Jet Li

One of the most popular stars of Hong Kong martial arts films throughout the 1990s, charismatic wushu champion Jet Li was at one time considered the heir apparent to the original master, Bruce Lee. After winning numerous gold medals while an adolescent national champion, Li made an auspicious film debut with the hit martial arts action flick, "The Shaolin Temple" (1982). Though continued success followed after two sequels, Li had a major breakthrough with "Once Upon a Time in China" (1990), a martial arts epic that gave Li what many considered to be the role of a lifetime - one he went back to several times over the course of his career. Eventually Hollywood stood up and took notice, allowing the Hong Kong star to make his debut in the hit franchise, "Lethal Weapon 4" (1998). Even though he was largely consigned to playing villains, he nonetheless had a toehold in the United States, though it took the Hong Kong epic "Hero" (2004) to turn Li into a bona fide star in America.