20+ Actors Who, In Real Life, Are Formidable Martial Artists

Published on 09/19/2023
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Jackie Chan

Before Jackie Chan found fame in American cinema, he had been doing it for a very long time. Ironically, Rumble in the Bronx, one of his first movies to be made in the country, wasn’t even intended for an American audience. Additionally, the movie wasn’t actually filmed in America. Yes, it was filmed in North America—more specifically, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. However, it made Americans aware of Jackie Chan, the Chinese sensation. Chan is a skilled martial artist who has trained in tae kwon do, judo, hapkido, and karate. He was a product of Chinese martial arts cinema, yet the top stuntmen in Hollywood and around the world coveted his work.

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan

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Jet Li

Another Chinese film legend who eventually received a role in American cinema was Jet Li. Li was given the chance to play the unstoppable villain in Lethal Weapon 4 opposite Mel Gibson and Danny Glover after years of acting in movies in his native China. After astonish­ing viewers in the blockbuster, Jet Li went on to have instant­aneous success in a number of American martial arts movies, where he played both the hero and the bad guy. He has a strong background in martial arts, is a master of several types of wushu, and won numerous gold medals in Chinese national contests before the age of majority.

Jet Li

Jet Li

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