88 Facts About Donnie Yen

Donnie Yen Ji-dan is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, and action director.

The first Chinese UFC champion Zhang Weili stated that Donnie Yen's films introduced her to MMA.

Donnie 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.

One of the most popular film stars in Asia of the early 2000s, Donnie Yen is consistently one of the highest-paid actors in Asia.

Donnie Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China.

Donnie Yen 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.

Ip Chun, the eldest son of Ip Man, even mentioned that he is grateful to Donnie Yen for making his family's art popular and allowing his father's legacy to be remembered.

Donnie Yen was born on 27 July 1963 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

Donnie Yen's mother, Bow-sim Mark, is a Fu Style Wudangquan and Tai Chi grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen, was a newspaper editor.

Donnie Yen's younger sister, Chris Yen, is 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, Donnie 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, Donnie Yen began practising Wushu after his parents sent him to Beijing to train with the Beijing Wushu Team.

When Donnie Yen decided to return to the United States, he made a side-trip to Hong Kong, where he met action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping.

Donnie Yen's mother is a soprano, in addition to being a martial arts teacher in Boston, while his father is a violinist.

Donnie Yen had a starring role in the film Iron Monkey in 1993.

In 1995, Donnie Yen starred as Chen Zhen in the television series Fist of Fury produced by ATV, which is adapted from the 1972 film of the same title that starred Bruce Lee as Chen Zhen.

Donnie Yen reprised his role as Chen Zhen in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

In 1997, Donnie Yen started the production company Bullet Films, and made his directorial debut in Legend of the Wolf and Ballistic Kiss, in which he played the lead character.

Donnie Yen was forced to borrow money from loan sharks and his production crew to get by.

Donnie Yen later went back to the United States, where he was invited to choreograph fight scenes in Hollywood films, such as Highlander: Endgame and Blade II.

In 2003, Donnie Yen played one of the antagonists against Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights.

Donnie Yen choreographed most of the fight animation in the 2004 video game Onimusha 3, which featured actors Takeshi Kaneshiro and Jean Reno.

Donnie Yen continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema in the 2000s, starring as Chu Zhaonan in Tsui Hark's wuxia epic film Seven Swords, and as Ma Kwun in Wilson Yip's brutal crime drama film SPL: Sha Po Lang in 2005.

Later that year, Donnie Yen co-starred with Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue in Wilson Yip's Dragon Tiger Gate, an adaptation of Wong Yuk-long's manhua series Oriental Heroes.

Donnie Yen worked as action choreographer in Stormbreaker, starring Alex Pettyfer.

Donnie Yen continued to work with Wilson Yip in Flash Point, in which he starred as the lead character and served as producer and action choreographer for the film.

Donnie Yen won the award for Best Action Choreography at the Golden Horse Film Awards and the Hong Kong Film Awards for his performance in Flash Point.

In 2008, Donnie Yen starred in Ip Man, a semi-biographical account of Ip Man, the Wing Chun master of Bruce Lee.

Later on, Donnie Yen revealed to the Hong Kong media that he had rejected the role.

In 2011, Donnie Yen revealed that he was venturing into other genres of movies and had taken up two comedy roles in a row, in All's Well, Ends Well 2011 and All's Well, Ends Well 2012, and would be working with Carina Lau in the former and Sandra Ng in the latter.

Donnie Yen took a six-month break in the second half of 2011 after the filming of The Monkey King, where the film was released during the Chinese New Year period in January 2014, he explained that he wanted to spend more time with his family and be with his children more as they grew up.

In 2012, Donnie Yen returned to the movie industry and commenced the filming of Special ID, in which he played the main lead, an undercover cop, and took on the role of action choreographer.

In 2013, it was reported that Donnie Yen would be playing the lead role for The Iceman Cometh 3D, a sci-fi action film dealing with time travel and which was filmed in 3D.

Donnie Yen confirmed that MMA would be used in both of the aforementioned films.

In March 2013, Hong Kong magazines surfaced photos of Harvey and Bob Weinstein traveling to Hong Kong to meet with Donnie Yen and persuade him to accept the offer.

Donnie Yen declined the offer due to scheduling conflicts for the filming of Ip Man 3.

Donnie Yen reprised his role as the titular character, Bruce Lee's martial arts master, Ip Man.

Donnie Yen mentioned that he was a big fan of Mike Tyson, watched many of his professional boxing bouts, and was excited to work with him.

Mike Tyson stated during a press conference that he was a huge fan of Donnie Yen and has watched the first two Ip Man movies more than three times each and was honored to be invited for the final installment of the trilogy.

In 2016, Donnie Yen co-starred in the Star Wars anthology film Rogue One as Chirrut Imwe, the Zatoichi-like blind transient warrior.

Return of Xander Cage was number one in its opening weekend with $61.9 million, and crossed the $100 million mark in just six days with $22.2m coming from Valentine's Day alone after rave reviews praising Donnie Yen's performance swept through Chinese social media, driving moviegoers to the cinema.

Donnie Yen eventually accepted the offer and played a non-traditional role of a villain with limited fighting scenes and the opportunity to work alongside Andy Lau.

In 2017, Donnie Yen received a call from old friend Jet Li and Alibaba CEO Jack Ma about a potential collaboration on a short martial arts film known as Gong Shou Dao - to promote a new form of Taiji as an olympic sport in the future.

Donnie Yen was on holiday with his wife to celebrate their anniversary, but cancelled his plans to take part in the film.

Donnie Yen declined any salary for this participation for GSD as he stated that "friendship is not measured by money" and that he hopes his participation can help promote Chinese martial arts to worldwide audiences.

In late 2017, Donnie Yen began filming Big Brother, a mixed martial arts film where Donnie Yen plays a high school teacher with unconventional methods and a dark past.

In 2017, a live-action film adaption of the video game Sleeping Dogs was announced, with Donnie Yen playing the lead character Wei Shen.

In February 2018, Donnie Yen confirmed the continued production of the film through social media.

In 2019, Donnie Yen reprised his role as Ip Man for the final time in Ip Man 4: The Finale.

In March 2020, as part of the press tour for Disney's live-action remake of Mulan, when Donnie Yen was asked by reporters whether he was interested in appearing in a superhero movie, Donnie Yen revealed that he had been offered a role in Warner Brothers' Justice League and Aquaman films by Zack Snyder, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts.

Donnie Yen joined the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4 which was released in March 2023.

Donnie Yen learned Shaolin Kung Fu and Wudang quan from a young age under his mother's tutelage.

Donnie Yen then wanted to learn Taekwondo in his teenage years, earning a 6th Dan in the process.

Donnie Yen later went on to discover and seek knowledge on other martial arts styles; he would later obtain black and purple belts from Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, respectively, and went on to study Parkour, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Boxing under various trainers.

Donnie Yen's progress was evident when he returned to Asia, where he implemented his newfound knowledge of MMA, showcased in films such as SPL: Sha Po Lang, Flash Point, and Special ID.

Donnie Yen was offered the role of Wing Chun grandmaster and mentor of film star Bruce Lee, Ip Man, in a 2008 film named after the grandmaster.

Donnie Yen worked hard and studied Wing Chun under Ip Man's eldest son, Ip Chun, for 9 months before tackling the role.

Donnie Yen believes that combining many martial arts together will produce the most effective and harmonious style.

Donnie Yen was a rebel in his youth due to the huge expectations and pressures from his parents, as his mother is the founder of the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston, and his father was a scholar and a musician.

Donnie Yen joined a Chinatown gang in Boston in his early years.

Donnie Yen was a very curious teenager who sought to exchange martial arts knowledge with people from different martial arts backgrounds, which led to him gaining profound knowledge in practical martial arts and having a reputation as a street brawler.

World class fighters, such as former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Cung Le and former World Boxing Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson, who have worked with Donnie Yen in the films Bodyguards and Assassins and Ip Man 3, respectively, have both claimed that Yen is an incredible martial artist and would do well in authentic combat.

Donnie Yen was considered one of the premiere action choreographers in the world, having been invited by Hollywood to choreograph blockbusters such as Blade II, Highlander: Endgame, and Shanghai Knights.

Donnie Yen has mentioned that the main differences in filmmaking in Asia and Hollywood are with regards to freedom and control.

Donnie Yen was the fight choreographer for the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen.

Donnie Yen stated that the concept behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do is similar to that of MMA, hence the incorporation of many forms of martial arts was a necessity in the film.

Donnie Yen won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Action Choreography four times, being one of the most frequent winners of this coveted award.

Donnie Yen has won awards for his choreography in films such as The Twins Effect, SPL: Sha Po Lang, Flash Point, and Kung Fu Jungle.

Donnie Yen is renowned for his physical fitness, strength, and speed achieved through his use of a strict and disciplined fitness regime.

However, despite his muscular build, Donnie Yen has gained tremendous attention for his dedication to his roles and for the lengths to which he goes to achieve the physical build and appearance of the characters he plays.

In 2007, Donnie Yen lost over 14 kg to reach the weight of 54 kg to better portray the slender Ip Man and the techniques of wing chun, which focuses on techniques and not strength.

Donnie Yen 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, Donnie Yen was cast as Chen Zhen in Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, which was originally portrayed by Bruce Lee.

Donnie Yen had to regain his muscular physique for the role and took 6 months through a precise and dedicated diet routine.

Donnie Yen 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, Donnie 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 Imwe in Rogue One.

Donnie Yen met his first wife, Hong Kong advertising executive Leung Zing-ci, in 1990.

Donnie Yen later married former beauty queen Cissy Wang after three months of dating in 2003.

Donnie Yen has stated that he is a big fan of the MMA organization Ultimate Fighting Championship and has watched almost every UFC event available.

In October 2014, Donnie Yen was invited to be a guest speaker in front of a crowd of 20,000 youths for WE Day Vancouver, where he spoke about the hardships he faced growing up and how he overcame difficulties to become the reigning martial arts star.

In 2015, Donnie Yen visited refugee camps in Thailand, bringing donations and gifts for the refugees.

Donnie Yen is an ambassador for the international charity Save the Children.

In December 2015, Donnie Yen established a charitable fund, Donnie Yen's Honour Protection Fund, with the purpose of empowering celebrities to use the law to defend their honor and reputation.

In February 2020, in light of the coronavirus pandemic in China and the rest of the world, Donnie Yen stepped in to donate HK$1 million to frontline medical workers in Wuhan.

Donnie Yen produced and dedicated a short clip to thank all medical workers in China in their fight against the coronavirus; the clip was uploaded on Chinese social media site, Weibo, where Yen has over 11 million followers.

Donnie Yen donated a painting done by himself and his two children, to the frontline medical workers.

In 2023, Donnie 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.

Donnie Yen stated that he was a Chinese patriot and requested that his film roles in Hollywood must positively represent the Chinese.