Career: In his teens, he was already a national coach, and before he was 20, he had starred in his first movie, which started the 1980s Kung Fu boom in mainland China. He relocated to Hong Kong, where he was the biggest star of the early 1990s Kung Fu revival as well. After a string of successful films in which he performed all of his own stunts and dazzled audiences with his hand speed, he caught the eye of Hollywood and was cast in Lethal Weapon IV. He has followed it up with mainstream movies both in China and America and despite announcing he would make no more martial arts films, he is still an action star. His recent work includes The Expendables films.

Career: The breakthrough film thrust Ziyi into the spotlight, but even she was unprepared for the success of her next project, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000. Made for $17million, the film went on to gross more than $210million. She made her US film debut opposite Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 2 (2001) before reuniting with director Yimou for the epic Hero (2002). Ziyi dipped a toe in the world of the avant garde with Purple Butterfly (2003), and returned to the martial arts genre with the smash-hit House of Flying Daggers (2004). She followed this up with the acclaimed offerings 2046 (2004) and Princess Raccoon (2005), and dazzled Western audiences with her first English-speaking lead role in Memoirs of a Geisha (2005). Her other film credits include The Banquet (2006), Horsemen (2009), Sophie's Revenge (2009), Dangerous Liaisons (2012) and The Crossing (2014). She provided the voice of Karai in TMNT (2007).

Career: Yen has built a name for himself as an actor and martial artist both in Asian cinema and in Hollywood. His first starring role was in the film Drunken Tai Chi (1984). Then, in 1992, he was cast as the villain Once Upon a Time in China II (1992), which starred Jet Li. Yen and Li later appeared together again in Hero (2002). During the 1990s, Yen appeared in TV shows and started his own production company, where he directed films. Later, he went back to the United States where he choreographed fight scenes and had cameo roles in Highlander: Endgame (2000) and Blade II (2002). He also appeared alongside Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights (2003). Yen starred in Ip Man (2008) and its sequels, which has led to him being credited for popularising the Wing Chun martial arts style. Roles that Yen has been cast in more recently include as Chirrut Imwe in Rogue One (2016) and as Xiang in xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).