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Wushu master and heir to Bruce Lee's crown as king of kung fu movies. Jet Li (real name Li Lianjie) spent some years as one of the world's most well-known exponents of Wire Fu, before making a move to more brutal fighting styles after heading west to try his luck in Hollywood.
His films include:[]
- Danny the Dog, a.k.a. Unleashed as Danny.
- The Expendables as Ying Yang, the sole Fragile Speedster amongst a party of Mighty Glacier warriors.
- Fearless as Huo Yuan Jia.
- The Forbidden Kingdom as the Monkey King/the Silent Monk.
- Black Mask which was inspired by character of Kato in The Green Hornet.
- Hero as Nameless.
- Lethal Weapon 4, his first Hollywood role, and his first major villain role, as Wah Sing Ku.
- The Once Upon a Time in China series as Wong Fei-hung.
- The One as Gabe Law, Yulaw, and Lawless (it's that kind of movie).
- The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, as the Dragon Emperor.
- War as Rogue.
- Kiss of the Dragon as Liu Jian.
- Cradle 2 the Grave as Su.
- Romeo Must Die as Han Sing.
- The Fong Sai Yuk series (known in the US as The Legend) as Fong Sai Yuk.
- Fist of Legend as Chen Zhen.
- The Defender/Bodyguard From Beijing as Allan Hui Ching-Yeung/John Chang.
- Tai Chi Master
- Flying Swords of Dragon Gate as Zhao Huai'an
Tropes applicable to him:
- Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Some of his roles.
- Badass: Was a real wushu champion before he started playing films. Naturally, all his roles are about him being a major Badass.
- Chaste Hero: Most of his roles tend to be too honorable and/or focused on their goals to so much as flirt with female characters.
- Lightning Bruiser: He's really fast. Even when doing Tai Chi (as it's supposed to be: the slow, ponderous version is only for exercise). And he'll put just enough pressure behind it to make you feel it without injuring you. Brendan Fraser put it best in his The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor interview:
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"We got into position, then Action! I didn't even see it, his leg just went BOOM! *doubles up while holding his left ribcage* Not hard enough to knock me out, but enough to make me go whoof!" |
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- Marth Debuted in Smash Bros: Has actually starred in a movie set in America way back in 1988 and filmed entirely in San Francisco. It was a Hong Kong production, however, and he starred with Stephen Chow there. The latter was playing one of his few serious roles.
- Martial Pacifist: Most of his other roles.
- Mean Character, Nice Actor: Played villainous roles from time to time after he debuted in Hollywood.
- Nice Guy: Started a charity after he escaped the 2006 tsunami. Also tends to play this type of characters before he moved to Hollywood.
- Shown Their Work: As an actor who actually trained in martial arts, Li's moves, while still exaggerated, are based on real techniques and tend to be much less flashy and telegraphed.
- Shuichi Ikeda: He normally dubs Li's movies in Japan. Yep, that's right, Char Aznable can not only being three times faster, he can kick your ass three times faster too!