Although Donnie Yen’s epic Ip Man trilogy has brought himself a new legion of fans in recent years, he has been a huge part of the world of Hong Kong action cinema since the 1980’s. After being discovered by legendary director Yuen Woo Ping (Drunken Master, The Matrix) he got his big break by making his lead debut in 1984’s Drunken Tai Chi. Since then he has amassed over sixty film credits to his name with duties ranging from acting to directing to fight choreography.

In the following footage from the early 90’s, a much younger Donnie Yen sporting a loose fitting business suit makes an appearance on a Chinese variety show to demonstrate his martial art prowess. After giving a demo using a Bo staff to smash some pots, he then moves onto showing a variety of striking techniques, displaying a versatility enabled by his extensive training background.

“I came to a point where my martial arts training achieved two things, versatility and explosive speed. After my second film, I returned to the states and taught Wushu, while training in Western boxing, Muay Thai, and Tae Kwon do. I then travelled to Xi’an, China for renewed training in contemporary and traditional Wushu.” he explained in an interview with Kung Fu Magazine.

Check out his handy work below.

Donnie Yen, also known as Yen Ji-dan, is a Hong Kong actor, Chinese martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and multiple-time world Wushu tournament champion. Donnie Yen is widely considered to be one of Hong Kong’s biggest action stars and is also one of the highest paid actors in all of Asia.

He has starred in films such as the Ip Man trilogy, Hero, Sha Po Lang, Blade II, The Iron Monkey, Flashpoint and the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One. [source :wiki]