Jet Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963) is a martial artist, actor, and philanthropist. With a career spanning more than forty years, he is regarded as one of the most iconic Chinese film stars and one of the greatest martial artists in the history of cinema. His film career in Asia is credited with reviving Hong Kong kungfu films as well as Shaolin Temple.
Li was trained as a wushu athlete at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School and went on to win multiple national championships with the Beijing Wushu Team between 1974 and 1979. After his retirement from the sport in 1979, he made his acting debut with the Hong Kong film Shaolin Temple (1982), a runaway success followed by two sequels in 1984 and 1986.