Donnie Yen was brought up in Boston, Massachusetts, where he was first involved with gangs in the Chinatown area. His mother, Bow Sim Mark, sent him to Mainland China to train in wushu. He trained in the same group that Jet Li was in. His mother, a famous martial artist also taught him Tai Chi Chuan and Wushu starting at the age of 4. Donnie Yen's father also taught him classical piano. After, he went on to train in many other martial arts such as Tae Kwon Do. Perhaps his training in Tae Kwon Do has made him the best kicker in Hong Kong because the art focuses mainly on kicking. In 1982, he was named by Inside Kung Fu Magazine as the "Best Martial Artist of the Year." His movie career was launched when was returning to America, and made a stop at Hong Kong. There, he auditioned for veteran director Yuen Woo-Ping's Drunken Tai Chi and history was made! Actually, Donnie Yen had never intended to be an actor. Luckily, Yuen Woo-Ping discovered his talent and put it on the screen.

Besides Donnie Yen, martial arts talent runs through his family. His sister, Yen Chi Ching, has won numerous medals in international martial arts competitions. His mother, perhaps almost just as popular as Donnie, Bow Sim Mark, is a renowned martial arts master of Tai Chi Chuan and Pa Kua Chang. Black Belt Magazine named her Instructor of the Year, and "Inside Kung-Fu" Magazine named her Woman of the Year in 1994 and 1996.

Donnie's directorial debut was this year with Legend of the Wolf.