Jet Li – Bio, Wife, Daughter, Family, Height, Where is he now?Is he dead?
Christopher Pierce
Updated on February 14, 2026
Famous in the early 90s and the first decade of the new millennium for his youthful looks and acrobatic moves in action films, Jet Li is an actor and film producer in the Chinese and Hollywood film industry; he is also a martial arts champion. Follow us to reveal everything you’ve always wanted to know about your favorite actress.
Jet Li – Biography
He was born Li Lian Jie in Beijing, China on April 26, 1963. Before becoming one of the world’s most electrifying martial arts actors, Jet Li was a wushu sportsman.
In 1972, he signed up for the wushu team in Beijing, winning his first national championship in the China Wushu Championship at age 11. Jet then traveled to the United States in 1974 – as part of this victory – to give a martial arts demonstration to President Richard M. Nixon.
In a short time, he became the All Around National Champion of Wushu; title he held for five straight years, even fighting in the adult league. The fame he achieved in sports brought him into the film industry; leading to his immediate retirement from wushu at age 17.
His stage name, Jet Li, was given to him in the Philippines in 1982, when an advertising agency said his real name was too complicated to pronounce: a public relations specialist likening Li’s brilliant career to an airplane in flight .
Li then made her film debut in Shaolin Temple in the same year; to become a star in his native country. He then moved to Hong Kong, instantly becoming involved in the martial arts film scene. There he starred in Once Upon a Time in China (1991) and its two sequels.
In 1998, Jet Li landed his first role in English and played the villain in Lethal Weapon 4 with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. This led to him moving to Los Angeles for the film, where he underwent intensive language training to prepare for his role as a Chinese crime boss.
In 2000, he teamed up with rapper DMX and late singer Aaliyah for Romeo Must Die : A Story of Hip-Hop and Martial Arts telling the classic tale of young love, where Li and the hip-hop star played the star lovers of two warring crime families.
In 2001, Jet Li co-starred with Bridget Fonda in Dragon’s Kiss. That same year, Jet starred in the convoluted sci-fi tale, The One. There, he played the two main characters: an unsuspecting Californian sheriff and a ruthless killer who travels parallel worlds to eliminate other versions of himself.
In 2003, he worked again with rapper DMX; and martial artist Mark Dacascos in the film Cradle 2 the Grave. And in 2005, Li starred in Unleashed: A Movie that featured him as a man raised in harsh circumstances.
In his next film, Fearless (2006), Jet Li played the role of famous Chinese martial arts master Huo Yuanjia. He then played a deadly assassin in War (2007).
In the same year, Jet Li returned to China and starred in a Hong Kong film – Warlords – directed by Peter Chan. The film didn’t really focus on martial arts, but on dramatic elements. and for this role, Li won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor.
In 2008, Li had the “rare” opportunity to work with Jackie Chan, another martial arts star, in the adventure film The Forbidden Kingdom. It was the first time the two stars had reunited for a joint role in their incredible career. In the same year, he starred in the Hollywood action sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008).
Taking a break from the big screen, Li returned in 2010 with a supporting role in The Expendables : Reuniting stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke. Between 2012 and 2014, he starred in subsequent installments of the popular franchise – The Expendables 2 and The Expendables 3.
In 2017, a short film – Gong Shou Dao – was released; The film features Jack Ma: the founder of e-commerce giants Alibaba, Wu Jing and Jacky Heung.
Although Li planned to star with VinDiesel in a 2017 action-adventure film – XXX: The Return of Xander – the role went to Donnie Yen. He’s also believed to be gearing up for a role as the Emperor of China in Disney’s live-action production Mulan, which is set to hit theaters in 2020.
Interested in charity work, Li has been involved in philanthropy since 2006: Ambassador of the Chinese Red Cross. In partnership with the organization, the superstar established his own nonprofit foundation in the spring of 2007, called The One Foundation ; which supports international disaster relief and suicide prevention efforts among Chinese people.
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Jet Li is a naturalized Singaporean (since 2009), an American from 2003 to 2009 (he renounced his previously granted US citizenship to favor Singapore) and is Chinese (by birth).
woman and girl
Jet Li married Huang Qiuyan in 1987. Huang, also a Kung Fu star, met Li when he was 13 as a member of the Beijing Wushu team; with the couple gradually becoming childhood sweethearts.
They both made several movies together as teenage actors such as Children of Shaolin and Martial Arts of Shaolin. However, the couple divorced in 1990. With Huang Qiuya, Jet had two daughters – Si and Taimi.
Since 1999 however, the actor has been married to Nina Li Chi (born in Shanghai as Li Zhi). She is a Hong Kong-based actress. Together they share two daughters – Jane and Jada, bringing LI’s daughter count to four.
Family
Li comes from a very poor family. At the age of two, he lost his father. and the family faced difficulties. When he began to learn wushu, his family understood his talent in martial arts and sent him to continue his studies in a specialized school: he became a national champion and an international actor.
With two older brothers and two older sisters, Jet Li is the youngest of five children.
the size
Jet Li is relatively small in stature, a physique suitable for martial arts and stunts. He is 168 cm tall and weighs 60 kg.
Where is he now; Is he dead?
Rumors about the star actor’s death spread as much as his fame. The superstar has been plagued with injuries and near-death experiences since he was a teenager: his first major injury at 18 and a serious back injury at 23.
In 2004, Li was in the Maldives when a huge tsunami earthquake hit the Indian Ocean. Believed by the media, the actor suffered only a minor foot injury while guiding his then 4-year-old daughter Jane, his one-year-old daughter Jada and her nanny.
Years later, Jet Li then revealed that he had hyperthyroidism and spinal disorders: the former is a condition that alters a person’s metabolism and heart rate, causing fatigue and leading to weight loss.
The actor said he was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid in 2010; and although he was taking medication, his condition kept coming back.
In 2013, he said he was unsure if he would be able to continue working or be able to perform stressful physical activities due to his condition; clearly stating that doctors had said he was at risk of ending up in a wheelchair if he continued to make physically demanding action films.
A photo of Li went viral in 2007, allegedly showing him as a fragile, unrecognizable figure. The photo taken at a temple in Tibet raised questions about the health of the martial art hero.
But Li’s manager denied the rumors. stating that it is a condition the actor has faced for nearly 10 years and is not life threatening.
Jet Li himself weighed in on the hot topic after a long absence from the public eye. Dispel rumors that his illness was getting worse and that he needed a wheelchair. At a charity dinner at One Foundation, he said he was doing well and feeling great.
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