Yen had a starring role in the film Iron Monkey in 1993. Yen's first step into the film industry was when he landed his first starring role in the 1984 film Drunken Tai Chi.Īfter 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 fight scene between his character and Wong Fei-hung (played by Jet Li). From a young age, he was taught by his parents to play musical instruments, including the piano. His mother is a soprano, in addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, while his father is a violinist. Yen also came from a family of musicians. When Yen decided to return to the United States, he made a side-trip to Hong Kong, where he met action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. At age 16, Yen began practising Wushu after his parents sent him to Beijing to train with the Beijing Wushu Team. 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.Īt a young age, under the influence of his mother, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles, including t'ai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. When he was two years old, his family moved to Hong Kong and then to the United States, settling in Boston when he was 11. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, is a Fu Style Wudangquan (internal martial arts) and Tai Chi grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen (甄雲龍), was a newspaper editor. Yen was born on 27 July 1963 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. He has also gained international recognition for playing Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One (2016) and Xiang in XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), as well as Commander Tung in Mulan (2020) and Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Ip Chun, the eldest son of Ip Man, even mentioned that he is grateful to Yen for making his family's art popular and allowing his father's legacy to be remembered. He portrays Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, which has garnered box office success and led to an increase in the number of people taking up Wing Chun, with hundreds of new Wing Chun schools being opened up in mainland China and other parts of Asia. Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. Yen earned HK$220 million (US$28.4 million) from four films and six advertisements in 2013. One of the most popular film stars in Asia of the early 2000s, Yen is consistently one of the highest-paid actors in Asia. Yen has displayed skill in an array of martial arts, being well-versed in Tai Chi, Boxing, Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, Mixed martial arts, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Hung Ga, Sanda, Judo, Wing Chun, and Wushu. The first Chinese UFC champion Zhang Weili stated that Yen's films introduced her to MMA. Regarded as one of Hong Kong's top action stars, Yen is widely credited for bringing mixed martial arts (MMA) into mainstream Asian cinema by choreographing MMA in many of his films since the early 2000s. Donnie Yen Ji-dan ( Chinese: 甄子丹 born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director.
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