Overview (4)

Born April 7, 1954 in Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Birth Name Kong-sang Chan Nicknames Y'uen Lo

Sing Lung

Pao Pao

Kung-Fu Master Height 5' 8½" (1.74 m)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (9)

Cleverly utilizes everyday items as props in fight scenes (chairs, ladders, lamps, tables, et cetera)



Likes to give "thumbs up"



Mostly does his own stunts



Often has outtakes at the end of his films of failed stunts and other accidents.



In addition to spectacular stunts and action, his movies often contain scenes in which he is tortured or forced to undergo grueling physical activity (usually as punishment by a master or teacher).



Always plays the "Good Guy" except in Ru jing cha (1974) aka "Rumble in Hong Kong"



Uses martial arts and hand-to-hand combat in all his fight scenes



Most of his films feature slapstick humor



Chinese accent



Trivia (112)

Kong Sang means "Born In Hong Kong."



Sing Lung means "Already a Dragon."





Prefers to do action films with strong humour streaks and physical clowning like Buster Keaton

In the act of performing his own stunts, he has broken his nose three times, his ankle once, most of the fingers in his hand, both cheekbones and his skull.



Not only does he do his own stunts, but he is a lead-from-the-front kind of guy and expects the actors & actresses in his movies to do their own stunts as well.



Most often dubs his own voice for the English release of his Asian films. He also dubs his Asian films in Mandarin.



Was to star in a film entitled "Nosebleed", but the project was canceled after the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He was to play a window-washer at the WTC who has to stop a terrorist plot.



In 1989, he was awarded an M.B.E.(Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to entertainment.



His fan club once topped 10,000 members, mostly young girls; one of them committed suicide after she discovered that he was married. Another female fan attempted suicide, but was saved.



Has a permanent hole in his head from a stunt accident.



In 1990, he was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Minister of Culture and Communication.



The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conferred the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) upon him in 1999.



Despite the minimal formal education he received, he was made an honorary doctor of social science of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and an honorary fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.



In his action scenes, his punches and kicks actually connect with their targets. He has his actors wear special padding in their feet and body to prevent serious injury.



Has a great, long-lasting relationship with Mitsubishi Motors. The company has donated many of their automobiles for his films.





Underwent plastic surgery in 1976 to re-shape his eyelids, giving him a more "Western" appearance. The final film with the old-look Chan is Wooden Man (1976).

His parents worked at the American Embassy in Canberra, Australia. Jackie lived with them there for a while after one of his attempts in the movie business fell through.





According to his production diary on the official Shanghai Knights (2003) website, the producers of the film wanted to throw him a birthday party, but he asked them not to since his mother had recently died and Chinese tradition dictates that you should wait 3 to 12 months after a death to stop the mourning period. The producers threw the party anyway, and Chan did not object because, he said, "it is an important part of the American culture to celebrate birthdays".



He sings in the Chinese version of Mulan (1998). He sings the Chinese version of "I'll Make a Man Out of You".



His role models are Charles Chaplin Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd , all of whom were more important to him as a child than any martial arts star, the label he was basically forced into at a very young age.



Elaine Wu gave birth to a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, on November 19, 1999. The Hong Kong media alleged that he was the father, but there has as yet been no verification by either party involved.



He worked with Bruce Lee as a stunt coordinator.



He was a stunt/fight coordinator for John Woo during his kung-fu phase.



Says the most painful of all the injuries he's sustained in his career happened on Der Mann mit der Todeskralle (1973), when Bruce Lee accidentally hit him in the face with a nunchuck.



Is best friends with Sylvester Stallone

Supporter of The Salvation Army's work in China.



Capable of speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Korean.



His family roots originate from the coastal port city of Ningbo, which is located on southern edge of Hangzhou Bay along the Eastern seaboard of Zhejiang province, China.



Received his name "Jackie" from fellow workers on a construction site in Canberra, Australia, who couldn't pronounce his real name.





Was first approached to play Sato in Black Rain (1989) but decided the role did not match his values/image.

There is a Chinese Take-away in Hyde Park, Leeds of the United Kingdom named 'Jackie Chan's'.



He said the hardest thing about acting is speaking in English. Doing stunts are easy for him compared to speaking in English.



Despite his nearly innumerable injuries, he admits he still has a fear of needles.



While he's classed as a Martial Artist, he has little formal training, and doesn't hold any formal belt for any style. The fighting style he used during filming was a mix of different styles, primarily using Northern and traditional Kung-Fu as the base, then building on that with other fighting styles and slapstick to make the scene work is the most humorous way possible.



On June 10, Jackie Chan received the New York Asian Film Festival's Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was made at a special event at New York's Lincoln Center. Jackie also participated in a Q&A session with Grady Hendrix, one of the founders of Subway Cinema, the organization that began and now co-presents the annual NYAFF. The evening concluded with a screening of Jackie's most recent film "Chinese Zodiac".



On 25th April 2008 in Chennai(Madras), Tamil Nadu, Southern India to attend as the Chief guest for the audio release of a great Indian [Tamil] Star KamalaHassan's much awaiting movie Dasavatharam along with CM Mr K. Karunanidhi, Amitab Bachan, Mammootty, Vijay, Hemamalini, Jayaprada, Mallika Shravat, Asin etc. [April 2008]



The character 'Hitmonchan' from the Pokemon series is named after him.





Jackie Chan personally holds two Guinness World Records that were awarded to him December 5, 2012. He holds the records of Most credits in one movie and Most stunts by a living actor. The first record was made by him with the movie Armour of God - Chinese Zodiac (2012) where he carried out 15 of the major creative movie-making roles for the film including Director, Producer, Actor, Fight Choreographer and Composer, breaking the previous record of 11 credits held by Robert Rodriguez

Admits that he is not very good with technology, particularly computers.



Despite being known for his extraordinary combat skills, Jackie abhors violence in real life and claims to having only been in one fight his entire life and only then because his friends dragged him into it.





Was John Carpenter 's first choice for the role of Wang Chi in Big Trouble in Little China (1986) but declined in order to concentrate on his career in Hong Kong.



Sylvester Stallone offered him the role of Simon Phoenix in Demolition Man (1993). He turned it down, as he didn't want to play a villain.

Is trained in Northern & Southern styles of Kung-Fu as well as other styles of Martial Arts including Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Hapkido. Chan also has some experience in Jeet Kune Do having studied under Bruce Lee while working as a stuntman on some of his films.



Won Hong Kong Academy "Best Picture" Award for Police Story, 1986.



Won Taiwan Golden Horse "Best Actor" Awards Two Times: Police Story 3, 1992. Crime Story, 1993.





His father is Charles Chan and his mother is Lily Chan (also known as Lee-Lee Chan).

Has a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (born November 19, 1999), with Elaine Ng Yi-Lei.



Jackie received the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual New York Asian Film Festival in 2013.





Police Story (1985) is his favorite out of "Police Story" series.

Co-Founder of JCE Movies Limited in 2004.





Was in consideration for the part of Clouseau's Chinese assistant, Cato Fong in Der rosarote Panther (2006) but the filmmakers decided they didn't want to use a politically incorrect character, and replaced Cato with the Frenchman Ponton.

Has played 7 characters more than once in the movies: Wong fei-Hung from Drunken Master films, Asian Hawk from Armour of God films, Monkey voice from Kung Fu Panda films, Lee from Rush Hour films, Chan Ka Kui from Police Story films, Dragon Ma Yue Lung from 'A' gai wak films and Muscles from Lucky Stars films.





Performed the voice acting and singing for the Beast in the Chinese (Mandarin) dub of the Die Schöne und das Biest (1991).

Once owns a production company, Golden Way Films Ltd. It was produced for Police Story films (1985-1992), Project A II (1987) and Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (1989).





Good friend of Korean actress Hee-seon Kim



Was in consideration for the part of the King in Hero (2002) but turned it down.

His fans call him "Big brother".



In 2009, Chan was named an "anti-drug ambassador" by the Chinese government, actively taking part in anti-drug campaigns and supporting President Xi Jinping's declaration that illegal drugs should be eradicated, and their users punished severely. In 2014, when his own son Jaycee was arrested for cannabis use, he said that he was "angry", "shocked", "heartbroken" and "ashamed" of his son. He also remarked, "I hope all young people will learn a lesson from Jaycee and stay far from the harm of drugs. I say to Jaycee that you have to accept the consequences when you do something wrong.



Referring to his participation in the torch relay for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Chan spoke out against demonstrators who disrupted the relay several times attempting to draw attention to a wide-ranging number of grievances against the Chinese government. He warned that "publicity seekers" planning to stop him from carrying the Olympic Torch "not get anywhere near" him. Chan also argued that China was attempting reform and that the Olympics coverage that year would be a chance for the country to learn from the outside world.



He was awarded the title of Panglima Mahkota Wilayah by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Tuanku Abdul Halim in conjunction with the country's Federal Territory Day. It carries the title of Datuk in Malaysia. [1 February 2015].



Mentioned in the song 'Jackie Chan is a Punk Rocker' by 'Heavy Vegetable'.



An avid football fan and supports the Hong Kong national football team, England National Football Team, and Manchester City.



Received his Doctor of Social Science degree in 1996 from the Hong Kong Baptist University.



In 2009, he received another honorary doctorate from the University of Cambodia, and has also been awarded an honorary professorship by the Savannah College of Art and Design in Hong Kong in 2008.



Founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation in 1988, to offers scholarship and active help to Hong Kong's young people and provide aid to victims of natural disaster or illness.





His movie Drunken Master (1994) was listed in Time magazine's All-Time 100 Movies.

He was voted the #70 in Top 101 Most Influential People by Entertainment Weekly in 2001.



Ranked #41 on Channel 4 (UK)'s 100 Greatest movie stars. [1999].





In 2000, He helped create a PlayStation game called Jackie Chan Stuntmaster (2000), to which he lent his voice and performed the motion capture.



Was not in attendance at Leslie Cheung 's funeral due to Das Medaillon (2003) filming in Germany.

Ranked #89 in Premiere magazine's 2001 annual Power 100 list. Had ranked #85 in 2002.





His Cantonese song Story of a Hero (theme song of Police Story (1985)) was selected by the Royal Hong Kong Police and incorporated into their recruitment advertisement in 1994.

He has been the inspiration for manga such as Dragon Ball (including a character with the alias "Jackie Chun"), the character Lei Wulong in Tekken and the fighting-type Pokémon Hitmonchan.



A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.





In 2007, He 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. Chan also released one of the two official Olympics albums, Official Album for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Jackie Chan 's Version, which featured a number of special guest appearances. Chan performed "Hard to Say Goodbye" along with Andy Lau , Liu Huan and Wakin (Emil) Chau, at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.

His greatest regret in life is not having received a proper education, inspiring him to fund educational institutions around the world.



In 2015, Forbes Magazine estimated his earnings for the year to be $50 million.



Ranked #6 in Netscape's Top 10 Hollywood Super Heroes. [July 2006].





His wife Feng-Jiao Lin was formerly a famous Taiwanese actress.

He was voted the #15 in Top 25 Awesome Action Heroes by Entertainment Weekly. [October 2007].



Ranked #94 in Premiere magazine's 2003 annual Power 100 list. Had ranked #85 in 2002.



One of Forbes' Top 10 Most Generous Celebrities in 2006.



Mentioned in the song 'Jackie Chan' by Japan female musical group Frank Chickens.



During a news conference in Shanghai on 28 March 2004, Chan referred to the recently concluded Republic of China 2004 presidential election in Taiwan, in which Democratic Progressive Party candidates Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu were re-elected as President and Vice-President, as "the biggest joke in the world". A Taiwanese legislator and senior member of the DPP, Parris Chang, called for the government of Taiwan to ban his films and bar him the right to visit Taiwan. Police and security personnel separated Chan from scores of protesters shouting "Jackie Chan, get out" when he arrived at Taipei airport in June 2008.





He was sucker punched by one of his fans while filming Rush Hour 2 (2001) because the fan thought he would block the punch. [April, 2001].



Frequent collaborator of Stanley Tong

Ranked #3 in E!'s 2002 Toughest Stars 25 list.



Mentioned in the song "Kung Fu" by Ash.



His exclamation "Duang!", coined in a commercial for Bawang shampoo in 2004, took off as a meme in 2015 on Chinese social media and became one of the top trending words of the year, even though it has no specific meaning.





According to a 2017 interview, he went out bowling with Bruce Lee just days before the latter died in 1973.

Personal Quotes (18)

Don't try to be like Jackie. There is only one Jackie.... Study computers instead.



It's very important that I get hurt [when making a movie]



I'm crazy, but I'm not stupid.



I don't want to be an action star, action star's life is so short. I want my life to get longer. I want my career to get longer.



I have a few rules that I tell my manager: No sex scenes. No make love. The kids who like me don't need to see it. It would gross them out.





I never wanted to be the next Bruce Lee . I just wanted to be the first Jackie Chan.

The ads all call me fearless, but that's just publicity. Anyone who thinks I'm not scared out of my mind whenever I do one of my stunts is crazier than I am.



My wish is to bring my heroes to the big screen, and many of them have already appeared in my films. The firefighter is the only one I have yet to put in a film. I have dragged this idea on for so many years, even if I want to make it, now I feel that my age makes me unsuitable. If I do make this film, I would no longer play a firefighter, and would more likely be a firefighting captain. But if I were to be honest with you, the role I want to play most is the firefighter.



I hate violence, yes I do. It's kind of a dilemma, huh?



In Hollywood, they care more about comedy, relationship and so many things before action stunts. In Hong Kong, we go straight into stunts and action, but in America sometimes that's too much. So, now I'm making a film half and half - take some good things from Hollywood and some good things from Asia.



I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want.



[on making his last action movie, 2012] I'm not young anymore. I'm really, really tired. And the world is too violent right now. It's a dilemma - I like action but I don't like violence.





I have reasons to do each film, I have something to say. Unlike Rush Hour (1998) there was no reason [in making it], you just give me the money and I'm fine. I dislike "Rush Hour" the most, but ironically it sold really well in the U.S. and Europe.

[in June, 2013 in New Delhi, India for the inaugural Chinese Film Festival] I used to enjoy action; now I enjoy acting.





[in June, 2013 in New Delhi, India for the inaugural Chinese Film Festival] Action stars have a shelf life. Actors go on till 70 or 80. I want people to say Jackie is a good actor who can also do action. I want to be the Robert De Niro of Asia.

When I was younger I thought shark fin soup was good for the skin, for collagen. I thought tiger bone oil was good for when you get hurt. These kinds of things are always in your mind - traditional things. You eat pigs brain and you get clever. When you eat pig knuckles you feel good.



I was making a film in China. The government buy me a dinner. I sit down. Boom! - they give me shark fin soup. I said put it away. I said can I have some other soup, I just don't like shark fin soup...Sometimes when government do things, the people just don't concentrate. But if you use celebrity, they will believe it. We need more celebrities to speak out about this.





[on Donald Trump 's presidency] Just give him a chance to try to change America and change the world. He's a businessman... I think he knows how to handle these types of things

Salary (5)