Donnie Yen is a Chinese actor, martial artist, director, and choreographer. He is regarded as one of Hong Kong’s top action stars.
Gatekeepers News reports that 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.
Early Life
Yen was born on 27 July 1963 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, is a Fu Style Wudangquan (internal martial arts) and Tai Chi grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen, was a newspaper editor. 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. He attended Newton North High School.
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 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. At age 16, Yen began practising Wushu after his parents sent him to Beijing to train with the Beijing Wushu Team.
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.
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. From a young age, he was taught by his parents to play musical instruments, including the piano.
Career
His early forays into the entertainment industry were mostly as a stuntman before he landed his first acting role in “Drunken Tai Chi” in 1984. His breakthrough appearance came in 1992’s “Once Upon a Time in China 11” as General Nap-Ian. He has since acted in “Iron Monkey”, the Oscar-nominated movie “Hero”, “Fist of Fury”, “Legend of the First: The Return of Chen Zhen”, “Shanghai Knights”, and “Blade II”.
He made his directorial debut with 1997’s “Legend of the Wolf” and soon started choreographing fights for films.
He’s considered to be at the forefront of popularizing Wing Chun martial artists, which were displayed in 2008’s “Ip Man”.
Yen is one of the most recognizable action stars in Hong Kong and one of the highest-paid actors in Asia. He has won several choreography awards for movies such as “The Twins Effect”, “Kill Zone”, “Dragon Tiger Gate”, and “Flash Point”. As a mixed martial artist, Yen has earned his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, his black belt in Judo, and a sixth-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
In 2007, Yen lost over 14 kg (30 pounds) to reach the weight of 54 kg (120 pounds) to better portray the slender Ip Man and the techniques of wing chun, which focuses on techniques and not strength. He did so through a very strict regimen of limiting himself to a plain diet consisting mainly of vegetables.
In 2010, still fresh off Ip Man 2, Yen was cast as Chen Zhen in Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, which was originally portrayed by Bruce Lee. He had to regain his muscular physique for the role and took 6 months through a precise and dedicated diet routine. He maintained this bulk and physique while filming The Lost Bladesman, in which he plays Guan Yu, a Chinese general known for his size and spear-fighting abilities.
In 2015, Yen reduced his muscular physique yet again to reprise the role of Ip Man in Ip Man 3 and for his role as the blind warrior monk Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One. For his role as Xiang in XXX: Return of Xander Cage opposite Vin Diesel, Yen rebuilt his physique.
Personal Life
Yen met his first wife, Hong Kong advertising executive Leung Zing-ci, in 1990. The couple began dating in 1990. After three years of dating, they married secretly in the United States in November 1993. The marriage ended in less than a year. After their divorce was finalized, Leung realized that she was pregnant with their son, Jeff, who was born in 1995.
Yen later married former beauty queen Cissy Wang after three months of dating in 2003. The couple have two children, Jasmine and James.
Politics
In 2023, Yen was appointed to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference as a representative of the “Literature and Arts” sector, replacing outgoing fellow action star Jackie Chan. He
stated that he was a Chinese patriot and requested that his film roles in Hollywood must positively represent the Chinese.
What is Donnie Yen Net Worth?
Donnie Yen’s net worth is $40 million.
