- As a teenager, the rebellious Yen began running wild on the mean streets of Boston's notorious Combat Zone. Concerned, his parents arranged a detour for him-sending him to Beijing, where he would spend two years training with the famed Beijing Wushu Team, studying with the same master as Jet Li.
- He spent his early teenage years there, where his mother, Bow Sim-Mark, a world famous Wushu and Tai Chi master, ran the internationally known Chinese Wushu Research Institute, and martial arts became a major influence in his life.
- His movies reflect his personal intensity and drive as well as the life of the world he observes around him.
- Inspired by his idol, Bruce Lee, Yen not only explored a wide variety of different fighting styles, he also created his own unique martial arts system.
- Yen became the first non-PRC Chinese to be accepted at the school, thus opening the door for others to follow in future.
- Sometimes Credited As: Yan Che Dan, Donnie Yen Ji-Dan, Chi-Tan Yen, Ji-Dan Yen, Zidan Zhen
- Grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
- Classically trained pianist.
Quotes- "Music and movement are both expressions of the same basic human energy. They are like paints used to color the screen."
- "When you watch my films, you're feeling my heart."
- "Martial art is a form of expression, an expression from your inner self to your hands and legs. Like all forms of life in our universe. A gesture, a smile, or just walking down the street is an expression. For me, shooting, editing, and scoring rely on rhythm. It must be part of you. Certainly there are fundamental and technical aspects, but at the end it's the harmony of the whole."
- "I've been involved with martial arts for so many years now, I don't really analyze them too much anymore. Basically I agree with what Bruce Lee said, that, as human beings, we all have two arms and legs, so there can't really be many different styles of fighting.'Every style of martial arts has something to offer."
Awards- Hong Kong Film Awards: Best Action Choreography, CHIN GEI BIN (2004)
- Golden Horse Film Festival: Golden Horse Award - Best Action Choreography, CHIN GEI BIN (2003)
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