Star's life as dramatic as his movies

Jet Li's own life is as dramatic as his films. He was born into a modest family in Beijing in April 1963, the youngest of two boys and two girls. His father died when he was two, leaving the family to survive on its own.

When he was attending a martial arts course at school at the age of eight, teachers spotted his talents and invited him to join the Beijing wushu team, which performed during the national games. His coach liked him so much that he bought meat for Li and his family, who could not afford it, because he considered it essential for the good condition of an athlete.

Li won 15 gold medals and a silver medal in martial arts events, even in competitions against adults. When he was performing in front of Richard Nixon in the United States, the president asked him to be his bodyguard. But he refused, saying that he preferred to defend his one billion countrymen.

His acting career began in 1982 with the film Shaolin Temple. A publicity company gave him his English name, to match the speed of his movements. He starred in many mainland and Hong Kong films, becoming one of the best-known martial art actors in the Chinese world. In 1998, he made his American film debut in Lethal Weapon 4, the first time he had played a villain, and has played in many Hollywood films since then.

In 1987, he married a fellow member of the Beijing wushu team, with whom he had two daughters. They divorced in 1990. In 1999, he married a Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-based actress, with whom he has had two daughters.

He was inspired to set up the One Foundation by his experience in the Maldives, where he was on holiday with his family at the time of the Indian Ocean tsunami. When the floodwaters came, he was able to hold on to his elder daughter but the younger one was swept away. He appealed for local people to help; they found the little girl and reunited her with the family.