ nl:Jet Li ja:ジェット・リー no:Jet Li pl:Jet Li pt:Jet Li ro:Jet Li ru:Ли, Джет sq:Jet Li simple:Jet Li sl:Jet Li sr:Џет Ли sh:Jet Li fi:Jet Li sv:Jet Li ta:யெற் லீ th:หลี่ เหลียนเจี๋ย tr:Jet Li uk:Джет Лі vi:Lý Liên Kiệt zh-yue:李連杰 zh:李连杰

name	Chin Siu Ho
tradchinesename	錢小豪
simpchinesename	钱小豪
birth name	Chin Ka Wah (錢嘉華)
ancestry	Sanshui, Guangdong
pinyinchinesename	qián xiaóhaó
jyutpingchinesename	cin4 siu2 hou4
birth date	January 26, 1963
birth place	Hong Kong
yearsactive	1978-present }}

Chin Siu Ho (born January 26, 1963) is a Hong Kong actor and martial artist, notable for acting with Jet Li in ''The Tai-Chi Master'' and ''Fist of Legend''. He is the older brother of actor Chin Kar-lok.

Filmography

''Ten Tigers of Kwangtung'' (1980)

''Legend of the Fox'' (1980)

''Two Champions of Shaolin'' (1981)

''The Rebel Intruders'' (1980)

''Masked Avengers'' (1981)

''Mahjong Heroes'' (1981)

''House of Traps'' (1982)

''Brave Archer 4'' (1982)

''Rolls, Rolls, I Love You'' (1982)

''Brothers From the Walled City'' (1982)

''Fast Fingers'' (1983)

''Ghosts Galore'' (1983)

''Demon of the Lute'' (1983)

''I Will Finally Knock You Down, Dad!'' (1984)

''Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars'' (1985)

''The Man Is Dangerous'' (1985)

''Mr. Vampire'' (1985)

''Crazy Shaolin Disciples'' (1985)

''The Master Strikes Back'' (1985)

''The Seventh Curse'' (1986)

''The Story of Doctor Sun Yat-sen'' (1986)

''Love Me Vampire'' (1986)

''The Final Test'' (1987)

''New Mr. Vampire'' (1987)

''Edge of Darkness'' (1988)

''In the Blood'' (1988)

''Vampire Vs. Vampire'' (1989)

''Into the Fire'' (1989)

''They Came to Rob Hong Kong'' (1989)

''The Blonde Fury'' (1989)

''The Nocturnal Demon'' (1990)

''Goodbye Hero'' (1990)

''New Kids in Town'' (1990)

''The Ultimate Vampire'' (1991)

''Dead Target'' (1991)

''Mr. Vampire V'' (1992)

''Come From China'' (1992)

''All-Mighty Gambler'' (1992)

''Hero Dream'' (1993)

''Happy Partner'' (1993)

''The Beheaded 1000'' (1993)

''Tai Chi Master'' (1993)

''Fist of Legend'' (1994)

''Don't Give a Damn'' (1995)

''Stooge, My Love'' (1996)

''Millennium Dragon'' (1999)

''Undercover Girls '' (1999)

''A Battle of Wits'' (2006)

''Ticket'' (2008)

''72 Tenants of Prosperity'' (2010)

''Vampire Warriors'' (2010)

''The Lost Bladesman'' (2011)

External links

Category:1963 births Category:Hong Kong actors Category:Living people Category:Hong Kong film actors

zh:錢小豪

Name	Bruce Lee
Tradchinesename
Simpchinesename	李小龙
Pinyinchinesename	Lǐ Xiǎolóng
Jyutpingchinesename	Lei5 Siu2 Lung4
Birth name	Lee Jun-fan李振藩 (Traditional)李振藩 (Simplified)Lǐ Zhènfān (Mandarin)Lei5 Jun3 Faan4 (Cantonese)
Ancestry	Shunde, Guangdong, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Birth date	November 27, 1940
Birth place	San Francisco Chinese Hospital Chinatown, San Francisco
Death date	July 20, 1973
Death place	Kowloon Tong, HK
Restingplace	Seattle, Washington, USA
Restingplacecoordinates	Lakeview Cemetery
Occupation	Martial arts instructor, actor, philosopher, film director, screenwriter, and martial arts founder
Yearsactive	1941–73
Spouse	Linda Emery (1964–73)
Children	Brandon Lee (1965–93) Shannon Lee (born 1969)
Parents	Lee Hoi-chuen (1901–65) Grace Ho (1907–96)
Website	Bruce Lee FoundationBruce Lee official website
Hongkongfilmwards	Lifetime Achievement Award1994
goldenhorseawards	Best Mandarin Film1972 ''Fist of Fury''Special Jury Award1972 ''Fist of Fury'' }}

Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; 27 November 1940 – 20 July 1973) was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. He is widely considered by many commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist, and a cultural icon.

Lee was born in San Francisco to parents of Hong Kong heritage but was raised in Hong Kong until his late teens. Lee emigrated to the United States at the age of 18 to claim his U.S. citizenship and receive his higher education. It was during this time that he began teaching martial arts, which soon led to film and television roles.

His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked a major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world, as well. He is noted for his roles in five feature-length films: Lo Wei's ''The Big Boss'' (1971) and ''Fist of Fury'' (1972); ''Way of the Dragon'' (1972), directed and written by Lee; Warner Brothers' ''Enter the Dragon'' (1973), directed by Robert Clouse; and ''The Game of Death'' (1978), directed by Robert Clouse.

Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese nationalism in his films. He initially trained in Wing Chun, but he later rejected well-defined martial art styles, favouring instead to utilise useful techniques from various sources in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy, which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do (The Way of the Intercepting Fist).

Early life

Lee was born on 27 November 1940 at the Chinese Hospital in Chinatown, San Francisco. His father, Lee Hoi-chuen was fully Chinese, and his mother, Grace Ho (何愛瑜) was half Chinese and half Caucasian. Lee was the fourth child of five children: Agnes, Phoebe, Peter, and Robert. Lee and his parents returned to Hong Kong when he was three months old.

Names

Lee's Cantonese birth name was ''Lee Jun-fan'' (李振藩). The name homophonically means "return again"; it was given to Lee by his mother, who felt he would return to the United States once he came of age. Because of his mother's superstitious nature, she originally named him ''Sai-fon'' (細鳳), which is a feminine name meaning "small phoenix". The English name "Bruce" was thought to be given by the hospital attending physician, Dr. Mary Glover.

Lee had three other Chinese names: Li Yuanxin (李源鑫), a family/clan name; Li Yuanjian (李元鑒), as a student name while he was attending La Salle College, and his Chinese screen name Li Xiaolong (李小龍; ''Xiaolong'' means "little dragon"). Lee's given name Jun-fan was originally written in Chinese as 震藩, however, the ''Jun'' (震) Chinese character was identical to part of his grandfather's name, Lee Jun-biu (李震彪). Hence, the Chinese character for ''Jun'' in Lee's name was changed to the homonym 振 instead, to avoid naming taboo in Chinese tradition.

Family

Lee's father, Lee Hoi-chuen, was one of the leading Cantonese opera and film actors at the time, and was embarking on a year-long Cantonese opera tour with his family on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong. Lee Hoi-chuen had been touring the United States for many years and performing at numerous Chinese communities there.

Although a number of his peers decided to stay in the United States, Lee Hoi-chuen decided to go back to Hong Kong after his wife gave birth to Bruce Lee. Within months, Hong Kong was invaded and the Lees lived for three years and eight months under Japanese occupation. After the war ended, Lee Hoi-chuen resumed his acting career and became a more popular actor during Hong Kong's rebuilding years.

Lee's mother, Grace Ho, was from one of the wealthiest and most powerful clans in Hong Kong, the Ho-tungs. She was the niece of Sir Robert Ho-tung, of Eurasian descent and patriarch of the clan. As such, the young Bruce Lee grew up in an affluent and privileged environment. Despite this advantage of his family's status, the Hong Kong neighbourhood Lee grew up in became over-crowded, dangerous, and full of gang rivalries because of the mass number of people fleeing communist China to Hong Kong, :

After being involved in several street fights, Lee's parents decided that he needed to be trained in the martial arts. Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father. He learned the fundamentals of Wu style tai chi chuan from his father.

Wing Chun

The largest influence on Lee's martial arts development was his study of Wing Chun. Lee began training in Wing Chun at the age of 13 under the Wing Chun teacher Yip Man in 1954, after losing a fight with rival gang members. Yip's regular classes generally consisted of the forms practice, ''chi sao'' (sticking hands) drills, wooden dummy techniques, and free-sparring. There was no set pattern to the classes. Yip tried to keep his students from fighting in the street gangs of Hong Kong by encouraging them to fight in organised competitions.

After a year into his Wing Chun training, most of Yip Man's other students refused to train with Lee after they learnt of his ancestry (his mother was half Chinese and half Caucasian) as the Chinese generally were against teaching their martial arts techniques to non-Asians. Lee's sparring partner, Hawkins Cheung states, "Probably fewer than six people in the whole Wing Chun clan were personally taught, or even partly taught, by Yip Man". However, Lee showed a keen interest in Wing Chun, and continued to train privately with Yip Man and Wong Shun Leung in 1955.

Leaving Hong Kong

After attending Tak Sun School (德信學校) (a couple of blocks from his home at 218 Nathan Road, Kowloon), Lee entered the primary school division of La Salle College in 1950 or 1952 (at the age of 12). In around 1956, due to poor academic performance (or possibly poor conduct as well), he was transferred to St. Francis Xavier's College (high school) where he would be mentored by Brother Edward, a teacher and coach of the school boxing team.

In the spring of 1959, Lee got into yet another street fight and the police were called. From all the way to his late teens, Lee's street fights became more frequent and included beating up the son of a feared triad family. Eventually, Lee's father decided for him to leave Hong Kong to pursue a safer and healthier avenue in the United States. His parents confirmed the police's fear that this time Lee's opponent had an organised crime background, and there was the possibility that a contract was out for his life.

In April 1959, Lee's parents decided to send him to the United States to stay with his older sister, Agnes Lee (李秋鳳), who was already living with family friends in San Francisco.

New life in America

At the age of 18, Lee returned to the United States with $100 in his pocket and the titles of 1957 High School Boxing Champion and 1958 Crown colony Cha Cha Champion of Hong Kong. After living in San Francisco for several months, he moved to Seattle in 1959, to continue his high school education, where he also worked for Ruby Chow as a live-in waiter at her restaurant.

Chow's husband was a co-worker and friend of Lee's father. Lee's older brother Peter Lee (李忠琛) would also join him in Seattle for a short stay before moving on to Minnesota to attend college. In December 1960, Lee completed his high school education and received his diploma from Edison Technical School (now Seattle Central Community College, located on Capitol Hill, Seattle).

In March 1961, Lee enrolled at the University of Washington, majoring in drama according to the university's alumni association information, not in philosophy as claimed by Lee himself and many others. Lee also studied philosophy, psychology, and various other subjects. It was at the University of Washington that he met his future wife Linda Emery, a fellow student studying to become a teacher, whom he married in August 1964.

Lee had two children with Linda Emery, Brandon Lee (1965–93) and Shannon Lee (b. 1969).

Jun Fan Gung Fu

Lee began teaching martial arts in the United States in 1959. He called what he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu (literally Bruce Lee's Kung Fu). It was basically his approach to Wing Chun. Lee taught friends he met in Seattle, starting with Judo practitioner Jesse Glover, who later became his first assistant instructor. Lee opened his first martial arts school, named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle.

Lee dropped out of college in the spring of 1964 and moved to Oakland to live with James Yimm Lee (嚴鏡海). James Lee was twenty years senior to Bruce Lee and a well known Chinese martial artist in the area. Together, they founded the second Jun Fan martial art studio in Oakland. James Lee was also responsible for introducing Bruce Lee to Ed Parker, royalty of the U.S. martial arts world and organiser of the Long Beach International Karate Championships at which Bruce Lee was later "discovered" by Hollywood.

Jeet Kune Do

Jeet Kune Do originated in 1967. After filming one season of ''The Green Hornet'', Lee found himself out of work and opened The Jun Fan Institute of Gung Fu. A controversial match with Wong Jack Man influenced Lee's philosophy about martial arts. Lee concluded that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using his Wing Chun techniques. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalistic to be practical in scenarios of chaotic street fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency". He started to use different methods of training such as weight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, including fencing and basic boxing techniques.

Lee emphasised what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of getting rid of the formalised approach which Lee claimed was indicative of traditional styles. Lee felt the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was even too restrictive, and eventually evolved into a philosophy and martial art he would come to call ''Jeet Kune Do'' or the ''Way of the Intercepting Fist.'' It is a term he would later regret because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations.

Long Beach International Karate Championships

At the invitation of Ed Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed repetitions of two-finger push-ups (using the thumb and the index finger of one hand) with feet at approximately a shoulder-width apart. In the same Long Beach event he also performed the "One inch punch", the description of which is as follows: Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist approximately an inch away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to his partner while largely maintaining his posture, sending the partner backwards and falling into a chair said to be placed behind the partner to prevent injury, though his partner's momentum soon caused him to fall to the floor. His volunteer was Bob Baker of Stockton, California. "I told Bruce not to do this type of demonstration again", Baker recalled. "When he punched me that last time, I had to stay home from work because the pain in my chest was unbearable".

It was at the 1964 championships where Lee first met Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee. The two developed a friendship – a relationship from which they benefited as martial artists. Rhee taught Lee the side kick in detail, and Lee taught Rhee the "non-telegraphic" punch.

Lee appeared at the 1967 Long Beach International Karate Championships and performed various demonstrations, including the famous "unstoppable punch" against USKA world Karate champion Vic Moore. Lee told Moore that he was going to throw a straight punch to the face, and all he had to do was to try and block it. Lee took several steps back and asked if Moore was ready, when Moore nodded in affirmation, Lee glided towards him until he was within striking range. He then threw a straight punch directly at Moore's face, and stopped before impact. In eight attempts, Moore failed to block any of the punches.

Fight history

Lee was involved in competitive fights, some of which were arranged while others were not. Dan Inosanto stated, "There's no doubt in my mind that if Bruce Lee had gone into pro boxing, he could easily have ranked in the top three in the lightweight division or junior-welterweight division".

Lee defeated three-time champion British boxer Gary Elms by way of knockout in the third round in the 1958 Hong Kong Inter-School amateur Boxing Championships by using Wing Chun traps and high/low-level straight punches.

The following year, Lee became a member of the "Tigers of Junction Street," and was involved in numerous gang-related street fights. "In one of his last encounters, while removing his jacket the fellow he was squaring off against sucker punched him and blackened his eye. Bruce flew into a rage and went after him, knocking him out, breaking his opponent's arm. The police were called as a result". The incident took place on a Hong Kong rooftop at 10 pm on Wednesday, 29 April 1959.

In 1962, Lee knocked out Uechi, a Japanese black belt Karateka, in 11 seconds in a 1962 Full-Contact match in Seattle. It was refereed by Jesse Glover. The incident took place in Seattle at a YMCA handball court. Taki Kamura says the battle lasted 10 seconds in contrary to Hart's statement. Ed Hart states "The karate man arrived in his gi (uniform), complete with black belt, while Bruce showed up in his street clothes and simply took off his shoes. The fight lasted exactly 11 seconds – I know because I was the time keeper – and Bruce had hit the guy something like 15 times and kicked him once. I thought he'd killed him".

In Oakland, California in 1964 at Chinatown, Lee had a controversial private match with Wong Jack Man, a direct student of Ma Kin Fung known for his mastery of Xingyiquan, Northern Shaolin, and Tai chi chuan. According to Lee, the Chinese community issued an ultimatum to him to stop teaching non-Chinese; when he refused to comply he was challenged to a combat match with Wong, the arrangement being that if Lee lost he would have to shut down his school while if he won then Lee would be free to teach Caucasians or anyone else. Wong denies this, stating that he requested to fight Lee after Lee issued an open challenge during one of Lee's demonstrations at a Chinatown theatre, and that Wong himself did not discriminate against Caucasians or other non-Chinese. Lee commented, "That paper had all the names of the sifu from Chinatown, but they don't scare me".

Individuals known to have witnessed the match included Cadwell, James Lee (Bruce Lee's associate, no relation) and William Chen, a teacher of Tai chi chuan. Wong and witness William Chen stated that the fight lasted an unusually long 20–25 minutes. According to Bruce Lee, Linda Lee Cadwell, and James Yimm Lee, the fight lasted 3 minutes with a decisive victory for Bruce. "The fight ensued, it was a no holds barred fight, it took three minutes. Bruce got this guy down to the ground and said 'do you give up?' and the man said he gave up" – Linda Lee Cadwell.

Wong Jack Man published his own account of the battle in the Chinese ''Pacific Weekly'', a Chinese-language newspaper in San Francisco, which contained another challenge to Lee for a public rematch. Lee had no reciprocation to Wong's article nor were there any further public announcements by either, but Lee had continued to teach Caucasians.

Lee's eventual celebrity put him in the path of a number of men who sought to make a name for themselves by causing a confrontation with Lee. A challenger had invaded Lee's private home in Hong Kong by trespassing into the backyard to incite Lee in combat. Lee finished the challenger violently with a kick, infuriated over the home invasion. Describing the incident, Herb Jackson states,

Bob Wall, USPK karate champion and Lee's co-star in ''Enter the Dragon'', recalled one encounter that transpired after a film extra kept taunting Lee. The extra yelled that Lee was "a movie star, not a martial artist," that he "wasn't much of a fighter". Lee answered his taunts by asking him to jump down from the wall he was sitting on. Wall described Lee's opponent as "a gang-banger type of guy from Hong Kong," a "damned good martial artist," and observed that he was fast, strong, and bigger than Bruce.

Bruce kept moving so well, this kid couldn't touch him...then all of a sudden, Bruce got him and rammed his ass with the wall and swept him up, proceeding to drop him and plant his knee into his opponent's chest, locked his arm out straight, and nailed him in the face repeatedly". – Bob Wall}}

Acting career

Lee's father Lee Hoi-chuen was a famous Cantonese opera star; because of this, Lee was introduced into films at a very young age and appeared in several short black-and-white films as a child. Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage. By the time he was 18, he had appeared in twenty films.

While in the United States from 1959 to 1964, Lee abandoned thoughts of a film career in favour of pursuing martial arts. However, a martial arts exhibition on Long Beach in 1964 eventually led to the invitation by William Dozier for an audition for a part in the pilot for Number One Son. The show never aired, but Lee was invited for the role of Kato alongside Van Williams in the TV series ''The Green Hornet''. The show lasted just one season, from 1966 to 1967. Lee also played Kato in three crossover episodes of ''Batman''. This was followed by guest appearances in three television series: ''Ironside'' (1967), ''Here Come the Brides'' (1969), and ''Blondie'' (1969).

At the time, two of Lee's martial arts students were Hollywood script writer Stirling Silliphant and actor James Coburn. In 1969 the three worked on a script for a film called ''The Silent Flute'' and went together on a location hunt to India. The project was not at realised at the time, but the 1978 film ''Circle of Iron'' starring David Carradine was based on the same plot. In 2010, producer Paul Maslansky was reported to plan and receive fundings for a film based on the original script for ''The Silent Flute''. In 1969, Lee made a brief appearance in the Silliphant penned film ''Marlowe'' where he played a henchman hired to intimidate private detective Philip Marlowe (played by James Garner) by smashing up his office with leaping kicks and flashing punches, only to later accidentally jump off a tall building while trying to kick Marlowe off. The same year he also choreographed fight scenes for ''The Wrecking Crew'' starring Dean Martin, Sharon Tate and featuring Chuck Norris in his first role. In 1970, he was responsible for fight choreography for ''A Walk in the Spring Rain'' starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn, again written by Silliphant. In 1971, Lee appeared in four episodes of the television series ''Longstreet'' written by Silliphant. Lee played the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet (played by James Franciscus), and important aspects of his martial arts philosophy were written into the script.

According to statements made by Lee, and also by Linda Lee Cadwell after Lee's death, in 1971 Lee pitched a television series of his own tentatively titled ''The Warrior'', discussions which were also confirmed by Warner Bros. In a 9 December 1971 television interview on ''The Pierre Berton Show'', Lee stated that both Paramount and Warner Brothers wanted him "to be in a modernized type of a thing, and that they think the Western idea is out, whereas I want to do the Western". According to Cadwell, however, Lee's concept was retooled and renamed ''Kung Fu'', but Warner Bros. gave Lee no credit. Warner Brothers states that they had for some time been developing an identical concept, created by two writers and producers, Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander. According to these sources, the reason Lee was not cast was in part because of his ethnicity but more so because he had a thick accent. The role of the Shaolin monk in the Wild West, was eventually awarded to then-non-martial-artist David Carradine. In ''The Pierre Berton Show'' interview, Lee stated he understood Warner Brothers' attitudes towards casting in the series: "They think that business wise it is a risk. I don't blame them. If the situation were reversed, and an American star were to come to Hong Kong, and I was the man with the money, I would have my own concerns as to whether the acceptance would be there".

Producer Fred Weintraub had advised Lee to return to Hong Kong and make a feature film which he could showcase to executives in Hollywood. Not happy with his supporting roles in the United States., Lee returned to Hong Kong. Unaware that ''The Green Hornet'' had been played to success in Hong Kong and was unofficially referred to as "The Kato Show", he was surprised to be recognised on the street as the star of the show. After negotiating with both Shaw Brothers Studio and Golden Harvest, Lee signed a film contract to star in two films produced by Golden Harvest. Lee played his first leading role in ''The Big Boss'' (1971) which proved to be an enormous box office success across Asia and catapulted him to stardom. He soon followed up with ''Fist of Fury'' (1972) which broke the box office records set previously by ''The Big Boss''. Having finished his initial two-year contract, Lee negotiated a new deal with Golden Harvest. Lee later formed his own company Concord Productions Inc. (協和電影公司) with Chow. For his third film, ''Way of the Dragon'' (1972), he was given complete control of the film's production as the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. In 1964, at a demonstration in Long Beach, California, Lee had met Karate champion Chuck Norris. In ''Way of the Dragon'' Lee introduced Norris to moviegoers as his opponent in the final death fight at the Colosseum in Rome, today considered one of Lee's most legendary fight scenes and one of the most memorable fight scenes in martial arts film history. The role was originally offered to American Karate champion Joe Lewis.

In late 1972, Lee began work on his fourth Golden Harvest Film, ''Game of Death''. He began filming some scenes including his fight sequence with 7'2" American Basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a former student. Production was stopped when Warner Brothers offered Lee the opportunity to star in ''Enter the Dragon'', the first film to be produced jointly by Golden Harvest and Warner Bros. Filming commenced in Hong Kong in February 1973. One month into the filming, another production company, Starseas Motion Pictures, promoted Bruce Lee as a leading actor in ''Fist of Unicorn'', although he had merely agreed to choreograph the fight sequences in the film as a favour to his long-time friend Unicorn Chan. Lee planned to sue the production company, but retained his friendship with Chan. However, only a few months after the completion of ''Enter the Dragon'', and six days before its 26 July 1973 release, Lee died. ''Enter the Dragon'' would go on to become one of the year's highest grossing films and cement Lee as a martial arts legend. It was made for US$850,000 in 1973 (equivalent to $4 million adjusted for inflation as of 2007). To date, ''Enter the Dragon'' has grossed over $200 million worldwide. The film sparked a brief fad in martial arts, epitomised in songs such as "Kung Fu Fighting" and TV shows like ''Kung Fu''.

Robert Clouse, the director of ''Enter the Dragon'', and Raymond Chow attempted to finish Lee's incomplete film ''Game of Death'' which Lee was also set to write and direct. Lee had shot over 100 minutes of footage, including out-takes, for ''Game of Death'' before shooting was stopped to allow him to work on ''Enter the Dragon''. In addition to Abdul-Jabbar, George Lazenby, Hapkido master Ji Han-Jae and another of Lee's students, Dan Inosanto were also to appear in the film, which was to culminate in Lee's character, Hai Tien (clad in the now-famous yellow track suit) taking on a series of different challengers on each floor as they make their way through a five-level pagoda. In a controversial move, Robert Clouse finished the film using a look-alike and archive footage of Lee from his other films with a new storyline and cast, which was released in 1978. However, the cobbled-together film contained only fifteen minutes of actual footage of Lee (he had printed many unsuccessful takes) while the rest had a Lee look-alike, Kim Tai Chung, and Yuen Biao as stunt double. The unused footage Lee had filmed was recovered 22 years later and included in the documentary ''Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey''.

Apart from ''Game of Death'', other future film projects were planned to feature Lee at the time. In 1972, after the success of ''The Big Boss'' and ''Fist of Fury'', a third film was planned by Raymond Chow at Golden Harvest to be directed by Lo Wei, titled ''Yellow-Faced Tiger''. However, at the time, Lee decided to direct and produce his own script for ''Way of the Dragon'' instead. Although Lee had formed a production company with Raymond Chow, a period film was also planned from September–November 1973 with the competing Shaw Brothers Studio, to be directed by either Chor Yuen or Cheng Kang, and written by Yi Kang and Chang Cheh, titled ''The Seven Sons of the Jade Dragon''. Lee had also worked on several scripts himself. A tape containing a recording of Lee narrating the basic storyline to a film tentatively titled ''Southern Fist/Northern Leg'' exists, showing some similarities with the canned script for ''The Silent Flute'' (''Circle of Iron''). Another script had the title ''Green Bamboo Warrior'', set in San Francisco, planned to co-star Bolo Yeung and to be produced by Andrew Vajna who later went on to produce ''First Blood''.}}

The weight training program that Lee used during a stay in Hong Kong in 1965 placed heavy emphasis on his arms. At that time he could perform single biceps curls at a weight of 70 to 80 lb (about 32 to 36 kg) for three sets of eight repetitions, along with other forms of exercises, such as squats, push-ups, reverse curls, concentration curls, French presses, and both wrist curls and reverse wrist curls. The repetitions he performed were 6 to 12 reps (at the time). While this method of training targeted his fast and slow twitch muscles, it later resulted in weight gain or muscle mass, placing Lee a little over 160 lb (about 72 kg). Lee was documented as having well over 2,500 books in his own personal library, and eventually concluded that "A stronger muscle, is a bigger muscle", a conclusion he later disputed. Bruce forever experimented with his training routines to maximise his physical abilities and push the human body to its limits. He employed many different routines and exercises including skipping rope, which served his training and bodybuilding purposes effectively.

Lee believed that the abdominal muscles were one of the most important muscle groups for a martial artist, since virtually every movement requires some degree of abdominal work. Mito Uyehara recalled that "Bruce always felt that if your stomach was not developed, then you had no business doing any hard sparring". According to Linda Lee Cadwell, even when not training, Lee would frequently perform sit ups and other abdominal exercises in domestic living throughout the day, such as during watching TV. She said of Lee, "Bruce was a fanatic about ab training. He was always doing sit-ups, crunches, Roman chair movements, leg raises and V-ups".

Lee trained from 7 am to 9 am, including stomach, flexibility, and running, and from 11 am to 12 pm he would weight train and cycle. A typical exercise for Lee would be to run a distance of two to six miles in 15 to 45 minutes, in which he would vary speed in 3–5 minute intervals. Lee would ride the equivalent of 10 miles (about 16 kilometres) in 45 minutes on a stationary bike.

Lee would sometimes exercise with the jump rope and put in 800 jumps after cycling. Lee would also do exercises to toughen the skin on his fists, including thrusting his hands into buckets of harsh rocks and gravel. He would do over 500 repetitions of this on a given day. An article of the S. China Post writes "When a doctor warned him not to inflict too much violence on his body, Bruce dismissed his words. 'the human brain can subjugate anything, even real pain' —Bruce Lee".

Physical feats

Lee's phenomenal fitness meant he was capable of performing many exceptional physical feats. The following list includes some of the physical feats of which, according to author John Little, Lee was capable: Lee's striking speed from three feet with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second. Lee could take in one arm a 75 lb barbell from a standing position with the barbell held flush against his chest and slowly stick his arms out locking them, holding the barbell there for several seconds. In a speed demonstration, Lee could snatch a dime off a person's open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind. Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger. Lee performed 50 reps of one-arm chin-ups. Lee could cause a 300-lb (136.08 kg) bag to fly towards and thump the ceiling with a sidekick.

Also, according to the ''Intercepting Fist'' DVD, Lee would hold an elevated v-sit position for 30 minutes or longer.

Nutrition

According to Linda Lee Cadwell, soon after he moved to the United States, Lee started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in health foods, high-protein drinks and vitamin and mineral supplements. He later concluded that in order to achieve a high-performance body, one could not fuel it with a diet of junk food, and with "the wrong fuel" one's body would perform sluggishly or sloppily. Lee also avoided baked goods and refined flour, describing them as providing calories which did nothing for his body.

Lee consumed green vegetables and fruit every day. He always preferred to eat Chinese or other Asian food because he loved the variety that it had. Some of Lee's favorite Chinese dishes were beef in oyster sauce, tofu and steak and liver. He also became a heavy advocate of dietary supplements, including Vitamin C, Lecithin granules, bee pollen, Vitamin E, rose hips (liquid form), wheat germ oil, Acerola – C and B-Folia.

Lee disliked dairy food although he felt that for building muscle he must consume milk. As a result he only ate dairy as part of cereals and protein drinks, usually using powdered milk instead of fresh milk. Lee's diet included protein drinks; he always tried to consume one or two daily, but discontinued drinking them later on in his life. They typically included non-instant powdered milk which is reported to have a higher concentration of calcium than other forms of powdered milk, eggs, wheat germ, peanut butter, banana, brewers yeast for its B vitamins, and Inositol and Lecithin supplements. Linda Lee recalls Bruce Lee's waist fluctuated between 26 and 28 inches (66 to 71 centimetres). ''"He also drank his own juice concoctions made from vegetables and fruits, apples, celery, carrots and so on, prepared in an electric blender"'', she said.

According to Lee, the size of portions and number of meals were just as important. He would usually consume four or five smaller meals a day rather than a couple of large meals, and would boost his metabolism by eating small healthy snacks such as fruits throughout the day. Fruit and vegetables provided him with the richest source of carbohydrates; he was particularly keen on carrots which would make up one half of the contents of the drink, with the remaining being split between the other fruits and vegetables. The reason why Lee was so keen on juicing vegetables and fruits is that he believed it allowed the body to assimilate many nutrients more easily. The enzymes in the juiced vegetables acting as organic catalysts which increase the metabolism and absorption of nutrients. Given that most of these enzymes are destroyed when vegetables are cooked, Lee would try to consume them raw.

Lee often drank a royal jelly and ginseng drink as they contain B-complex vitamins, including a high concentration of vitamin B₅ (pantothenic acid) and vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine), acetylcholine, hormones, and eighteen amino acids which allow for a quick energy boost. In traditional Chinese medicine, ginseng is also said to improve circulation, increase blood supply, allow quicker recovery times after exhaustion and stimulating the body. In addition, Lee regularly drank black tea, often with honey or with milk and sugar.

Philosophy

Lee is best known as a martial artist, but he also studied drama and philosophy while a student at the University of Washington. He was well-read and had an extensive library. His own books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are known for their philosophical assertions, both inside and outside of martial arts circles. His eclectic philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to claim that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings. He believed that any knowledge ultimately led to self-knowledge, and said that his chosen method of self-expression was martial arts. His influences include Taoism, Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Buddhism. On the other hand, Lee's philosophy was very much in opposition to the conservative world view advocated by Confucianism. John Little states that Lee was an atheist. He was asked in 1972 what his religious affiliation was, and he replied, "none whatsoever". Also in 1972, he was asked if he believed in God, and he responded, "To be perfectly frank, I really do not".

The following quotations reflect his fighting philosophy. "Be formless... shapeless, like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You pour water into a bottle; it becomes the bottle. You put water into a teapot; it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or creep or drip or crash! Be water, my friend..." "All types of knowledge, ultimately leads to self knowledge" "Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it". "Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there". "Quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough". "I always learn something, and that is: to always be yourself. And to express yourself, to have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate him". "It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential".

Death

On 10 May 1973, Lee collapsed in Golden Harvest studios while doing dubbing work for the movie ''Enter the Dragon''. Suffering from seizures and headaches, he was immediately rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital where doctors diagnosed cerebral edema. They were able to reduce the swelling through the administration of mannitol. These same symptoms that occurred in his first collapse were later repeated on the day of his death.

On 20 July 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong, to have dinner with former James Bond star George Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda, Lee met producer Raymond Chow at 2 pm at home to discuss the making of the film ''Game of Death''. They worked until 4 pm and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting Pei, a Taiwanese actress. The three went over the script at Ting's home, and then Chow left to attend a dinner meeting.

Later Lee complained of a headache, and Ting gave him an analgesic (painkiller), Equagesic, which contained both aspirin and the muscle relaxant meprobamate. Around 7:30 pm, he went to lie down for a nap. When Lee did not turn up for dinner, Chow came to the apartment but could not wake Lee up. A doctor was summoned, who spent ten minutes attempting to revive him before sending him by ambulance to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Lee was dead by the time he reached the hospital.

There was no visible external injury; however, according to autopsy reports, his brain had swollen considerably, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams (a 13% increase). Lee was 32 years old. The only substance found during the autopsy was Equagesic. On 15 October 2005, Chow stated in an interview that Lee died from a hypersensitivity to the muscle relaxant (meprobamate) in Equagesic, which he described as a common ingredient in painkillers. When the doctors announced Lee's death officially, it was ruled a "death by misadventure".

Don Langford, Lee's personal physician in Hong Kong, had treated Lee during his first collapse. Controversy erupted when he stated, "Equagesic was not at all involved in Bruce's first collapse".

Donald Teare, a forensic scientist recommended by Scotland Yard who had overseen over 1,000 autopsies, was assigned to the Lee case. His conclusion was "death by misadventure" caused by an acute cerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds present in the drug Equagesic.

The preliminary opinion of Peter Wu, the neurosurgeon who saved Lee's life during his first seizure, was that the cause of death should have been attributed to either a reaction to cannabis or Equagesic. However, Wu later backed off from this position, stating that:

: "Professor Teare was a forensic scientist recommended by Scotland Yard; he was brought in as an expert on cannabis and we can't contradict his testimony. The dosage of cannabis is neither precise nor predictable, but I've never known of anyone dying simply from taking it."

Lee's wife Linda returned to her hometown of Seattle, and had him buried at lot 276 of Lakeview Cemetery. Pallbearers at his funeral on 31 July 1973 included Taky Kimura, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Chuck Norris, George Lazenby, Dan Inosanto, Peter Chin, and Lee's brother Robert.

Lee's iconic status and untimely demise fed many theories about his death, including murder involving the triads and a supposed curse on him and his family. ''Black Belt'' magazine in 1985 carried the speculation that the death of Bruce Lee in 1973 may have been caused by "a delayed reaction to a Dim Mak strike he received several weeks prior to his collapse".

Legacy

Certified instructors

Bruce Lee personally certified only three instructors. Taky Kimura, James Yimm Lee, and Dan Inosanto. Inosanto holds the 3rd rank (Instructor) directly from Bruce Lee in Jeet Kune Do, Jun Fan Gung Fu, and Bruce Lee's Tao of Chinese Gung Fu. Taky Kimura holds a 5th rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu. James Yimm Lee held a 3rd rank in Jun Fan Gung Fu. Ted Wong holds 2nd rank in Jeet Kune Do certified directly by Bruce Lee and was later promoted to Instructor under Dan Inosanto; feeling that Bruce would have wanted to promote him. Other Jeet Kune Do instructors since Lee's death have been certified directly by Dan Inosanto, some with remaining Bruce Lee signed certificates.

James Yimm Lee, a close friend of Lee, died without certifying additional students apart from Gary Dill who studied Jeet Kune Do under James and received permission via a personal letter from him in 1972 to pass on his learning of JKD to others. Taky Kimura, to date, has certified only one person in Jun Fan Gung Fu: his son Andy Kimura. Dan Inosanto continued to teach and certify select students in Jeet Kune Do for over 30 years, making it possible for thousands of martial arts practitioners to trace their training lineage back to Bruce Lee. Prior to his death, Lee told his then only two living instructors Kimura and Inosanto (James Yimm Lee had died in 1972) to dismantle his schools.

Both Taky Kimura and Dan Inosanto were allowed to teach small classes thereafter, under the guideline "keep the numbers low, but the quality high". Bruce also instructed several World Karate Champions including Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, and Mike Stone. Between the three of them, during their training with Bruce they won every karate championship in the United States.

Hong Kong legacy

There are a number of stories (perhaps apocryphal) surrounding Lee that are still repeated in Hong Kong culture. One is that his early 70s interview on the TVB show ''Enjoy Yourself Tonight'' cleared the busy streets of Hong Kong as everyone was watching the interview at home.

On 6 January 2009, it was announced that Bruce's Hong Kong home (41 Cumberland Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong) will be preserved and transformed into a tourist site by philanthropist Yu Pang-lin.

Awards and honours

Bruce Lee was named by ''Time Magazine'' as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Martial arts lineage

Lee was trained in Wu Tai Chi Chuan (also known as Ng-ga) and Jing Mo Tam Tui for the twelve sets. Lee was trained in the martial arts Choy Li Fut, Western Boxing, Épée fencing, Judo, Praying Mantis Kung-fu, Hsing-I, and Jujitsu.

Kareem Abdul-JabbarJames CoburnJoe LewisRoman PolanskiLee MarvinStirling SilliphantSteve McQueenMike Stone |}

Media

Books authored

''Chinese Gung-Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self Defense'' (Bruce Lee's first book) – 1963

''Tao of Jeet Kune Do'' (Published posthumously) – 1973

''Bruce Lee's Fighting Method'' (Published posthumously) – 1978

Selected filmography

''For a complete list of Bruce Lee's filmography see''

Films

'' The Big Boss'' ''Fist of Fury'' ''Enter the Dragon'' ''Game of Death'' ''Game of Death II''

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
style="text-align:center;"	1969	Marlowe (film)>Marlowe''	Winslow Wong
style="text-align:center;"	1971	|	Cheng Chao-an	Also known as ''Fists of Fury''
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	1972	|	Chen Zhen (fictional character)>Chen Zhen	Also known as ''The Chinese Connection''
''Way of the Dragon''	Tang Lung
style="text-align:center;"	1973	|	Lee	List of works published posthumously>posthumously
style="text-align:center;"	1978	|	Billy Lo	Released posthumously
style="text-align:center;"	1981	|	Billy Lo	Released posthumously (Stock footage)

Television

''Ironside (TV series) ''Blondie (1968 TV series) ''Enjoy Yourself Tonight'' ''Longstreet (TV series)

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Series	Role	Notes
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	1966	The Green Hornet (TV series)>The Green Hornet''	Kato (The Green Hornet)>Kato
''Batman (TV series)	Batman''	Kato
style="text-align:center;"	1967	Ironside'' ||	Leon Soo	Episode: "Tagged for Murder"
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	1969	Blondie'' ||	Karate Instructor	Episode: "Pick on Someone Your Own Size"
''Here Come the Brides''	Lin
style="text-align:center;"	1970	|	Himself	2 episodes, 1970–1972 (Hong Kong)
rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"	1971	Longstreet'' ||	Li Tsung	4 episodes, 1971
style="text-align:center;"	''The Pierre Berton Show''	Himself

Games

In the Tekken series, Chinese American martial artist and chef Marshall Law bears a very close resemblance to Lee, both in appearance and fighting style, especially in Tekken 6.

In the Street Fighter series, Hong Kong action movie star Fei Long was inspired from Lee. Interestingly, compared to all the other Bruce Lee based characters from other franchises, Fei Long's story and background matches Bruce Lee's the closest. However there is a small difference, as Bruce Lee was born in the United States and lived in the USA as an adult and had an American wife, whereas Fei Long has no apparent connection to the USA.

See also

Bruce Lee Library

Bruce Lee statue in Hong Kong

Bruceploitation

Mostar Bruce Lee statue

References

;Bibliography

External links

Bruce Lee Foundation

Sijo Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee Interview

Category:1940 births Category:1973 deaths Category:American atheists Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Atheist philosophers Category:Hong Kong film actors Category:Hong Kong film producers Category:Hong Kong film directors Category:Hong Kong screenwriters Category:Hong Kong kung fu practitioners Category:Hong Kong wushu practitioners Category:Martial arts school founders Category:American sportspeople of Chinese descent Category:American martial artists Category:Chinese actors Category:Chinese Jeet Kune Do practitioners Category:Chinese Wing Chun practitioners Category:Wing Chun practitioners from Hong Kong Category:Chinese martial artists Category:Chinese philosophers Category:20th-century philosophers Category:Cantonese people Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:Stunt actors Category:American people of Hong Kong descent Category:American actors of Chinese descent Category:University of Washington alumni

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Name	Donnie Yen
Tradchinesename	甄子丹
Simpchinesename	甄子丹
Pinyinchinesename	Zhēn Zǐdān
Jyutpingchinesename	Jan1 Zi2daan1
Ancestry	Taishan, Guangdong, China
Origin	Hong Kong
Birth date	July 27, 1963
Birth place	Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer
Yearsactive	1983 - present
Spouse	Cecilia Cissy Wang (2003 - present)
Website	http://www.DonnieYen.asia
Goldenbauhiniaawards	Best Action Choreography2006 ''Dragon Tiger Gate''
Goldenhorseawards	Best Action Choreography2003 ''The Twins Effect''2007 ''Flash Point''
Hongkongfilmwards	Best Action Choreography2003 ''The Twins Effect''2005 ''SPL: Sha Po Lang''2008 ''Flash Point''
Awards	Iron Elephant AwardsBest Actor 2009 (''Ip Man) }}

height
weight lb	165
weight class	Lightweight Weltereight| height
style	Wushu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, Boxing, Muay Thai, Amateur Wrestling, Wing Chun, Judo, Kickboxing
stance	Orthodox stance
rank	6th degree black belt in Taekwondo Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Medalist at world Wushu tournament
website	http://www.donnieyen.asia/ }}

Donnie Yen (born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist. Apart from being a well-known film and television actor in Hong Kong, Yen has also gained international recognition for appearing in many films together with other prominent and internationally-known actors such as Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.

Yen is widely credited by many as the person responsible for popularizing the traditional martial arts style known as Wing Chun. He played the role of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the 2008 film ''Ip Man'', which was a box office success. This has led to an increase in the number of people taking up Wing Chun, leading to hundreds of new Wing Chun schools to be opened up in mainland China and other parts of Asia. Ip Chun, the eldest son of Ip Man, even mentioned that he is grateful to Yen for making his family art popular and allowing his father's legacy to be remembered.

Yen is considered to be Hong Kong's top action star; director Peter Chan mentioned that he "is the 'it' action person right now" and "has built himself into a bona fide leading man, who happens to be an action star." Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into the mainstream of Asian culture, by choreographing MMA in many of his recent films. Yen has displayed notable skills in MMA, being well-versed in Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Seen as one of the most popular film stars in Asia in recent years, Yen is currently the highest paid actor in the whole of Asia.

Early life

Yen's mother, Bow-sim Mark (麥寶嬋), is a Wudangquan (internal martial arts) grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen (甄雲龍), is a newspaper editor. When Yen was two years old, his family moved to Hong Kong, and then to Boston, Massachusetts, United States when he was 11. His younger sister, Chris Yen, is also a martial artist and actress, and appeared in the 2007 film ''Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon''.

At a young age, under influence from his mother, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles, including tai-chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. Yen focused on practicing wushu after dropping out of school. His parents were concerned that he was spending too much time in the Boston Combat Zone, that they sent him to Beijing on a two-year training program with the Beijing Wushu Team. When Yen decided to return to the United States, he made a side-trip to Hong Kong and met action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping there.

Yen also came from a family of musicians. His mother is a soprano, in addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, while his father is a violinist. Since young, he was taught by his parents to play musical instruments, including the piano. He also knows hip-hop dancing and breakdancing.

Career

Yen took on the role of a stuntman in his earliest films, ''Shaolin Drunkard'' (1983) and ''Taoism Drunkard'' (1984). At the age of 20, he took on his first acting role in the 1984 film ''Drunken Tai Chi'', and the film helped to make Yen more notable, even though it was not a critical success.

After filming ''Drunken Tai Chi'' and ''Tiger Cage'' (1988), Yen made his breakthrough role as General Nap-lan in ''Once Upon a Time in China II'' (1992), which included a dramatic fight scene between his character and Wong Fei-hung (played by Jet Li). Yen and Li appeared together again in the 2002 film ''Hero'', where Yen played a spear (or qiang) fighter who fought with Li's character, an unnamed swordsman. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 2003 Academy Awards but lost to the German film ''Nowhere in Africa''.

In 1995, Yen starred as Chen Zhen (Cantonese: Chan Zan) in the television series ''Fist of Fury'' produced by ATV, which is adapted from the 1972 film of the same title that starred Bruce Lee as Chen Zhen. Yen reprised his role as Chen Zhen in the 2010 film ''Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen''.

In 1997, Yen started a production company called Bullet Films, and made his directorial debut in ''Legend of the Wolf'' (1997) and ''Ballistic Kiss'' (1998), in which he played the lead character. Yen went on to choreograph fight scenes and appeared in minor roles in some Hollywood films, such as ''Highlander: Endgame'' (2000) and ''Blade II'' (2002).

In 2003, Yen co-starred with Jackie Chan in ''Shanghai Knights''. His role of the antagonist, Wu Chow, was originally offered to Robin Shou, who played his on-screen nemesis in ''Tiger Cage 2'' (1990), but Shou turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts and Yen took the role.

Yen choreographed most of the fight animation in the 2004 video game ''Onimusha 3'', which featured actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jean Reno. Yen continued to be active in the Hong Kong cinema in the 2000s, starring as Chu Zhaonan in Tsui Hark's wuxia epic film ''Seven Swords'', and as Ma Kwun in Wilson Yip's brutal crime drama film ''SPL: Sha Po Lang'' in 2005. Both films were featured at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. Later that year, Yen co-starred with Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in Wilson Yip's ''Dragon Tiger Gate'', an adaptation of Wong Yuk-long's manhua series ''Oriental Heroes''. Yen also worked as action choreographer in ''Stormbreaker'', starring Alex Pettyfer. Yen's continued to work with Wilson Yip in ''Flash Point'' (2007) in which he starred as the lead character and served as producer and action choreographer for the film. He won the Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in ''Flash Point''.

In 2008, Yen starred in ''Ip Man'', a semi-biographical account of Yip Man, the Wing Chun master of Bruce Lee. ''Ip Man'' marked Yen's fourth collaboration with director Wilson Yip, reuniting him with his co-stars in ''SPL: Sha Po Lang'', Sammo Hung and Simon Yam. ''Ip Man'' became the biggest box office hit to date which featured Yen in the leading role, grossing HK$25 million in Hong Kong and 100 million yuan in China. In July 2011 it was announced that Yen and Cecilia Cheung would be cast in a Hong Kong remake of ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', titled ''Assassin Couple'', with a reported pay of 30 million yuan.

In August 2011, while Yen was on a vacation with his family in the United States, he reportedly received an invitation by producer Avi Lerner to star in ''The Expendables 2''. It was stated that Yen is considering the offer, and have many films at hand, and will not decide until he sees if the script appeals to him or not.

Action choreography

Apart from being an acclaimed martial artist and actor, Yen is also a world class action choreographer, and his on-screen choreography has been recognized through the numerous awards he has attained.

In recent years, Yen was successful in including mixed martial arts (MMA) into his action choreography in various films, a feat most other action directors have been unsuccessful at accomplishing so far. ''Flash Point'', a film fully choreographed by Yen using MMA was a huge success. His work as a choreographer won him "Best Action Choreography" awards at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards and the 2008 Golden Horse Film Awards. Another notable MMA film involving Yen is ''SPL: Sha Po Lang''.

Yen was the fight choreographer for the 2010 film ''Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen''. For this film, Yen mentioned that he included Jeet Kune Do elements as a tribute to Bruce Lee, who played Chen Zhen in the 1972 film ''Fist of Fury''. Furthermore he incorporated many MMA elements in the film, coupled with the utilisation of Wing Chun. MMA is an interdisciplinary form of fighting utilising elements of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling, which is evident in the film. Yen also stated that the concept behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is similar to that of MMA, hence the incorporation of many forms of martial arts is a necessity in this film.

Due to his notable success in action choreography, he is invited to choreograph most of his latest and upcoming films such as ''The Lost Bladesman'', ''Wu Xia'' and ''The Monkey King''.

Martial arts history, style and philosophy

Yen describes himself as a mixed martial artist, and this is evident from his style. He has learnt wushu since young, under his mother's teachings. He then went on to learn taekwondo in his teenage years, and currently holds a 6th degree black belt in taekwondo. When he was a teenager, he obtained a medal in a wushu competition held in the United States, known as Boston Combat Zone. The Beijing wushu team had a scouting in the United States at the same time, inviting Yen over to Beijing, China, where he began training at the Beijing Sports Institute, the same facility where champion-turned actor Jet Li trained, this is where the two of them crossed-path for the first time.

Yen later went on to discover and to seek knowledge on other martial arts style, he would later obtain belts from judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and went on to study the art of parkour, wrestling, Muay Thai, kickboxing and boxing under various trainers. His exposure of mixed martial arts (MMA) was heightened when he went back to the United States from 2000 to 2003, while making his Hollywood debut, he also took time off to learn the various martial arts form. The progress was evident when he returned back to Asia, where he implemented his new found knowledge of MMA showcased in films such as ''SPL: Sha Po Lang'' (2005) and ''Flash Point'' (2007).

Near the end of 2007, Yen added a new arsenal to his martial arts system. He was offered the role of Wing Chun grandmaster and Bruce Lee's mentor, Ip Man, in a 2008 film named after the grandmaster. He worked hard and studied Wing Chun under Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun for 9 months before tackling the role.Ip Chun has since praised Yen for his effort, and complimented that Yen is a great martial artist and a fast learner, and has managed to grasp the full concept of Wing Chun much faster than anyone he has taught.

Yen believes in practical combat, and in his opinion, MMA is the most authentic type of practical combat. He has particular interest in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has obtained a purple belt. He has mentioned that he would have entered the Octagon, joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship if he did not have a recurring shoulder injury.

Yen's philosophy is that, even though there are many technical aspects of the various martial arts form, however the most effective form of combat is when the strength of the martial arts are added together, when various martial arts work together harmoniously. The essence of martial arts is the flow, the flow or images, the flow of music, the flow of communication between an artist and the audience. Martial art is a form of expression, an expression from your inner self to your hands and legs. Yen has a famous quote, "When you watch my films, you're feeling my heart."

Personal life

Yen married Cecilia Cissy Wang in Toronto in 2003. Wang was the winner of the 2000 Miss Chinese Toronto Pageant, including the "Miss Vitality" and "Miss Perfect Figure" awards. They have a daughter, Jasmine, born in 2004, and a son, James, born in 2007. In April 2010 his wife reportedly had a miscarriage.

Yen has stated that he is a big fan of the MMA organization Ultimate Fighting Championship, and has watched almost every UFC event available.

See also

Donnie Yen filmography

Cinema of Hong Kong

Cinema of China

References

External links

Donnie Yen's Sina blog site

"An Action Star Moves to the Lead," New York Times article

Donnie Yen profile page at Hong Kong Cinemagic

Category:1963 births Category:People from Guangzhou Category:Chinese choreographers Category:Hong Kong actors Category:Hong Kong film directors Category:Hong Kong film producers Category:Hong Kong kung fu practitioners Category:Hong Kong wushu practitioners Category:Chinese practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Chinese Muay Thai practitioners Category:Living people Category:Taishanese people Category:Cantonese people Category:Best Action Choreographer HKFA Category:American film directors of Hong Kong descent Category:American people of Chinese descent Category:Hong Kong emigrants to the United States Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States

ar:دوني ين da:Donnie Yen de:Donnie Yen es:Donnie Yen fr:Donnie Yen ko:견자단 id:Donnie Yen it:Donnie Yen jv:Donnie Yen sw:Donnie Yen hu:Donnie Yen ja:ドニー・イェン pl:Donnie Yen ru:Донни Йен fi:Donnie Yen sv:Donnie Yen th:เจิน จื่อตัน tr:Donnie Yen vi:Chân Tử Đan zh:甄子丹

name	Michelle Yeoh
tradchinesename	楊紫瓊
simpchinesename	杨紫琼
pinyinchinesename	Yáng Zǐqióng
jyutpingchinesename	Joeng4 Zi2king4
birth name	Yeoh Choo-Kheng (Iûⁿ Chí-khēng)
birth date	August 06, 1962
birth place	Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Religion	Buddhism
occupation	Actress/Dancer
yearsactive	1984–present
spouse	Dickson Poon (1988–1992)Jean Todt
mtvasiaawards	Asian Film Award2004 }}

Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng (born 6 August 1962) is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s.

Born in Ipoh, Malaysia, she is based in Hong Kong and was chosen by ''People magazine'' as one of the ''50 Most Beautiful People in the World'' in 1997.

She is best known in the Western world for her roles in the 1997 James Bond film ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', playing Wai Lin, and the multiple Academy Award-winning Chinese-language martial arts film ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'', for which she was nominated the ''BAFTA'' for "Best Actress". In 2008, the film critic website Rotten Tomatoes ranked her the greatest action heroine of all time. In 2009, she was listed by ''People magazine'' - as the only Asian actress - as one of the "35 All-Time Screen Beauties" .

She is credited as Michelle Khan in some of her earlier films. This alias was chosen by the D&B; studio who thought it might be more marketable to international and western audiences. Yeoh later preferred using her real name.

Early life and career

Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng was born to a prominent ethnic Chinese family in Ipoh, Malaysia, on 6 August 1962. Her parents are Janet Yeoh and Yeoh Kian Teik, a lawyer and MCA politician. She was keen on dance from an early age, beginning ballet at the age of four. At the age of 15, she moved with her parents to England, where she was enrolled in a boarding school. Yeoh later studied at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, majoring in ballet. However, a spinal injury prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer, and she transferred her attention to choreography and other arts. She later received a B.A. degree in Creative Arts with a minor in Drama.

In 1983, at the age of 21, Yeoh won the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant. She was also Malaysia's representative at the 1983 Miss World pageant in London. From there, she appeared in a television commercial with Jackie Chan which caught the attention of a fledgling Hong Kong film production company, D&B; Films.

Yeoh's career in Hong Kong started with a few commercials for Charles Jourdan, opposite action movie heroes Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat before being offered a film contract. The Charles Jourdan brand was handled by D&B; Group in Hong Kong, run by Yeoh's future husband, Dickson Poon. In 1988, she retired from acting after marrying Poon. Three years later, the couple divorced and Yeoh returned to acting in 1992. Her first movie after the comeback was ''Police Story 3: Super Cop'', which was partly shot in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Yeoh also modelled for The Body Shop and L'Oreal.

Wider fame

Yeoh started her film career acting in action and martial arts films such as ''Yes, Madam'' in 1985, ''The Heroic Trio'' in 1993, and the Yuen Woo-ping films ''Tai Chi Master'' and ''Wing Chun'' in 1994. Yeoh has had no formal martial arts training and she relies on her dance training and instructors, and does her own fighting and most of her own stunts.

Yeoh learned English and Malay before Cantonese, and cannot read Chinese characters; consequently she learned the lines for ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' phonetically.

She starred in the James Bond film ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' as Wai Lin (1997). Natasha Henstridge was rumored to be cast in the lead Bond girl role but eventually Yeoh was confirmed. Brosnan was impressed, describing her as a "wonderful actress" who was "serious and committed about her work". He referred to her as a "female James Bond" in reference to her combat abilities. She wanted again to perform her own stunts but was prevented because director Roger Spottiswoode considered it too dangerous. Still she performed all of her fighting scenes. Thereafter, she was offered the role of Seraph in the two sequels to ''The Matrix'', but she could not accept due to a scheduling conflict (the ''Matrix'' writers then changed Seraph into a male character and cast Collin Chou in the role). In 2002, she produced her first English film, ''The Touch'' through her own production company, Mythical Films.

In 2005, Yeoh starred as the graceful Mameha in the film adaptation of ''Memoirs of a Geisha'', and she continued her English-language work in 2007 with ''Sunshine''. In 2008, Michelle Yeoh also starred in fantasy action film ''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor'' with Brendan Fraser and Jet Li.

In 2010, she starred in ''Reign of Assassins''.

Controversy

On June 22, 2011, Yeoh was deported from Burma, allegedly over a new film ''The Lady'', in which Yeoh portrays Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese Prodemocracy leader.

Personal life

Yeoh was married to Hong Kong entrepreneur Dickson Poon, who owns businesses such as Harvey Nichols and Charles Jourdan. She is a Buddhist.

In March 2008, she visited Vietnam to film a documentary for the Asian Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF). On 31 July 2008, she confirmed news that she was engaged to Jean Todt, a leading figure in motor racing, during an interview with Craig Ferguson on CBS's ''The Late Late Show''.

Yeoh is also a supporter and ambassador of the Save China's Tigers project committed to protect the endangered South China Tiger.

Awards, honours and styles

On 19 April 2001, Yeoh was awarded the Darjah Datuk Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP), which carries the title Dato' by Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak, her home state, in recognition of the fame she brought to the state. The award was given in conjunction with the Sultan's 73rd birthday celebrations.

On 25 November 2002, she was honoured as The Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) (Cultural Achievement) by JCI (Junior Chamber International).

On 23 April 2007, French President Jacques Chirac awarded her Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. The decoration was presented to her in a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on 3 October 2007.

Nominations

''BAFTA Film Award 2001 – Best Actress'' (''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'')

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1984	''The Owl vs Bombo''	Miss Yeung
1985	''Yes, Madam''	Inspector Ng
1985	''Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars''	Judo instructor
1986	''In the Line of Duty''	Michelle Yip	a.k.a. ''Wong ga jin si''
1987	''Dynamite Fighters''	Fok Ming-Ming
1987	''Easy Money''	Michelle Yeung	a.k.a. ''Tong tian da dao''
1992	''Police Story 3: Super Cop''	Inspector Jessica Yang
1993	''The Heroic Trio''	Ching/Invisible Woman/Number 3
1993	''Butterfly and Sword''	Lady Ko
1993		Ching/San/Carol
1993	''Holy Weapon''	Ching Sze/To Col Ching
1993	''Once a Cop''	Jessica Yang
1993		Siu Lin
1994	''Shaolin Popey 2 - Messy Temple''	Ah King	a.k.a. ''Shao Lin xiao zi II: Xin wu long yuan''
1994	''Wonder Seven''	Ying	a.k.a. ''7 jin gong''
1994	''Wing Chun ''	Yim Wing Chun
1996	''Ah Kam ''	Ah Kam	a.k.a ''A Jin de gu shi''
1997		Soong Ai-ling/Madam Kung
1997	''Tomorrow Never Dies''	Wai Lin
1999	''Moonlight Express''	Sis	a.k.a. ''Sing yuet tung wa''
2000	''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon''	Yu Shu Lien
2002		Pak Yin Fay
2004	''Silver Hawk''	Lulu Wong / The Silver Hawk
2005		Mameha
2006		Ms. Yang	(directors cut only)
2007		Corazon
2007		Saiva
2008	''The Children of Huang Shi''	Mrs.Wang
2008	''Babylon A.D.''	Sister Rebeka
2008	''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor''	Zi Yuan
2009	''Turning Point''	Michelle Yeoh	Make Roads Safe documentary
2009	''Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh (documentary)''	Michelle Yeoh	National Geographic documentary
2010	''True Legend''	Sister Yu
2010	''Reign of Assassins''	Zeng Jing	Chinese title ''Jianyu'' a.k.a. ''Jianyu Jianghu''
2011	''Kung Fu Panda 2''	Soothsayer	(voice)
2011		Aung San Suu Kyi

References

External links

''Supercop as Woman Warrior'' at Salon magazine.

Interview with Michelle Yeoh on the Tavis Smiley show

Sunday Times feature

Category:1962 births Category:Hong Kong film actors Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Living people Category:Malaysian actors Category:Malaysian Buddhists Category:Malaysian Chinese people Category:Miss World 1983 delegates Category:People from Ipoh

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