Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director, producer, action choreographer and multiple time world wushu tournament champion. Yen is one of Hong Kong’s top action stars. Yen is one of Hong Kong’s top action stars. Yen has displayed skill in an array of martial arts, being well versed in Tai Chi, Boxing, Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, Taekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Wing Chun, and Wushu. One of the most popular film stars in Asia of the early 2000s, Yen is consistently one of the highest paid actors in Asia.
Birth Name
Donnie Yen Ji-dan
Nicknames
Donnie Yen
Profession
Actor, Film Director, Producer, Martial Artist
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
Donnie Yen was born on the July 27, 1963 in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, China.
Age
He is currently 55 years old.
Sun Sign
Leo
Nationality
Hong Kongese
Ethnicity
Asian
Education
Donnie Yen attended Wu Shu Academy.
Family Details
- Father – Klyster Yen (Newspaper Editor)
- Mother – Bow-sim Mark (Martial Artist, Tai Chi Grandmaster)
- Siblings – Chris Yen (Sister) (Martial Artist, Actress)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
Donnie Yen dated –
- Joey Meng (Late 90’s) – Yen and Joey, a Hong Kong actress dated somewhere in the late 90’s but there is not much information about the relationship.
- Leung Zing Ci (1993-1994) – Yen and Leung met in 1990 but started dating in 1993. The couple secretly got married after dating for only three months, but the marriage did not last long as it ended in less than a year. They have one child together, a son Jeff born in 1995.
- Cissy Wang (2003-Present) – Yen and Cissy have been married for 15 years. They have 2 children together, Jasmine and James.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 5 feet 8 inches
- In centimeters – 173 cm
- In meters – 1.73 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 75 kg
- In Pounds – 166 lbs
Body Build
Athletic
Eye Color
Black
Hair Color
Black
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
Appearing in film and TV roles such as Ip Man, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Drunken Tai Chi and Tiger Cage, Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen, Fist of Fury, Shanghai Knights, Seven Swords among others.
Film Debut
Donnie Yen made his theatrical film debut in the 1984 film Drunken Tai Chi.
Television Debut
In 1989, he made his TV show debut as Dickson Kwan on the TV show File Noir.
Brand Endorsements
Donnie Yen has endorsed Jacob & Co, Spirit of Hong Kong Awards & Resorts World Sentosa.
Awards & Nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Once Upon a Time in China 2 | Nominated |
2002 | Taurus World Stunt Awards | Best Fight | Iron Monkey | Nominated |
2003 | Golden Horse Awards | Best Action Choreography | The Twins Effect | Won |
2004 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Won | |
2006 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | SPL: Sha Po Lang | Won |
2007 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Dragon Tiger Gate | Nominated |
Golden Bauhinia Awards | Best Action Choreography | Won | ||
Golden Horse Awards | Best Action Choreography | Flash Point | Won | |
2008 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Won | |
Taurus World Stunt Awards | Best Action in a Foreign Language Film | Won | ||
2009 | Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best Actor | Ip Man | Won |
Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
Huabiao Film Awards | Outstanding Abroad Actor | Won | ||
2010 | Hundred Flowers Awards | Best Actor | Bodyguards and Assassins | Nominated |
2011 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen | Nominated |
3rd Macau International Movie Festival | Best Actor | The Lost Bladesman | Won | |
Golden Horse Awards | Best Action Choreography | Dragon | Won | |
2012 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Nominated | |
2014 | Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Special ID | Nominated |
8th Asian Film Awards | Asian Outstanding Actor | N/A | Won | |
2015 | Youku Night Awards | 2014’s Most Influential Actor | N/A | Won |
15th Huading Awards | Best Actor | The Monkey King | Won | |
Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Action Choreography | Kung Fu Jungle | Won | |
2017 | Foshan Film Awards | Best Actor | N/A | Won |
Lifetime Achievement Award | N/A | Won |
Donnie Yen Favorites
- Favorite Actor – Bruce Lee
- Favorite Martial Arts Actor – Jet Li
- Favorite Jeans – Levi’s
Donnie Yen Net worth
Donnie Yen net worth is estimated to be $40 million dollars as of 2019.
Social Media Profiles
- Facebook – Donnie Yen
- Instagram – donnieyenofficial
- Twitter – Donnie Yen
Some Lesser Known Facts About Donnie Yen
- Donnie and his family moved to Hong Kong when he was just 2 years of age. The family then moved to Boston Massachusetts when he was 11 years of age.
- His mother was instrumental in his learning martial arts because she pioneered it in America.
- As a teenager, he displayed rebellious tendencies like spending time in the notorious combat zone.
- His parents sent him to Beijing to remove him from the streets because of the crowds he was hanging around.
- He trained in martial arts in China at the Wushu Academy.
- Jackie Chan actually requested that Yen is included in the movie Shanghai knights as his nemesis.
- The movie Hero propelled him to “biggest action star status” and it actually remains one of the most successful foreign language movies released in the U.S.
- His performance in the movie An Empress and Her Warriors was very impressive and got him very good reviews.
- His trademark moves are his kicking techniques which result in very realistic fight scenes.
- He tends to work with artists who actually practice martial arts in real life in his movies.
- He can speak fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin and a bit of Korean and Shanghainese.
- His wife was the former “Miss Chinese Toronto” in the year 2000, she also participated in Miss Chinese International Pageant in 2001.
- He has an injury on his shoulder from the movie Mismatched Couple which affects him to date.
- He has turned down quite a number of roles in a number of Hollywood films including Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The Expendables, The Man with the Iron Fists, Rush Hour, among others.
- In the mid-1990s, his film career hit a bump when roles became less and he started doing TV roles.
- In the year 2000, he started taking on work overseas as a director and an actor so as to learn how other markets operate.
- The 2008 movie Ip Man was the break he needed because he started getting bigger roles for directing and producing in China and USA.
- He has won a number of awards including for the “Best Action Choreography” in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007 in the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards as well as the Golden Bauhinia Awards. He also won the 2008 Taurus World Stunt Awards for “Best Action in a Foreign Language Film,” among others.
- 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, Yen visited refugee camps in Thailand, bringing donations and gifts for the refugees. Donnie Yen is also an ambassador for the international charity known as Save the Children.
- Visit her official website @ donnieye.com.