116 Facts About Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan was born on 7 April 1954, Chinese:, Yale romanization: Sihng Luhng, Jyutping: Sing4 Lung4; lit.

Jackie Chan is one of the most popular action film stars of all time.

Jackie Chan is one of the most recognisable and influential film personalities in the world, with a widespread global following in both the Eastern and Western hemispheres.

Jackie Chan has received fame stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jackie Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, cartoons, films, and video games.

Jackie Chan is an operatically trained vocalist and is a Cantopop and Mandopop star, having released a number of music albums and sung many of the theme songs for the films in which he has starred.

Jackie Chan is a globally known philanthropist and has been named one of the top 10 most charitable celebrities by Forbes magazine.

Since 2013, Jackie Chan has been a pro-Chinese Communist Party politician, having served two terms as a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and, in 2021, expressing his desire to join the CPC.

For fear of being arrested by the communist government, Jackie Chan's father fled to British Hong Kong in the 1940s and changed his surname from Fang to Jackie Chan.

Jackie Chan discovered his father's identity and changed his Chinese name to Fang Shilong in the late 1990s, the name he would have been named according to his kin's genealogy book.

Jackie Chan spent his formative years within the grounds of the French consul's residence in the Victoria Peak, British Hong Kong, as his father worked as a cook there.

Jackie Chan attended the Nah-Hwa Primary School on Hong Kong Island, where he failed his first year, after which his parents withdrew him from the school.

In 1960, his father emigrated to Canberra, Australia to work as the head cook for the American embassy, and Jackie Chan was sent to the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School run by Master Yu Jim-yuen.

Jackie Chan trained rigorously for the next decade, excelling in martial arts and acrobatics.

Jackie Chan eventually became part of the Seven Little Fortunes, a performance group made up of the school's best students, gaining the stage name Yuen Lo in homage to his master.

Jackie Chan became close friends with fellow group members Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, and the three of them later became known as the Three Brothers or Three Dragons.

Jackie Chan joined his parents in Canberra, Australia in 1971, where he briefly attended Dickson College and worked as a construction worker.

Jackie Chan began his film career by appearing in small roles at the age of five as a child actor.

In 1971, after an appearance as an extra in another kung fu film, A Touch of Zen, Jackie Chan was signed to Chu Mu's Great Earth Film Company.

Jackie Chan appeared in the Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury, both as an extra and as a stunt double for the Japanese villain Hiroshi Suzuki, particularly during the final fight scene where Lee kicks him and he flies through the air.

Jackie Chan again appeared in another Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon, as a minor henchman who gets killed by Lee's character.

Sammo Hung helped Jackie Chan get minor roles in both of the Bruce Lee films.

Jackie Chan worked as a martial arts choreographer for John Woo's The Young Dragons.

In 1976, Jackie Chan received a telegram from Willie Chan, a film producer in the Hong Kong film industry who had been impressed with Jackie's stunt choreography work.

Willie Jackie Chan offered him an acting role in a film directed by Lo Wei.

Jackie Chan gave Chan the opportunity to make his directorial debut in The Fearless Hyena.

When Willie Chan left the company, he advised Jackie to decide for himself whether or not to stay with Lo Wei.

The dispute was resolved with the help of fellow actor and director Jimmy Wang Yu, allowing Jackie Chan to stay with Golden Harvest.

Willie Chan became Jackie's personal manager and firm friend, and remained so for over 30 years.

Jackie Chan was instrumental in launching Chan's international career, beginning with his first forays into the American film industry in the 1980s.

Jackie Chan then played a minor role in the 1981 film The Cannonball Run, which grossed over worldwide.

Back in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan's films began to reach a larger audience in East Asia, with early successes in the lucrative Japanese market including Drunken Master, The Young Master and Dragon Lord.

Jackie Chan produced a number of action comedy films with his opera school friends Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.

In 1985, Jackie Chan made the first Police Story film, a crime action film in which Jackie Chan performed a number of dangerous stunts.

In 1986, Jackie Chan played "Asian Hawk," an Indiana Jones-esque character, in the film Armour of God.

In 1988, Jackie Chan starred alongside Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao for the last time to date in the film Dragons Forever.

In 1994, Jackie Chan reprised his role as Wong Fei-hung in Drunken Master II, which was listed in Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Movies.

Jackie Chan rekindled his Hollywood ambitions in the 1990s, but refused early offers to play villains in Hollywood films to avoid being typecast in future roles.

Jackie Chan declined and the role was taken by Wesley Snipes.

Jackie Chan finally succeeded in establishing a foothold in the North American market in 1995 with a worldwide release of Rumble in the Bronx, attaining a cult following in the United States that was rare for Hong Kong movie stars.

Jackie Chan continued his Hollywood success in 2000 when he teamed up with Owen Wilson in the Western action comedy Shanghai Noon.

Jackie Chan experimented with the use of special effects and wirework for the fight scenes in his next two Hollywood films, The Tuxedo and The Medallion, which were not as successful critically or commercially.

In 2004, film scholar Andrew Willis stated that Jackie Chan was "perhaps" the "most recognised star in the world".

Jackie Chan's films have since featured an increasing number of dramatic scenes while continuing to succeed at the box office; examples include New Police Story, The Myth and the hit film Rob-B-Hood.

Jackie Chan voiced Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda, appearing with Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, and Angelina Jolie.

In November 2007, Jackie Chan began filming Shinjuku Incident, a dramatic role featuring no martial arts sequences with director Derek Yee, which sees Jackie Chan take on the role of a Chinese immigrant in Japan.

Jackie Chan is the lone survivor of his army and must bring a captured enemy soldier Leehom Wang to the capital of his province.

Jackie Chan plays Mr Han, a kung fu master and maintenance man who teaches Jaden Smith's character kung fu so he can defend himself from school bullies.

Jackie Chan was the co-director, executive producer, and lead star of the movie.

Jackie Chan later clarified that he would not be completely retiring from action films, but would be performing fewer stunts and taking care of his body more.

In 2013, Jackie Chan starred in Police Story 2013, a reboot of the Police Story franchise directed by Ding Sheng, and it was released in China at the end of 2013.

In 2015, Jackie Chan was awarded the title of "Datuk" by Malaysia as he helped Malaysia to boost its tourism, especially in Kuala Lumpur where he previously shot his films.

Jackie Chan starred in the 2016 action-comedy Railroad Tigers and the 2017 action-thriller The Foreigner, an Anglo-Chinese production.

Jackie Chan will appear in Project X-Traction alongside John Cena.

Jackie Chan's films had collectively grossed at the Hong Kong box office up until 2010, over in South Korea between 1991 and 2010, and in Japan up until 2012.

Jackie Chan had vocal lessons whilst at the Peking Opera School in his childhood.

Jackie Chan began producing records professionally in the 1980s and has gone on to become a successful singer in Hong Kong and Asia.

Jackie Chan has released 20 albums since 1984 and has performed vocals in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Taiwanese and English.

Jackie Chan voiced the character of Shang in the Chinese release of the Walt Disney animated feature Mulan.

Jackie Chan performed the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You", for the film's soundtrack.

In 2007, Jackie Chan recorded and released "We Are Ready", the official one-year countdown song to the 2008 Summer Olympics which he performed at a ceremony marking the one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Jackie Chan performed "Hard to Say Goodbye" along with Andy Lau, Liu Huan and Wakin Chau, at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

Jackie Chan received his honorary Doctorate of Social Science degree in 1996 from the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Jackie Chan is currently a faculty member of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where he teaches the subject of tourism management.

Jackie Chan had an extra-marital affair with Elaine Ng Yi-Lei and has a daughter Etta Ng Chok Lam by her, born on 18 January 1999.

Jackie Chan speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and American Sign Language and speaks some German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Thai.

Jackie Chan is an avid football fan and supports the Hong Kong national football team, the England national football team, and Manchester City.

Jackie Chan is a fan of the Italian duo Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, from whom he was inspired for his movies.

Critics have compared his comedic stunts in Project A to Buster Keaton, who was known to perform his own stunts, although Jackie Chan himself had not watched Keaton's films until years after Project A released; according to Jackie Chan, Project A was an evolution of the action stunt work he had been doing in earlier kung fu comedy films since The Young Master.

Police Story contained many large-scale action scenes, including an opening sequence featuring a car chase through a shanty town, Jackie Chan stopping a double-decker bus with his service revolver and a climactic fight scene in a shopping mall.

Jackie Chan performed similarly elaborate stunts in numerous other films, such as several Police Story sequels, Project A Part II, the Armor of God series, Dragons Forever, Drunken Master II, Rumble in the Bronx, and the Rush Hour series, among others.

Jackie Chan holds the Guinness World Record for "Most Stunts by a Living Actor", which emphasises that "no insurance company will underwrite Jackie Chan's productions in which he performs all his own stunts".

Jackie Chan has been injured frequently when attempting stunts; many of them have been shown as outtakes or as bloopers during the closing credits of his films.

Jackie Chan came closest to death filming Armour of God when he fell from a tree and fractured his skull.

Jackie Chan created his screen persona as a response to the late Bruce Lee and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death.

In contrast, Jackie Chan plays well-meaning, slightly foolish regular men, often at the mercy of their friends, girlfriends, or families, who always triumph in the end despite the odds.

Additionally, he has stated that he deliberately styles his movement to be the opposite of Lee's: where Lee held his arms wide, Jackie Chan holds his tight to the body; where Lee was loose and flowing, Jackie Chan is tight and choppy.

In 2008, Jackie Chan met actor Vijay and discussed about his stunts in his films putting his life at risk.

Jackie Chan plays a low-level gangster in 2009's Shinjuku Incident, a serious drama set in Tokyo about unsavory characters.

Jackie Chan has received global recognition for his film acting and stunt work.

Jackie Chan's accolades include the Innovator Award from the American Choreography Awards and a lifetime achievement award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards.

Jackie Chan has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars.

Reviewers of Rush Hour 2, The Tuxedo, and Shanghai Knights noted the toning down of Jackie Chan's fighting scenes, citing less intensity compared to his earlier films.

Jackie Chan was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1989 and the Silver Bauhinia Star in 1999.

Jackie Chan has been cited as the inspiration for manga and anime such as Dragon Ball, which was particularly inspired by Drunken Master, and the fight scenes in Jackie Chan movies; the show pays homage with a character by the alias "Jackie Chun".

Jackie Chan inspired video game characters such as Lei Wulong in Tekken and the fighting-type Pokemon Hitmonchan.

On 25 June 2013, Jackie Chan responded to a hoax Facebook page created a few days earlier that alleged he had died.

Jackie Chan said that several people contacted him to congratulate him on his recent engagement, and soon thereafter contacted him again to ask if he was still alive.

Jackie Chan has a sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi Motors that has resulted in the appearance of Mitsubishi cars in a number of his films.

Jackie Chan was the primary catalyst for the creation of review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, whose founder Senh Duong was his fan and created the website after collecting all the reviews of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong action movies as they were being released in the United States.

Jackie Chan says he has always wanted to be a role model to children, and has remained popular with them due to his good-natured acting style.

Jackie Chan funded the construction of the Jackie Chan Science Centre at the Australian National University and the establishment of schools in poor regions of China.

Jackie Chan is a spokesperson for the Government of Hong Kong, appearing in public service announcements.

When Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005, Jackie Chan participated in the opening ceremony.

In November 2013, a statue of Jackie Chan was unveiled in front of what is known as the JC Film Gallery, which opened in the spring of 2014.

On 1 February 2015, Jackie Chan was awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Tuanku Abdul Halim in conjunction with the country's Federal Territory Day.

In 1989, Jackie Chan performed at the Concert for Democracy in China in support of democratic movement during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests; by 2021, in contrast, he expressed his desire to join the Chinese Communist Party.

Police and security personnel separated Chan from scores of protesters shouting "Jackie Chan, get out" when he arrived at Taipei airport in June 2008.

Jackie Chan warned that "publicity seekers" planning to stop him from carrying the Olympic Torch "not get anywhere near" him.

In 2009, Jackie Chan was named an "anti-drug ambassador" by the Chinese government, actively taking part in anti-drug campaigns and supporting President Hu Jintao's declaration that illegal drugs should be eradicated, and their users punished severely.

In December 2012, Jackie Chan caused outrage when he criticised Hong Kong as a "city of protest", suggesting that demonstrators' rights in Hong Kong should be limited.

From 2013 to 2023, Jackie Chan served two terms as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representing the "Literature and Arts" sector.

In 2019, Jackie Chan criticised Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests, saying that the 'Five-starred Red Flag' is respected everywhere around the world.

Jackie Chan expressed his hopes that the size of the venue would afford young, non-commercial directors the opportunity to have their films screened.

In 2004, Chan launched his own line of clothing, which bears a Chinese dragon logo and the English word "Jackie", or the initials "JC".

Jackie Chan's Cafe has outlets in Beijing, Singapore, and the Philippines.

In 2016, Jackie Chan partnered with Asian Le Mans Series champion David Cheng to form a racing team in the series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Jackie Chan is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and has championed charitable works and causes.

Jackie Chan has campaigned for conservation and against animal abuse, and has promoted disaster relief efforts for floods in mainland China and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

In June 2006, citing his admiration of the efforts made by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to help those in need, Jackie Chan pledged the donation of half his assets to charity upon his death.

Jackie Chan is a supporter and ambassador of Save China's Tigers, which aims to save the endangered South China tiger through breeding and releasing them into the wild.

In January 2017, Jackie Chan donated $65,000 to help flood victims in Thailand.

In 2005, Jackie Chan created the Dragon's Heart Foundation to help children and the elderly in remote areas of China by building schools, providing books, fees, and uniforms for children; the organisation expanded its reach to Europe in 2011.

One product which Jackie Chan had endorsed in China was the "Little Tyrant" produced by Subor, a Nintendo Entertainment System hardware clone marketed as a "learning machine" to circumvent China's then-ban on video game consoles.

In 2010, Jackie Chan served as brand ambassador for Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in Asia.

However, Jackie Chan has endorsed a number of products and companies which have not had issues.