Jet Li

Actor

Name at birth: Jet Li Lian Jie

Jet Li was a martial arts champion as a child and a martial arts movie star as an adult. His first Hong Kong action movie, 1979's Shaolin Temple, helped make him a national hero in China. He appeared in dozens of kung fu movies in the 1980s and '90s, including Tai Chi Master (1993) and Fist of Legend (1994). Later in the 1990s he made the leap to Hollywood, appearing in Lethal Weapon IV (1998, with Mel Gibson), Romeo Must Die (2000, co-starring Aaliyah and DMX) and The One (2001). He returned to China to star in Ying xiong (2002); the movie was released in the U.S. in 2004 as Hero. In 2005 he appeared in the French-made action movie Danny the Dog (released in the U.S. as Unleashed).

Extra credit: Other Asian action stars of the late 20th century include Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.