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).
Donnie Yen
Usagi Yojimbo
for Usagi Yojimbo in TMNT Origins: Shredder
Suggested by aluminumforest
For thousands of years, the Foot Clan and the Hamato Clan had been at war over the Kuro Kabuto, a helmet created by an interdimensional race known as the Utroms, which has the ability to cause mass destruction. Eventually, Usagi Yojimbo of the Hamato Clan manage to steal the helmet from the Foot Clan, but was forced to kill Grandmaster Oroku, and was mutated by an Utrom in the process. Feeling guilty about leaving Oroku’s infant son without parents, Yojimbo took him to the Hamato Clan, where he raised him alongside the descendant of the clan’s founder. Now, the year is 2011, and the Foot Clan has resurfaced. Oroku Saki and Hamato Yoshi, the latter of whom has a wife and daughter, are the two best senseis of the Hamato Clan, and stop at nothing to destroy the Foot Clan. That is until its new grandmaster reveals the truth to Oroku Saki about his heritage, causing him to steal the Kuro Kabuto and use it to exact revenge on Usagi Yojimbo, with only Hamato Yoshi standing between them…
