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Donnie Yen
Acting
Biography
Donnie Yen Chi-tan (Chinese: 甄子丹; Jyutping: jan1 zi2 daan1; pinyin: Zhēn Zǐdān; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. His accolades include three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards. He is best known for portraying Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, namely Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). He also served as a co-producer of the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018).
Born in Guangdong, Yen developed an interest in martial arts at a young age and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. At age 18,…
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Donnie Yen Chi-tan (Chinese: 甄子丹; Jyutping: jan1 zi2 daan1; pinyin: Zhēn Zǐdān; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. His accolades include three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards. He is best known for portraying Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, namely Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). He also served as a co-producer of the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018). Born in Guangdong, Yen developed an interest in martial arts at a young age and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. At age 18, he auditioned for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in Hong Kong. He landed his first starring role in the 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film Drunken Tai Chi. He made his breakthrough role as the antagonist General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), opposite Jet Li's character. He appeared in several other Hong Kong kung fu films, including Iron Monkey (1993) and Wing Chun (1994). In 1997, he starred in his directorial debut film, Legend of the Wolf. Yen made his American debut in Highlander: Endgame (2000), followed by a cameo in Blade II (2002). He went on to appear in the American films Shanghai Knights (2003), Rogue One (2016), XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), Mulan (2020), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). He has continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema, appearing in the well-received films Hero (2002), SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), Flash Point (2007), 14 Blades (2010), Wu Xia (2011), Kung Fu Jungle (2014), Chasing the Dragon (2017), Enter the Fat Dragon (2020), Raging Fire (2021), and The Prosecutor (2024), among others. In television, Yen portrayed fictional character Chen Zhen in the television series Fist of Fury (1995); he reprised the role in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. For portraying Ip Man in the Ip Man film series (2008–2019), Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. Alongside Kung fu, particularly Wing Chun, Yen is also known for incorporating elements of mixed martial arts (MMA) into his action choreography. Aside from his acting, in 1997, he established his own production company, Bullet Films, which choreographed the action for Western blockbusters like Blade II (2002) and Stormbreaker (2006). Description above from the Wikipedia article Donnie Yen, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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BODY OF WORK
Donnie Yen's Filmography
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You are the Best
as Alex Yang
The Prosecutor
as Fok Chi Ho
John Wick: Chapter 4
as Caine
Sakra
as Qiao Feng / Xiao Feng
The Monkey King: The Legend Begins
as Sun Wukong / Monkey King
Polar Rescue
as A De
New Kung Fu Cult Master 2
as Zhang Sanfeng
New Kung Fu Cult Master
as Zhang Sanfeng
Kung Fu Stuntmen
Raging Fire
as Bong
Mulan
as Commander Tung
Enter the Fat Dragon
as Fallon Zhu
Ip Man 4: The Finale
as Ip Man
Iceman: The Time Traveler
as Ying
Big Brother
as Henry Chen Xia
Guardians of Martial Arts
as Master Yen
Chasing the Dragon
as Crippled Ho
The Stories: The Making of 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'
as Self
xXx: Return of Xander Cage
as Xiang
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
as Chirrut Imwe
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny
as Silent Wolf
Ip Man 3
as Ip Man
An Inspector Calls
as Band Members
Kung Fu Jungle
as Hahou Mo
Iceman
as Ying
Golden Chickensss
as Yip Man
The Monkey King
as Sun Wukong / Monkey King
Wu Xia Pian - Le Festin du Tigre Chinois
as Self
Special ID
as Dragon Chan
Together
as Chan Kwok-Wah
All's Well, Ends Well
as Carl Tam
Dragon
as Liu Jinxi / Tang Long
The Lost Bladesman
as Guan Yunchang
All's Well, End's Well 2011
as Cheng Yu-keung / Arnold Cheng
Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen
as Chen Zhen
Ip Man 2
as Ip Man
14 Blades
as Qinglong
Bodyguards and Assassins
as Shum Chung Yang
The Founding of a Republic
as Tian Han
How Bruce Lee Changed the World
as Self
All's Well, End's Well 2009
as Wedding Guest (cameo)
Ip Man
as Yip Man
Painted Skin
as Pang Yong
An Empress and the Warriors
as General Muyong Xuehu
Flash Point
as Ma
Dragon Tiger Gate
as Dragon Wong
SPL: Kill Zone
as Inspector Ma Kwun
Seven Swords
as Chu Zhaonan
'Hero' Defined: A Look at the Epic Masterpiece
as Self
The Twins Effect II
as General Lone
Love on the Rocks
as Victor Tsui
Shanghai Knights
as Wu Chow
Hero
as Sky
The Blood Pact: The Making of 'Blade II'
as Self
The Kung Fu Master
as Hung Hei-Kwun
Fist of Fury
as Chen-Jun
Blade II
as Snowman
Fist of Fury - Sworn Revenge
as Chen Zhen
Reflections on 'the Little Dragon'
Hong Kong Superstars
as Self
Highlander: Endgame
as Jin Ke
City of Darkness
as Ozone
Shanghai Affairs
as Tong Shan
Ballistic Kiss
as Cat Lee
Legend of the Wolf
as Fung Man-hin
Black Rose II
as Boxing School Owner
义侠勇闯上海滩
as 唐山
Satan Returns
as Nam
Iron Monkey 2
as Iron Monkey
The Saint of Gamblers
as Lung Chat
High Voltage
as Chiang Ho-Wa
Circus Kids
as Danton Lee
Revenge of the Kung Fu Master
as Hung-Hei Kwun
Wing Chun
as Leung Pok To
Cinema of Vengeance
as Self (uncredited)
Heroes Among Heroes
as So Chan
Iron Monkey
as Wong Kei-ying
Butterfly and Sword
as Yip Cheung
New Dragon Gate Inn
as Eunuch Tso Siu Yan
Once Upon a Time in China II
as Commander Lan
Crystal Hunt
as Leung / Brett Chan
Cheetah on Fire
as Ronnie
The Holy Virgin Versus the Evil Dead
as Shiang Chin-Fei
Donnie Yen UK Tour 1991
Tiger Cage II
as Dragon Yau
In the Line of Duty 4
as Captain Donnie Yan
Tiger Cage
as Terry
The Last Conflict
as Dickson Kwan
Mismatched Couples
as Eddie
Drunken Tai Chi
as Chan Chuen Chung
Caine
as Caine
Ip Man 5
as Ip Man
No Poster
Kung Fu
Flash Point: Resurgence
as Det. Sgt. Ma Jun