Jet Li

Jet Lianje, known to the world as Jet Li, is a film actor, film producer, Wushu champion and martial arts expert from China. After retiring from Wushsu at the age of nineteen, Li went on to star in several critically and commercially acclaimed movies. He forayed into Hollywood with the movie Lethal Weapon 4. It was, however, his performance in the 2000 blockbuster “Romeo must die” that really got Li noticed. Although, Jet Li today is a name mostly associated with Hollywood movies, his martial arts prowess, according to many, was the prime factor that enabled Li’s rise to international fame.

The net worth of Jet Li’s accumulated wealth over the years is estimated to be around $55 million. The youngest of two boys and two girls, Li was born in a struggling household. His talent for Wushu got recognized when Li was all of eight. Once when Li visited the United States as part of the touring Chinese Wushu team, he was asked by none other than President Nixon to be his personal bodyguard- an offer which the young Jet Li flatly refused. As luck may have it, the young boy returned to the United States several years later and made a fortune working as an actor in Hollywood movies. However, his earnings so far have not been derived from the Beverly Hills ventures alone. Before entering Hollywood, Li had made his mark as a Chinese actor as well.

In 2009, Li made headlines for a reason that had nothing to do with martial arts and movies. The actor made all heads turn by reportedly buying a sprawling den worth $19.8 million in Singapore. This apart, he has also invested in thirteen movies as producer. A devoted Buddhist, Li, by self- admittance, cares little about fame and wealth. His close brush with death during the 2004 Tsunami prompted Li to form his own Non-profit organization named “The one Foundation”. As the philanthropic ambassador of the Red Cross Society of China, Li contributed a portion of box office revenues from his movie Fearless ($62,500) to the Red Cross’s psychological sunshine project.

A practioner of Tibetan Buddhism, Li lives a low key life, away from media glare. The actor married Huang Qiuyan, his Wushu team mate and “Kids from Shaolin” co-star, in 1987. Three years of fragile wedlock and two daughters later, the couple separated in 1990. About his first marriage, Li revealed in an interview, years later, that it happened more out of obligations than of love or affection. Li walked the wedding aisle for the second time in 1999, when he married Nina Li Chi, a Hong Kong based actress. The action star has two daughters from his second marriage.

The most publicized event in the otherwise private star’s life came in the year 2004. Li was holidaying in Maldives when the Tsunami shook ocean floors in and around South Asia. Several reports even claimed him to be dead. It later turned out that the actor had suffered minor foot injuries only. The experience, however, is said to have impacted Li hugely.