The Pride of China | 功夫皇帝李连杰

by Marcus Maurice

Jet Li has been influenced by the Asian superstars that came before him.

李连杰的演艺生涯深受早期亚洲武打巨星的影响。

When Li Lian-jie was young, he wasn't very coordinated, so his mother was overprotective. At the age of eight, Li enrolled in a martial arts class at the Beijing Sports and Exercises School and did quite well. Soon, his teacher nicknamed him "Jet" because of his quick moves and grace. Jet Li then became a martial arts champion for China and was even sent to Washington DC to display his skills for the US president at that time, Richard Nixon. By the time he turned 18, Li was known as the all-around martial arts champion of China and was no longer the timid boy of his past.

After winning numerous accolades, Li jumped onto the silver screen in 1982 with Shaolin Temple. Li made a few sequels and then starred as a folk hero in Once Upon a Time in China, which started the Hong Kong martial arts film craze in the 1990s. Li made his Hollywood debut as a villain in Lethal Weapon 4, and it wasn't long before he had a leading role in the hit Romeo Must Die.

Over the course of his career, Li has been in nearly 40 features, but he has made the headlines for the roles he didn't take as well. He thought The Matrix didn't need him, and he turned down a part in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon because he promised his wife he wouldn't film a movie while she was pregnant. Before he became an in-demand movie star, Li was once asked by former US president Richard Nixon to be his personal bodyguard. Li was honored, but rejected the proposal saying, "I don't want to protect any individual. When I grow up, I want to defend my one-billion Chinese countrymen!"

　年幼的李连杰身体协调性不是很好，所以他的母亲会过度保护他。8岁时，他进入北京体育运动学校的武术班就读，而且表现相当出色。很快地，由于他身手敏捷而且优雅，他的老师帮他取了个『喷射机』的绰号。之后，他成为中国武术冠军，甚至被派到美国华盛顿特区，表演武术给当时的总统理查德‧尼克松欣赏。到了 18 岁时，李连杰已是享誉中国的全能武术冠军，不再是从前那个胆小羞怯的男孩。

　　赢得众多赞赏后，李连杰于 1982 年投身电影业，演出《少林寺》一片。他拍了几部和少林寺相关的续集，接着主演电影《黄飞鸿》中的民族英雄，开启了 1990年代香港武术电影的风潮。他在首部好莱坞作品《致命武器 4 》中饰演反派，但没过多久，他便在卖座强片《致命罗命欧》里担任主角。

　　李连杰在演艺生涯中，已有将近 40 部的电影作品，但是他谢绝演出某些角色同样让他登上新闻头条。他认为《黑客任务》这部电影没有需要自己的角色；另外，他也拒绝演出《卧虎藏龙》，因为他答应妻子在她怀孕时，不会参与任何电影的演出。李连杰成为炙手可热的影星之前，前美国总统理查德‧尼克松曾询问他是否愿意担任他的贴身保镳。李连杰备感荣幸，但拒绝了这项提议，并说：『我不想当个人保镳。当我长大后，我想要捍卫的是中国 10 亿同胞！』

For Your Information

李连杰出生于中国北京市。自 8 岁开始习武，12岁成为武术运动员，之后曾连续获得 5 次全国武术大会冠军（长拳、刀术、枪术、自选拳术、对练等项目）。

1982 年，由他主演的电影《少林寺》，不但在中国，乃至在整个亚洲华语地区都造成一股少林寺风潮。1991 年，李连杰演出香港导演徐克的系列电影《黄飞鸿》，确立了华人功夫巨星的地位。2008 年，李连杰凭电影《投名状》第一次获得香港电影金像奖最佳男主角奖项。（数据源：维基百科）