Director

Donnie Yen

Acting

Career Snapshot

Explained

These indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.

Directed credits

Active

Regular directing credits.

TMDB popularity

4.6

Moderate attention

TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.

Directed movies: 13Directed series: 0All crew credits: 37

TMDB ID: 1341

IMDb ID: nm0947447

Known for: Acting

Born: July 27, 1963

Age: 62

Place of birth: Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Gender: Male

Adult content flag: No

Career span: 1953 - 2025

Years active: 73

Average TMDB rating: 6.48

Wikidata: Q311723

Also known as

Donnie Yen Ji-Dan • Yen Ji-Dan • Yen Chi-Tan • Yan Chi-Tan • Yen Chi-Ten • Yin Sze-Dan • Zhen Zi Dan • Zhen Zidan • Chung Tử Đơn • Donnie Yen • +1 more

Frequent jobs

Action Director (7)Director (5)Co-Director (1)Martial Arts Choreographer (8)Producer (7)Choreographer (2)Executive Producer (2)Stunt Double (2)Fight Choreographer (1)Stunt Coordinator (1)Stunts (1)

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Biography

Donnie Yen Chi-tan is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Awards and five Hong Kong Film Awards. He is best known for portraying Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man in the Ip Man film series, namely Ip Man (2008), Ip Man 2 (2010), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Ip Man 4: The Finale (2019). He also served as co-producer for the spin-off Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018). Born in Guangdong, Yen developed an interest in martial arts at a young age, and began experimenting with various styles, including tai chi and other traditional Chinese martial arts. At age 18, he auditioned for action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in Hong Kong. He landed his first starring role in the 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action film Drunken Tai Chi. He made his breakthrough role as the antagonist General Nap-lan in Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), opposite Jet Li's character. He appeared in several other Hong Kong kung fu films, including Iron Monkey (1993) and Wing Chun (1994). In 1997, he starred in his directorial debut film Legend of the Wolf. Yen made his American debut in Highlander: Endgame (2000), followed by a cameo in Blade II (2002). He went on to appear in the American films Shanghai Knights (2003), Rogue One (2016), XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017), Mulan (2020), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). He has continued to be active in Hong Kong cinema, appearing in the well-received films Hero (2002), SPL: Sha Po Lang (2005), 14 Blades (2010), Wu Xia (2011), Kung Fu Jungle (2014), Chasing the Dragon (2017), Enter the Fat Dragon (2020), Raging Fire (2021), and The Prosecutor (2024), among others. In television, Yen portrayed fictional character Chen Zhen in the television series Fist of Fury (1995); he reprised the role in the 2010 film Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen. For portraying Ip Man in the Ip Man film series (2008-2019), Yen is credited by many for contributing to the popularisation of Wing Chun in China. Alongside Kung fu, particularly Wing Chun, Yen is also known for incorporating mixed martial arts (MMA) elements into his action choreography. Aside from his acting, in 1997, he established his own production company, Bullet Films, which choreographed the action for Western blockbusters like Blade II (2002) and Stormbreaker (2006).