Jackie Chan
Chan Kong-sang known as
Jackie Chan (born on
April 7,
1954 in
Hong Kong) is a
Chinese martial artist,
actor,
director,
stuntman and
singer.
Chan is one of the most recognized names in
Kung fu and
action movies worldwide, known for his
acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and use of furniture and other set pieces as improvised
weapons. Chan has starred in over a hundred
movies, and is one of the most recognisable
Chinese and
Asian movie stars in the world. He sings many of his films theme songs and also has a
pop music singing career which began in the
1980s. He is one of the
Seven Little Fortunes.
Chan is the son of
Lee-Lee and Charles Chan, who emigrated to
Canberra,
Australia in 1960 as
refugees from the
Chinese Civil War. Prior to leaving China, Lee-Lee and Charles had worked as a maid and butler, respectively, for the
French ambassador to
Hong Kong. Chan's Chinese name at birth was Chan Kong-Sang, meaning
"born in Hong Kong".
Before he adopted the Westernised name, "Jackie", he was known by a variety of other nicknames. As he was a heavy baby, (12 lb at birth, he claims to have spent
12 months in the womb), his mother nicknamed him "Pao Pao" (meaning "Cannonball").Later, while studying at the
Peking Opera School (alongside
Sammo Hung and
Yuen Biao) he was known as Yuen Lo, as a mark of respect to his master, Yu Jim-Yuen.
In his early stuntman and acting career (prior to
New Fist of Fury in 1976) he was known as Chen Yueng Lung (or Chen Yuen Lung).He was thereafter known as "Jackie", named by his Australian co-workers when living in Australia in 1976-1977
[Australian Herald Sun, 9 July 2005.]. On the building site he worked on, he worked with Jack - due to the language barrier, he was known as little Jack (later shortened to Jackie). Because his father's family name was originally Fong and was changed only when arriving in Hong Kong, Chan's Chinese name was changed in family records years later to "Fong Si Lung"
[I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, revised paperback edition, p.354, ISBN 0345429133; Variety Magazine].He has also been listed as "Sing Lung" (meaning "young dragon"), particularly in relation to his music and it may be no coincidence that his character in the film
Fearless Hyena was called "Shing Lung".
Chan got his first international success with the film
Drunken Master. The movie showed
Wong Fei Hung, played by Chan, as a young and mischievous rascal instead of the venerable master of
Kung fu that he normally was. This approach made the movie pretty radical. Another special thing about the movie was the silly antics and charm of Chan and
Yuen Siu Tien (also known as Simon Yuen), father of renowned martial arts choreographer
Yuen Woo-ping. The film was a big success and led the way for other international hits such as
Rumble in the Bronx.
Chan married
Taiwanese actress
Lin Feng-Jiao (
Chinese: 林鳳娇) in 1983 according to his autobiography, but many Asian sources state he was married on
December 1, 1982. His official website states that he was married in 1982. Chan and Lin Feng-Jiao have a son,
Jaycee Chan (aka Jo-Ming), who was born on December 3, 1982, although Chan's autobiography lists his son's birth year as 1984. Chan also has a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (b. November 19, 1999), as a result of an affair with
Elaine Ng Yi-Lei.
He was educated at
Nan Hua Elementary Academy, but his parents felt he didn't fit in at school so they sent him to the
Chinese Opera Research Institute (1961-1971) and
Peking Opera School. Chan was in the
Seven Little Fortunes Chinese opera troupe as a youth, along with
Sammo Hung,
Yuen Biao and Corey Kwai.
Chan is often described as doing all his own stunts. While this claim does not hold up to close scrutiny, he does insist on doing the majority of them, including stunts for other characters if they are not showing their faces, and has been injured countless times as a result. (The closing credits of his movies usually show bloopers and at least one serious injury.) This is why he is unable to get insurance anywhere in the world. He came closest to death while filming
Armour of God (1985), when he fell from a tree in a relatively routine stunt and fractured his skull.
Around the time of
Project A in 1983, Chan officially formed the
Jackie Chan Stunt Team, allowing him to train and work with a group of trusted martial artists and stuntmen for each of his ensuing movies. Chan says that this means it is easier to choreograph fight scenes as he already has trust in them.
In his autobiography, Chan says he originally created his screen persona as a reaction to that of the martial artist
Bruce Lee, and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death (see "
Bruceploitation"). Where Bruce Lee's characters were typically stern, morally upright heroes, Chan plays well-meaning, slightly foolish regular guys, often at the mercy of friends, girlfriends or families. However, his characters always triumph in the end.
Chan repeatedly attempted to break into the American movie industry, appearing in movies like
Battle Creek Brawl,
Cannonball Run,
Cannonball Run II and
The Protector in the early
1980s. In the 1990s, Chan was offered two roles that would portray him as a villain, but declined both of them. His friend,
Sylvester Stallone, offered Chan the role of the criminal, Simon Phoenix, in the futuristic film
Demolition Man but he declined as he did not want to play a villain for fear of being typecast for any future Hollywood roles. The role was instead taken by
Wesley Snipes. He also declined to play a villain in the film
Lethal Weapon 4 with the role taken by
Jet Li.
While he did attain
cult popularity in the
US, his break into the mainstream was
Rumble in the Bronx in 1995. He has attained the box-office guarantee that has so far eluded other Hong Kong movie stars like
Chow Yun-Fat and
Michelle Yeoh in
Hollywood. He also made a successful
animated series called
Jackie Chan Adventures.
In 1994,
MTV honoured Chan with a lifetime achievement award for his action-oriented movies, and a year later, he made his "official" debut in
North America with a worldwide release of
Rumble in the Bronx.
Chan has a star on the
Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong as well as the
Walk of Fame. Chan is also a major
pop star in Asia, and he released over 100 song titles in 20 albums since 1984. He sings in many different languages including
English,
Cantonese,
Mandarin and
Japanese.
As well as many on-going projects, Chan is a keen
philanthropist and has worked tirelessly to champion many
charity works and causes. As a well-respected figure of the Hong Kong entertainment industry, he is often one of the leaders in such works, speaking up for
conservation, against
animal abuse as well as promoting disaster relief efforts for flooding in
mainland China and the
2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Chan helped raise thousands of US dollars, however this money was later stolen by a third party. In
June,
2006, he announced that he would donate half of his assets to charity when he dies. He stated that he admired the efforts by
Warren Buffett and
Bill Gates to help those in need.
[[1]. June 29, 2006.]*
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
*
Rush Hour 3 (2007)
*
Rob-B-Hood (2006) (Original Working Title, Project BB)
*
The Myth (2005)
*
New Police Story (2004)
*
The Twins Effect 2 (2004) (also known as
The Huadu Chronicles: Blade of the Rose)
*
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
*
The Medallion (2003)
*
The Twins Effect (2003)
*
Shanghai Knights (2003)
*
The Tuxedo (2002)
*
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
*
The Accidental Spy (2001)
*
Shanghai Noon (2000)
*
The King of Comedy (1999)
*
Gorgeous (1999)
*
Who Am I? (1999)
*
Rush Hour (1998)
*
Mr. Nice Guy (1998)
*
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997) (Cameo)
*
Police Story 4: First Strike (1996) (also known as
Jackie Chan's First Strike)
*
Thunderbolt (1995) (also known as
Dead Heat)
*
Rumble in the Bronx (1994)
*
Drunken Master II (1994) (also known as
The Legend of Drunken Master, 2000)
*
Once a Cop (1993) (also known as
Supercop 2 and
Police Story V)
*
Crime Story (1993) (also known as
Police Story IV and
The New Police Story)
*
City Hunter (1993)
*
Police Story 3 (1992) (also known as
Super Cop)
*
Twin Dragons (1992) (also known as
Brother vs. Brother and
When Dragons Collide)
*
A Kid from Tibet (1991)
*
Island of Fire (1991) (also known as
The Burning Island)
*
Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1990)
*
Miracles (1989) (also known as
The Canton Godfather and
Black Dragon)
*
Police Story 2 (1988)
*
3 Brothers and one sister (Closed relationship) (1988)
*
Dragons Forever (1988)
*
Project A Part II (1987) (also known as
Jackie Chan's Project A2 and
Project B)
*
Armour of God (1987)
*
Dirty Boys (1986) (also known as
Naughty Boys)
*
Police Story (1985)
*
Heart of Dragon (1985)
*
Ninja and the Thief (1985) (also known as
Ninja Thunderbolt)
*
The Protector (1985)
*
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) (also known as
My Lucky Stars 2)
*
My Lucky Stars (1985)
*
Wheels on Meals (1984)
*
Dragon Attack (1984)
*
Pom Pom (1984) (also known as
Motorcycle Cop 2)
*
Two in a Black Belt (1984)
*
Cannonball Run II (1983)
*
The Fearless Hyena Part II (1983)
*
Winners and Sinners (1983) (also known as
Five Lucky Stars)
*
Project A (1983) (also known as
Jackie Chan's Project A)
*
Dragon Lord (1982)
*
Black Magic Wars (1982)
*
Fantasy Mission Force (1982)
*
The Cannonball Run (1981)
*
The Big Brawl (1980)
*
The Young Master (1980)
*
Dragon Fist (1979)
*
Fearless Hyena (1979)
*
Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)
*
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
*
Spiritual Kung-Fu (1978) (also known as
Karate Ghostbuster)
*
Drunken Master (1978)
*
Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)
*
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978)
*
The 36 Crazy Fists (1977)
*
To Kill with Intrigue (1977)
*
The Killer Meteors (1976)
*
Shaolin Chamber of Death (1976) (also known as
36 Wooden Men,
Shaolin Wooden Men,
Shaolin Wooden Men - Young Tiger's Revenge, and
Wooden Man)
*
Countdown in Kung Fu (1976)
*
New Fist of Fury (1976)
*
Mr. Boo 2 : The Private Eyes (1976)
*
All in the Family (1975)
*
Bruce Lee and I (1975)
*
No End of Surprises (1975)
*
Fists of the Double K (1974)
*
The Golden Lotus (1974)
*
Police Woman (1974)
*
Supermen Against the Orient (1974)
*
Enter The Dragon (1973)
*
Facets of Love (1973)
*
Eagle Shadow Fist (1973)
*
Attack of the Kung Fu Girls (1973)
*
Lady Kung Fu (1972)
*
Master With Cracked Fingers aka Little Tiger From Canton (1971)
*
Come Drink with Me (1966)
*
The Story of Qin Xianglian (1964)
*
Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962)
In
Hong Kong and across
Asia Jackie Chan is a very popular and successful
singer. He started professionally producing records in the
1980s. He sings in many languages including
Cantonese,
Mandarin,
Japanese and
English. He also sings many of his films theme songs, but when the films are released in
Britain and the
U.S. the original
soundtrack is replaced.
Albums
*
With All One's Heart, (2002)
|
Jackie's latest album, With All One's Heart |
*
The Accidental Spy (
OST), (2001)
*
Asian Pop Gold, (2000)
*
Gorgeous (
OST), (1999)
*
Best of JC, (1999)
*
Who Am I? (
OST), (1998)
*
Rush Hour (
OST), (1998)
*
Mulan (
OST), (1998)
*
Mr. Nice Guy (
OST), (1997)
*
Dragon's Heart, (1996)
*
Thunderbolt (
OST), (1995)
*
Best of Movie Themes, (1995)
*
Japanese Release, (1995)
*
Drunken Master 2 (
OST), (1994)
*
First Time, (1992)
*
Police Story 3 (
OST), (1992)
*
The Man with the Baseball Bat, (1989)
*
See You Again, (1989)
*
Sing Lung, (1988)
*
The Best of JC, (1988)
*
The Best of JC (
Version 2), (1988)
*
Giant Feelings, (1988)
*
No Problem, (1987)
*
Jackie Chan Sing Lung, (1986)
*
Shangrila, (1986)
*
A Boy's Life, (1985)
*
Thank You, (1984)
*
Love Me, (1984)
Music videos
Supercop OST:** What's Love Got To Do With It (
Warren G Feat.
Adina Howard and cameo appearance by Jackie Chan)
Mulan Chinese OST:** A Man Out Of You
Skills* Though Chan's willingness to do his own stunts was originally the trademark feature of his movies, he has sustained various injuries over the years which render him incapable of performing certain stunts. He tries to avoid stunts where he may suffer severe head trauma due to a near fatal incident that occurred while shooting
Armour of God. He has also broken his left ankle so many times, he can no longer rely on it while pushing for a jump and must use his right foot instead. Over the years, he has been forced to use body doubles on various occasions.
* He has a medical record so long that no life insurance company will cover him.
* While not afraid to do his own stunts, he confesses that, like many, he is afraid of needles and hates taking shots. Unlike injuries that may come from a failed stunt, with a shot he "knows that it's coming."
* He knows
Kung Fu, and has trained under GrandMaster Leung Ting in
Wing Tsun, as well as numerous other masters in
Tong Long (Mantis),
Bak Mei (White Eyebrow), as well as the traditional northern Shaolin Kung Fu he learned in opera school. Chan has also learned numerous other styles of martial arts to help his screen fighting, including
Hapkido,
Boxing,
Judo,
Taekwondo and
Hei Long (Under Master G.J. Torres). Chan's personal style is said to be a mixture of Boxing, Wing Chun, Hapkido and Judo. He stated that some of his martial arts training has been attributed to Jin Pal Kim, a Korean hapkido stylist.
* In an interview unlocked in the videogame Jackie Chan Stuntmaster (A game where he was motion captured for game animations), Chan stated that he likes to play videogames
* He has sung together with
Teresa Teng.
* He loves Korea and its culture, particularly the food. He even speaks a good amount of the Korean language.
In the Media |
Jackie with Disney Favourites |
* Chan has won several awards including The American Choreography Award, The World Stunt Award and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, along with several awards from Hollywood, Hong Kong, Montreal World and Fant-Asia Film Festivals; but he has never won an Oscar. Currently there is a campaign underway to award him an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Academy Award. To support this, everyone is eligible to cast a supporting vote (one time only) at: [
2].
* Has been voted 41st in a poll of the
100 Greatest Movie Stars on
Channel 4 in the UK.
* Chan appeared with, and was quickly "killed" by
martial arts legend
Bruce Lee in 1973's
Enter the Dragon in a very short scene where Chan plays one of Kahn's guards.
* A videogame called
Jackie Chan Stuntmaster for the Playstation was made, of course with his name. Previously, an NES game called
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu was released.
* A television show,
Jackie Chan Adventures, was based on Jackie Chan, his niece, and his uncle, as well as a shopkeeper. Videogames have also been made based on the show.
* He is the central subject of
UK band
Ash's song
Kung Fu, which is used for the end credits of the UK version of
Rumble in the Bronx (the US version uses a
Tom Jones remake of
Carl Douglas'
Kung Fu Fighting).
* The
Pokémon Hitmonchan is named after him (similar in style to how the
Pokémon Hitmonlee is named after
Bruce Lee).
* He helped to open
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in
2005.
* Chan had planned to star as
Vin Diesel's role in the movie
The Pacifier, but due to busy arrangements, did not take the role.
* He was asked to play Wah Sing Ku in the
Mel Gibson film
Lethal Weapon 4 but turned down the part as he would have to play a criminal, Chan often says he doesn't like to play real criminals as it is bad for his image, although he doesn't mind playing either comical criminals or anti-heroes as in his newest film
Rob-B-Hood. The part of Wah Sing Ku was later played by
Jet Li.
* He has appeared along side
bodybuilder turned
actor turned
governor,
Arnold Schwarzenegger in a government advert to combat
piracy, which can be viewed
here.
*Owns a Pewter
Lamborghini Murcielago, which can be seen
here.
*Once owned a car tuning business called
JC Sports in Hong Kong.
*In the
Anime and Manga of
Dragon Ball, there is a character called 'Jackie Chun', a Chinese martial artist
*Appeared in 2
Diet Pepsi commercial in
2006.
*In the Internet movie
The Ultimate Showdown, he fought Shaquille O' Neal, but was defeated by a Care Bear.
*Sung a duet of the Nat King Cole song Unforgetable with
Ani Difranco.
*He has declared that it is almost certain that he will, for the first time, partner another kung fu cinema legend Jet Li in an upcoming film that will start filming in spring 2007 [
3]
Trademark* After filming
Canonball Run, he continued stuntman/director
Hal Needham's style of ending each of his movies with a sequence of "
out-takes" being shown. This would sometimes include accidents during filming, as in
The Young Master,
Armour of God,
Miracles etc.
Language* He sings many of his own movie
theme songs. Chan has had a fairly successful career as a recording artist (though not as successful as his movie career). The American versions of his movies do not typically feature the original theme songs, something which his fans find rather irritating. Chan was also featured on the
Mandarin and
Cantonese soundtracks for the
Disney movie
Mulan, which includes a video on the DVD version.
* With a few exceptions, Chan always dubs his own movies. He is quite fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and occasionally dubs himself in other languages (such as
English).
* He has named his lack of education his greatest regret in life.
* Owns a set of Japanese daisho (matching set of katana & wakizashi) hand crafted by renowned swordsmith Yoshihara Yoshikazu [
4]
Other*Kong Sang means "Born In Hong Kong."
*Sing Lung means "To Become a Dragon."
*Has a son,
Jaycee Chan (b. December, 3, 1982).
*Has a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (born 19th November 1999), with former Miss Asia (Hong Kong), Elaine Ng.
*
Cinema of China*
Cinema of Hong Kong*
Hong Kong action cinema*
Jackie Chan Stunt Team*Jackie Chan,
I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Ballantine Books (June 28, 1999), ISBN 0345429133.
*Curtis F. Wong and John R. Little,
Jackie Chan (Best of Inside Kung-Fu), McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 11, 1998), ISBN 0809228378.
*
Jackiechan.com- Jackie Chan's official website
*
Jackie Chan's Movies*
The Jackie Chan Forum*
HKcinema.net - News on Jackie Chan's and other asian actors film projects*
Detailed biography on the life and works of Jackie*
Kung Fu reviews from the Kung Fu Monkey*
Jackie Chan at Rotten Tomatoes*
Jackie Chan Directory*
Jackie Chan Kids Corner*
Jackie Chan Music*
Chan Urges Foreigners to Marry Chinese Women (15 June 2005, Contactmusic.com)
*
Jackie Chan's Movies Directoryzh-yue:陳港"
