Donnie Yen Short biography
Donnie Yen Ji-dan (甄子丹; born 27 July 1963) is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is regarded as one of Hong Kong's top action stars. Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. He portrays Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, which has garnered box office success. He has also gained international recognition for playing Chirrut Îmwe in Rogue One (2016) and Xiang in XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), as well as Commander Tung in Mulan (2020) and Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).
Yen was born on 27 July 1963 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. His mother, Bow-sim Mark, is a Fu-style Wudang Quan (internal martial arts) and tai chi grandmaster, while his father, Klyster Yen (甄雲龍), was a newspaper editor. When he was two years old, his family moved to Hong Kong and then to the United States when he was 11, settling in Boston. He attended Newton North High School. His younger sister, Chris Yen, is also a martial artist and actress and appeared in the 2007 film Adventures of Johnny Tao: Rock Around the Dragon.
At a young age, under the influence of his mother, Yen developed an interest in martial arts and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. At age 16, Yen began practicing Wushu after his parents sent him to Beijing to train with the Beijing Wushu Team. At age 18, when Yen was returning to the United States to visit his family, he made a stop in Hong Kong, where he met and auditioned for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping.
