Donnie Yen
Biography
A Hong Kong actor, martial artist, filmmaker and action director, Donnie Yen is best known for playing Wing Chun master Ip Man in the Ip Man films, including Ip Man (2008) and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). Born in Guangzhou, Guangdong, he took up martial arts as a child and at 18 tried out in Hong Kong for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping, which led to his first lead in Drunken Tai Chi (1984). He broke through as General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), appeared in Iron Monkey (1993) and Wing Chun (1994), and directed Legend of the Wolf (1997). His later films include Highlander: Endgame (2000), a cameo in Blade II (2002), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Mulan (2020) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), along with Hero (2002) and Flash Point (2007). His honors include five Hong Kong Film Awards and three Golden Horse Awards.
63years old
Turns 64 on July 27in 298 days
- Born Guangzhou
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Also credited as Donnie Yen Ji-dan and Yen Chi-Tan
Movie Career
- Films
- 44
- Career span
- 39 years1984 to 2023
Genres
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A role that slipped away
Yen turned down the role of Nuidis Vulko in Zack Snyder's Justice League and Aquaman films because of scheduling conflicts; the part went to Willem Dafoe.
Getting ready for a role
In 2007, Yen shed more than 14 kg (30 pounds), getting down to 54 kg (120 pounds), so he could better play the slim Ip Man and the technique-based style of Wing Chun. He stuck to a plain diet, mostly vegetables.
Behind the camera
Yen started his own production company, Bullet Films, in 1997, which choreographed action for Western blockbusters including Blade II and Stormbreaker.
Donnie Yen movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Wilson Yip directed six of these films, Woo-Ping Yuen five and Hark Tsui three. Simon Yam appears in seven of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Simon Yam's page
Kang Yu's page
Xing Yu's page
Jet Li's page
Louis Koo's page
Kent Cheng's page
All films by Woo-Ping Yuen
All films by Hark Tsui
Also four films together1 more actor
- Yu KangBig Brother (2018), Iceman: The Time Traveler (2018), Iceman (2014) and Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Donnie Yen's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$3.4 billion
29 of the 44 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 44 films: 29 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 2 never in cinemas; 11 figure not found.
- 29Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 2Never in cinemas
- 11Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 84% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$1.1B31.4% of the total
- 2$447M13.3% of the total
- 3$346M10.3% of the total
- 4$239M7.1% of the total
- 5$205M6.1% of the total
- 6$182M5.4% of the total
- 7$177M5.3% of the total
- 8$155M4.6% of the total
$552 millionfrom the other 21 films with a worldwide figure, 16% of the total
Awards
Six awards and honors from 2003 to 2022.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| 2022 | Tatler Most Influential Hong Kong | Won | |
| 2021 | Tatler Most Influential Hong Kong | Won | |
| 2007 | Golden Bauhinia Awards | Dragon Tiger Gate | Won |
| 2006 | Hong Kong Film Awards | SPL: Sha Po Lang | Won |
| 2004 | Hong Kong Film Awards | The Twins Effect | Won |
| 2003 | Golden Horse Award for Best Action Choreography | The Twins Effect | Won |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.