Age: 62
male
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).
In the years before the first Mortal Kombat tournament, Argus, king of Edenia and father of Rain, along with his wife, Delia, propose the creation of a warrior who would bring balance to the realms. In time, Delia and Argus have two children of their own, Taven and Daegon, and construct the Pyramid of Argus. Following the deception of Shujinko by the Dragon King Onaga, the warriors of all realms fight and culminate in a prophesied "Battle of Armageddon" which manifests the awakening of Blaze, the warrior created by Argus and Delia, and Taven is awakened from his slumber, compelled to seek out Blaze and destroy him in exchange for one wish as well as riches beyond belief. Taven resolves to destroy Blaze to resolve the Armageddon conflict. Ultimately, Taven, who was betrayed by his brother Daegon and the Red Dragon clan, kills his brother in revenge for the murder of his parents at Daegon's hands, but is destroyed by Blaze, who is in turn later killed by Shao Kahn. Shao Kahn then engages in a final battle with Raiden to decide the fate of Earthrealm. Mortally wounded and about to be killed, Raiden sends a message to his younger self through his amulet with the message "he must win", rewriting history.
