Fortune 2022: Jet Li – Jet Li has that much money

Jet Li Net Worth: Jet Li is a Chinese film actor, producer, martial artist, and Wushu champion who has a net worth of $250 million. He is known for having a successful career in both China and the West.

Early Life and Martial Arts Career:

Li Lianjie, better known by his stage name Jet Li, was born on April 26, 1963 in Beijing, China. He was the youngest of four children in the family, two boys and two girls. His father died when he was two years old and the family lived in poverty thereafter.

His talent for wushu was discovered when he was eight years old while attending a summer course at school. He then joined the Beijing Wushu team, where he was tutored by well-known trainers Li Junfeng and Wu Bin. Wu Bin even helped Li’s family by buying groceries for them since they could not afford meat. When he was not even a teenager, he competed in the Chinese Adult Wushu Championships, winning fifteen gold medals and one silver medal.

Li has mastered several Wushu styles, specializing in Chángquán (Northern long-fist style) and Fānziquán (stagger-fist). Other arts and styles he has studied are Baguazhang (Eight Trigrams), Taijiquan (Supreme Ultimate Fist), Xing Yi Quan (Shape Intent Fist), Zui Quan (Drunken Fist), Ying Zhao Quan (Eagle Claw Fist), and Tanglangquan (Praying Mantis Fist).

Acting Career:

Thanks to the fame he gained through his martial arts achievements, Li began his career as a martial arts movie star in China. He made his screen debut in the 1982 Hong Kong-Chinese film Shaolin Temple. Up until this film, all martial arts films had been shot in Hong Kong, making this film the first of its kind to be made in mainland China. “Shaolin Temple” was a smash hit, selling an estimated 300 million tickets at the Chinese box office, grossing around $85 million. The film made Li the first mainland Chinese star in Hong Kong and later in Hollywood. The film spawned two sequels, also starring Li: Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin (1984) and Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of Shaolin (1986).

Other notable Chinese projects of his include the Once Upon a Time in China series about legendary Chinese folk hero Master Wong Fei Hung. This series included a total of six films and one television series, all released between 1991 and 1997, with Li starring in only the first three films and the last film. He also starred in Fist of Legend (1994), a remake of Bruce Lee’s 1972 film Fist of Fury, as well as in the two films Fong Sai-yuk (1993) and Fong Sai-yuk II (1993).

Li made his American film debut in 1998 with the film Lethal Weapon 4. This film also marked the first time in his career that he played the role of a villain; in all his previous Chinese films he was the main hero. Although he spoke little English at the time, Li’s performance was widely praised. He agreed to star in Lethal Weapon 4 because producer Joel Silver promised him to star in his next film. For example, Li starred in the film Romeo Must Die (2000) alongside the late singer Aaliyah. Other American films he appeared in during this period include The One (2001) and Kiss of the Dragon (2001).

Li returned to the United States.

Li returned to the Chinese market in 2002 with the epic martial arts film Hero, which was a huge critical and commercial success. The film grossed a total of $177.4 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese film history. Since then he has worked on both Chinese and American projects such as Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), Unleashed (2005), Fearless (2006), War (2007), The Warlords (2007) , The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008), The Expendables (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012), The Expendables 3 (2014), and the live-action remake of “Mulan” (2020).

Personal life:

Li married his first wife, a member of the Beijing Wushu team and “Kids from Shaolin” co-star Huang Qiuyan, in 1987 before divorcing in 1990. Together they have two daughters, Si and Taimi. In 1999 he married actress Nina Li Chi, with whom he also has two daughters, Jane and Jada. He held Chinese citizenship until 2003 and US citizenship from 2003 to 2009, which he obtained after years of living and working in the United States. However, in 2009 he renounced his US citizenship and took up Singapore citizenship. He reportedly chose Singaporean citizenship because of the country’s education system and out of consideration for his two younger daughters.

Philanthropy:

Li has served as a “philanthropic ambassador” for the China Red Cross Society since January 2006. In September 2010, he was appointed the first Goodwill Ambassador by the International Red Cross. After a harrowing experience in the Maldives, where he nearly died during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he also founded his own non-profit organization called The One Foundation. This organization supports international disaster relief in partnership with the Red Cross and has assisted in disasters such as the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and 2009 Taiwan typhoon Morakot. It is the first Chinese NGO not affiliated with the Chinese government or government-sponsored organizations and agencies.