Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1963-07-27
- Born Place: Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen Ji-dan (甄子丹), born on July 27, 1963, in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, is an internationally acclaimed Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, is a Fu-style wudangquan and tai chi grandmaster, and his father, Klyster Yen, was a newspaper editor. The family moved to Hong Kong when he was two and then to Boston, Massachusetts, USA, when he was eleven, where he continued to cultivate his deep interest in martial arts. At 16, he trained with the Beijing Wushu Team in China, becoming the first non-PRC Chinese to be accepted into the program.Yen's career in film began in 1984 with his starring role in Drunken Tai Chi, marking the start of a fruitful collaboration with action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. He rose to prominence with his iconic fight scenes, notably against Jet Li in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992) and his portrayal of Chen Zhen in the 1995 TV series Fist of Fury. In 1997, he founded his production company, Bullet Films, and made his directorial debut with Legend of the Wolf.His international reputation soared with his work as action choreographer in Hollywood films like Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Blade II (2002), and his roles in films such as Shanghai Knights (2003) alongside Jackie Chan. Yen achieved global superstardom for his portrayal of Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series (2008-2019), which significantly popularized the martial art. His later high-profile roles include Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Xiang in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017), and Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). Most recently, he starred in and directed The Prosecutor (2024), demonstrating his continued influence on and dedication to action cinema. Donnie Yen is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts film stars of his generation, having received numerous accolades including Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards for his contributions as an actor and action choreographer.
