Jackie Chan
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Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor and filmmaker, known for his
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically performs himself. With a film career spanning more than sixty years, he is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential martial artists in the history of cinema. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $5.8 billion worldwide. Starting as one of the Seven Little Fortunes at the
China Drama Academy The China Drama Academy () was a Peking opera school in Kowloon, Hong Kong, known for being the childhood home of such famous actors as Jackie Chan (Yuen Lo), Sammo Hung (Yuen Lung), Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu and Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwai). Famed ...
, where he was trained in acrobatics, martial arts and acting, Chan entered the Hong Kong film industry as a stuntman before making the transition to acting. His breakthrough came with the action comedy ''
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have sku ...
'' (1978). He then starred in similar action comedies such as ''
Drunken Master ''Drunken Master'' (), also known as ''Drunken Master The Beginning'', is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced and co-written by Ng See-yuen. The film features much of the same crew as Yuen's '' ...
'' (1978) and ''
The Young Master ''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, from a screenplay by Chan, Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi, and Tung Lu. It co-stars Yuen Biao, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was released thea ...
'' (1980). He made his
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
with ''
The Fearless Hyena ''The Fearless Hyena'' (Chinese: 笑拳怪招) (released in Japan as and also released in the United States as ''Revenge of the Dragon'') is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film starring, written and directed by Jackie Chan in his directorial d ...
'' (1979), which was a box office success. Throughout the 1980s, he was part of the "Three Dragons" along with
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
and
Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one o ...
; the three starred in six Hong Kong films together. '' Project A'' (1983) saw the official formation of the
Jackie Chan Stunt Team The Jackie Chan Stunt Team (), also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association, is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan. Founded in the 1970s, it originally included Hong Kong action stuntmen and martial art ...
and established Chan's signature style of elaborate, dangerous stunts combined with martial arts and slapstick humor, a style he further developed in a more modern setting with ''
Wheels on Meals ''Wheels on Meals'' () is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez, and J ...
'' (1984) and '' Police Story'' (1985). ''
Rumble in the Bronx ''Rumble in the Bronx'' () is a 1995 action comedy film directed by Stanley Tong, and starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip. The film is set in the Bronx area of New York City, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. A ...
'' (1995), which had a successful worldwide theatrical run, brought Chan into the North American mainstream. By the mid-1990s, he was the most popular action movie star in Asia and Europe. Chan gained
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
success for portraying Chief Inspector Lee in the American
buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...
action comedy film ''
Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
'' (1998), a role he reprised in two sequels. He went on to work both in American and Chinese films, appearing in the well-received ''
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
'' film series (2000–2003), ''
New Police Story ''New Police Story'' is a 2004 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Benny Chan (filmmaker), Benny Chan. It stars Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi, and Daniel Wu. The film was released theat ...
'' (2004), ''
Rob-B-Hood ''Rob-B-Hood'' (, also known as ''Robin-B-Hood'', literally: Baby Project) is a 2006 Hong Kong action comedy drama film written, produced and directed by Benny Chan, feature an ensemble cast include Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Yuen Biao, Michael ...
'' (2006), ''
Little Big Soldier ''Little Big Soldier'' (, lit. "Big Soldier, Little General") is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Ding Sheng and produced and written by Jackie Chan, also starring Chan and Leehom Wang. A Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, the film was produ ...
'' (2010), and '' Shaolin'' (2011), among others. ''
The Forbidden Kingdom ''The Forbidden Kingdom'' (: ''Gong Fu Zhi Wang'' (Mandarin) or ''Gung Fu Ji Wong'' (Cantonese) and translated ''King of Kung Fu'' ( English); Working title: ''The J & J Project'') is a 2008 Chinese-American fantasy wuxia film written by John ...
'' (2008) marked his first collaboration with fellow martial arts star
Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...
. He has played martial arts mentor Mr. Han in two '' Karate Kid'' films, the 2010 remake ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...
'' and '' Karate Kid: Legends'' (2025). For ''
CZ12 ''CZ12 (Armour Of God 3)'' (), also known as ''Chinese Zodiac'', is a 2012 Hong Kong Action film, action-adventure film, adventure comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred as the main character in the fi ...
'' (2012), he earned two ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
'' for "Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor" and "Most Credits in One Movie". He played against type in ''
Shinjuku Incident ''Shinjuku Incident'' (, ''Shinjuku Inshidento'') is a 2009 Hong Kong Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama film directed by Derek Yee, and written by Yee and Chun Tin-nam. It stars Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Xu Jinglei, and Fan Bin ...
'' (2009) and '' The Foreigner'' (2017). His voice acting work includes all three Chinese versions of ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
'' (1998), the first three films in the ''
Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'' franchise (2008–2016), and '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'' (2023). One of the most recognizable and influential film personalities in the world, Chan was described by film scholar Andrew Willis in 2004 as perhaps "the most recognized star in the world." He has received fame stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
, as well as an
honorary Academy Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc ...
in 2016. Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, films, television series, and video games. He has an award named after him, the
Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards are awards presented to action film genre. The "Jackie Chan Action Movie Week" was originally presented during the Shanghai International Film Festival since 2015, but in 2019 it moved to a new date and venue in Sha ...
. He is an operatically trained vocalist who has released several pop music albums and performed theme songs for some of the films in which he starred. He is also a philanthropist and has been named one of the top 10 most charitable celebrities by ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine. In 2015, ''Forbes'' estimated his net worth to be $350 million, and , he was the second-highest-paid actor in the world.Mandle, Chris
"Jackie Chan in second place in Forbes' Highest Paid Actors list after magazine includes actors working outside US movie industry"
''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', published 4 August 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2016.


Early life

Chan was born on 7 April 1954 in
British Hong Kong Hong Kong was under British Empire, British rule from 1841 to 1997, except for a Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945. It was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 ...
as Chan Kong-sang to Charles and Lee-lee Chan, political refugees from the
Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...
. In circa 1937, Chan's father, originally named Fang Daolong, briefly worked as a secret agent for Lieutenant General
Dai Li Dai Li (; 28 May 189717 March 1946), courtesy name Yunong, was a Chinese lieutenant general and spymaster. Dai was born in Jiangshan, Zhejiang and later studied at the Whampoa Military Academy, where Chiang Kai-shek served as Chief Commandant, ...
, the chief spy in Kuomintang-ruled China. For fear of being arrested by the communist government, Chan's father fled to British Hong Kong in the 1940s and changed his surname from Fang to Chan. Chan was his wife Chan Lee-lee's surname. Chan discovered his father's identity and changed his
Chinese name Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethni ...
to Fang Shilong () in the late 1990s, the name he would have been named according to his kin's
genealogy book A genealogy book or register is used in Asia and Europe to record the family history of ancestors. Greater China It is the Chinese tradition to record family members in a book, including every male born in the family, who they are married to, e ...
, which allegedly traces back to
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
statesman
Fang Xuanling Fang Qiao (579 – 18 August 648), courtesy name Xuanling, better known as Fang Xuanling (), posthumously known as Duke Wenzhao of Liang, was a Chinese statesman and writer who served as a chancellor under Emperor Taizong in the early Tang dyna ...
. Chan's ancestral roots are located in
Wuhu Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of China, province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei City to the n ...
,
Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...
. Chan spent his formative years within the grounds of the French consul's residence in the
Victoria Peak Victoria Peak ( zh, t=太平山, j=taai3 ping4 saan1) is a hill on the western half of Hong Kong Island. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak only generally. With an elevation of , it is the tallest hill on Hong Kong Isla ...
, British Hong Kong, as his father worked as a cook there. Chan attended the Nah-Hwa Primary School on
Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island () is an island in the southern part of Hong Kong. The island, known originally and on road signs simply as "Hong Kong", had a population of 1,289,500 and a population density of , . It is the second largest island in Hong Kon ...
, where he failed his first year, after which his parents withdrew him from the school. In 1960, his father emigrated to
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
, Australia to work as the head cook for the American embassy, and Chan was sent to the
China Drama Academy The China Drama Academy () was a Peking opera school in Kowloon, Hong Kong, known for being the childhood home of such famous actors as Jackie Chan (Yuen Lo), Sammo Hung (Yuen Lung), Yuen Biao, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu and Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwai). Famed ...
, a Peking Opera School run by Master
Yu Jim-yuen Yu Jim-yuen (September 5, 1905 – September 8, 1997) () was a Chinese martial artist, actor, teacher and the master of the China Drama Academy, one of the main Peking Opera Schools in Hong Kong, from which Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Bi ...
. Chan trained rigorously for the next decade, excelling in martial arts and acrobatics. He 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. Chan became close friends with fellow group members
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
and
Yuen Biao Yuen Biao (born Ha Lingchun; 26 July 1957) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist and stuntman. He specialises in acrobatics and Chinese martial arts and has also worked on over 80 films as actor, stuntman and action choreographer. He was one o ...
, and the three of them later became known as the ''Three Brothers'' or ''Three Dragons''. After entering the film industry, Chan along with Sammo Hung got the opportunity to train in
hapkido Hapkido ( , , ), also spelled ''hap ki do'' or ''hapki-do'' is a Korean martial art. It is a hybrid form of self-defense that employs joint locks, grappling, chokeholds, throwing techniques, kicks, punches, and other striking attacks. ...
under the grand master Jin Pal Kim, and Chan eventually attained a black belt. As a martial artist, Chan is also skilled in multiple forms of
Kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
. He is also known to have trained in other martial art forms such as Karate, Judo, Boxing,
Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...
, and
Jeet Kune Do Jeet Kune Do (/ˌdʒiːt kuːn ˈdoʊ/; zh, c=截拳道, l=stop fist way' or 'way of the intercepting fist, j=zit6 kyun4 dou6; abbreviated JKD) is a hybrid martial art conceived and practiced by martial artist Bruce Lee. It was formed from ...
. Chan joined his parents in Canberra, Australia in 1971, where he briefly attended
Dickson College Dickson College is a public two-year secondary college located in the Canberra suburb of Dickson, Australian Capital Territory. It was established in 1976 on the former Dickson High School campus when it closed. It was set to close after bei ...
and worked as a construction worker. A fellow builder named Jack took Chan under his wing, thus earning Chan the nickname of "Little Jack", later shortened to "Jacky". In the 1980s, the spelling of his nickname became "Jackie", which has stuck with him ever since.


Film career


1962–1975: Early small appearances

He began his film career by appearing in small roles at the age of five as a child actor. At age eight, he appeared with some of his fellow "Little Fortunes" in the film ''
Big and Little Wong Tin Bar ''Big and Little Wong Tin Bar'' (), also known as ''Seven Little Valiant Fighters'' () and ''Two of a Kind'', is a 1962 Hong Kong film. It is notable for being Jackie Chan's and Sammo Hung's film debut. Until 2016, the film was considered lost. ...
'' (1962) with Li Li-Hua playing his mother. The following year, the young actor appeared in extras of Yen Chun's 1964 film ''Liang Shan Po and Chu Ying Tai'' and had a small role in
King Hu King Hu Jinquan ( zh, t=胡金銓, 29 April 1932 – 14 January 1997) was a Chinese filmmaker and actor, based in British Hong Kong, Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is known for directing various ''wuxia'' films in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought Ci ...
's 1966 film ''
Come Drink with Me ''Come Drink with Me'' ( zh, t=大醉俠, l=Great Drunken Hero, p=Dà Zuì Xiá) is a 1966 Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by King Hu. Set during the Ming dynasty, it stars Cheng Pei- ...
''. In 1971, after an appearance as an extra in another kung Fu film, ''
A Touch of Zen ''A Touch of Zen'' () is a two-part ''wuxia'' film written, co-edited and directed by King Hu, originally released in 1970 and 1971. Its screenplay is based on a classic Chinese story " Xianü" in the book ''Strange Stories from a Chinese Stud ...
'', Chan was signed to Chu Mu's Great Earth Film Company. Chan appeared in the
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
film ''
Fist of Fury ''Fist of Fury'' () is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and produced by Raymond Chow. The film stars Bruce Lee in his major role after '' The Big Boss'' (1971). Bruce Lee also worked as the film's action choreographer. ...
'' (1972), both as an extra and as a
stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...
for the Japanese villain Hiroshi Suzuki (portrayed by
Chikara Hashimoto , also erroneously called , was a Japanese professional baseball player and actor. Hashimoto played baseball for Mainichi Orions in the 1950s. He was forced to retire in 1958 following an injury, and then joined Daiei Studios. As an actor, he i ...
), particularly during the final fight scene where Lee kicks him and he flies through the air. Chan again appeared in another Bruce Lee film, ''
Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien and Jim Kelly. ''Enter the Dragon'' was ...
'' (1973), as a minor henchman who gets killed by Lee's character. Sammo Hung helped Chan get minor roles in both of the Bruce Lee films. Chan also worked as a martial arts choreographer for
John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...
's ''The Young Dragons'' (1974).


1976–1980: Start-up leading roles

In 1976, Jackie Chan received a telegram from
Willie Chan William Chan Chi-Keung (; 22 May 1941 – 24 October 2017) was a Malaysian-born Hong Kong film producer and talent manager. He is best known for helping to establish the career of Jackie Chan, serving as his manager and later as the actor’s pr ...
, a film producer in the Hong Kong film industry who had been impressed with Jackie's stunt choreography work. Willie Chan offered him an acting role in a film directed by
Lo Wei Lo Wei ( 12 December 1918 – 20 January 1996) was a Hong Kong film director and actor best known for launching the martial arts film careers of both Bruce Lee, in ''The Big Boss'' and ''Fist of Fury'', and Jackie Chan, in ''New Fist of Fury''. ...
. Lo saw Chan's performance in the
John Woo John Woo Yu-sen ( zh, t= ; born 22 September 1946) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong film director known as a highly influential figure in the action film genre. The recipient of various accolades, including a Hong Kong Film Awards, Hong Kong Film Award ...
film '' Hand of Death'' (1976) and planned to model him after
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
with the film ''
New Fist of Fury ''New Fist of Fury'' is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Lo Wei and starring Jackie Chan. It is the first of several films that Lo directed Chan in, and the first using Chan's stage name Sing Lung (, literally meaning "becoming a ...
''. His stage name was changed to (literally "becoming the dragon", ''Sing4 Lung4'' in
Jyutping The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme, also known as Jyutping, is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed in 1993 by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK). The name ''Jyutping'' (itself the Jyutping ro ...
or rarely as ''Cheng Long'' in
pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
), to emphasize his similarity to Bruce Lee, whose stage name meant "Lee the Little Dragon" in Chinese. (Note that "dragon" in Lee's name referred to Lee's birth year being the Dragon zodiac, not the
Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon or loong is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture generally. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms, such as Bixi (mythology), turtles and Chiwen, fish, but are most commonly ...
.) The film was unsuccessful because Chan was not accustomed to Lee's martial arts style. Despite the film's failure, Lo Wei continued producing films with similar themes, but with little improvement at the box office. Chan's first major breakthrough was the 1978 film ''
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have sku ...
'', shot while he was loaned to Seasonal Film Corporation under a two-picture deal. Director
Yuen Woo-ping Yuen Woo-ping (; alias: Yuen Wo-ping; born 1945) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong Stage combat, martial arts choreographer and film director who worked in Hong Kong action cinema and later Hollywood films. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue ...
allowed Chan complete freedom over his stunt work. The film established the comedic kung fu genre, and proved refreshing to the Hong Kong audience. The same year, Chan then starred in ''
Drunken Master ''Drunken Master'' (), also known as ''Drunken Master The Beginning'', is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and produced and co-written by Ng See-yuen. The film features much of the same crew as Yuen's '' ...
'', which finally propelled him to mainstream success. Upon Chan's return to Lo Wei's studio, Lo tried to replicate the comedic approach of ''Drunken Master'', producing and also showed new features at the time with Jackie as the Stunt Director ''
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu ''Half a Loaf of Kung Fu'' () is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chen Chi-hwa, and starring Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Tang Ming-chi. The film co-stars Dean Shek, James Tien, Doris Lung, and Wu Ma. The fil ...
'' and ''
Spiritual Kung Fu ''Spiritual Kung Fu'' () (Quan Jing) is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed and produced by Lo Wei. The film stars Jackie Chan, James Tien, and Dean Shek. The film features Yuen Biao as one of the ''Master of the Five Fists'' m ...
''. He also gave Chan the opportunity to make his directorial debut in ''
The Fearless Hyena ''The Fearless Hyena'' (Chinese: 笑拳怪招) (released in Japan as and also released in the United States as ''Revenge of the Dragon'') is a 1979 Hong Kong martial arts film starring, written and directed by Jackie Chan in his directorial d ...
''. When Willie Chan left the company, he advised Jackie to decide for himself whether or not to stay with Lo Wei. During the shooting of ''
Fearless Hyena Part II ''Fearless Hyena Part II'' () (also released in Japan as and in West Germany as ''Der Superfighter II'') is a 1983 Hong Kong comedy-themed martial arts film, martial arts Hong Kong action cinema, action film directed by Chan Chuen, and starri ...
'', Chan broke his contract and joined Golden Harvest, prompting Lo to blackmail Chan with triads, blaming Willie for his star's departure. The dispute was resolved with the help of fellow actor and director
Jimmy Wang Yu James Wang Yu (28 March 1943 – 5 April 2022) was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in ''The One-Armed ...
, allowing Chan to stay with Golden Harvest.


1980–1987: Commercial success in the action comedy genre

Willie Chan became Jackie's personal manager and firm friend, and remained so for over 30 years. He was instrumental in launching Chan's international career, beginning with his first forays into the American film industry in the 1980s. His first Hollywood film was ''
The Big Brawl ''The Big Brawl'' (, also released as ''Battle Creek Brawl'') is a 1980 martial arts action comedy film which marked Jackie Chan's first attempt to break into the American movie Hollywood market. A joint Hong Kong and American co-production, it ...
'' in 1980. Chan then played a minor role in the 1981 film ''
The Cannonball Run ''The Cannonball Run'' is a 1981 action-comedy film directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hong Kong firm Golden Harvest, and distributed by 20th Century-Fox. Filmed in Panavision, it features an all-star ensemble cast, including Burt Reynolds ...
,'' which grossed over worldwide. Despite being largely ignored by North American audiences in favour of established American actors such as
Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...
, Chan was impressed by the
outtake An outtake is a portion of a work (usually a film or music recording) that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and D ...
s shown at the
closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...
, inspiring him to include the same device in his future films. After the commercial failure of '' The Protector'' in 1985, Chan temporarily abandoned his attempts to break into the US market, returning his focus to
Hong Kong films The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese-language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former Crown colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of ar ...
. Back in Hong Kong, 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 ''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, from a screenplay by Chan, Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi, and Tung Lu. It co-stars Yuen Biao, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was released thea ...
'' (1980) and ''
Dragon Lord ''Dragon Lord'' (also known as ''Dragon Strike'', ) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang and Barry Wong. It was originally supposed to be a sequel t ...
'' (1982). ''The Young Master'' went on to beat previous box office records set by
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
and established Chan as Hong Kong cinema's top star. With ''Dragon Lord'', he began experimenting with elaborate
stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...
action sequences, including the final fight scene where he performs various stunts, including one where he does a back flip off a loft and falls to the lower ground. Chan produced a number of action comedy films with his opera school friends
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
and Yuen Biao. The three co-starred together for the first time in 1983 in '' Project A,'' which introduced a dangerous stunt-driven style of martial arts that won it the Best Action Design Award at the third annual
Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual List of film awards, film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Cent ...
s. Over the following two years, the "Three Brothers" appeared in ''
Wheels on Meals ''Wheels on Meals'' () is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez, and J ...
'' and the original ''
Lucky Stars ''Lucky Stars'' (or ''Five Lucky Stars''); () was a Hong Kong action comedy film series in the 1980s and 1990s, blending Chinese martial arts with bawdy comedy. The films featured an ensemble cast, with many of the actors appearing in succ ...
'' trilogy. In 1985, Chan made the first '' Police Story'' film, a
crime action The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...
film in which Chan performed a number of dangerous stunts. It won
Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
at the 1986 Hong Kong Film Awards. In 1986, Chan played "Asian Hawk", an
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
-esque character, in the film '' Armour of God.'' The film was Chan's biggest domestic box office success up to that point, grossing over HK$35 million.


1988–1998: Acclaimed film sequels and Hollywood breakthrough

In 1988, Chan starred alongside
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
and Yuen Biao for the last time to date in the film ''
Dragons Forever ''Dragons Forever'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film, and co-directed by Corey Yuen. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Pauline Yeung, Deannie Yip, Yuen Wah, R ...
''. Hung co-directed with
Corey Yuen Corey Yuen Kwai (; 15 February 1951 – 2022) was a Hong Kong film director, film producer, action choreographer, and actor. Yuen attended the China Drama Academy and was one of the Seven Little Fortunes. In Hong Kong, he worked on several ...
, and the villain in the film was played by
Yuen Wah Yuen Wah (born Yung Kai-chi; 2 September 1952) is a Hong Kong action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series. Early life Born Yung Kai-chi on 2 September 195 ...
, both of whom were fellow graduates of the China Drama Academy. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chan starred in a number of successful sequels beginning with ''
Project A Part II ''Project A Part II'' (; aka ''Jackie Chan's Project A II''; released in the Philippines as ''Super Fighter'') is a 1987 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action film starring and directed by Jackie Chan. It co-stars Maggie Cheung, Bill Tung, ...
'' and ''
Police Story 2 ''Police Story 2'' ( ), also known marketed as ''Police Story Part 2'' is a 1988 Hong Kong action film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang. It is a sequel to the hit 1985 film '' Police Story'' ...
'', which won the award for Best Action Choreography at the 1989
Hong Kong Film Award The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual List of film awards, film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies typically take place in April, and have mostly been held at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Cent ...
s. This was followed by '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'', and '' Police Story 3: Super Cop'', for which Chan won the Best Actor Award at the 1993
Golden Horse Film Festival The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards () are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republ ...
. In 1994, Chan reprised his role as
Wong Fei-hung Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 19 August 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. Though he was considered an expert in the Hung Ga style of Chinese martial arts, his r ...
in ''
Drunken Master II ''Drunken Master II'' () is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style mart ...
'', which was listed in ''
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
s All-Time 100 Movies. Another sequel, '' Police Story 4: First Strike'', brought more awards and domestic box office success for Chan, but did not fare as well in foreign markets. By the mid-1990s, he was the most popular action movie star in Asia and Europe. Up until January 1995, his films had grossed over () in Hong Kong and () in Japan, while having sold over box office admissions in France, Germany, Italy and Spain up until then. Despite his international success, he was not very successful in North America, where he had only two wide releases as a leading actor, ''The Big Brawl'' and ''The Protector'', grossing ( adjusted for inflation). Despite this, there was a thriving North American
home video Home video is recorded media sold or Video rental shop, rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. ...
market for Chan's Hong Kong films by the mid-1990s. Chan rekindled his
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
ambitions in the 1990s, but refused early offers to play villains in Hollywood films to avoid being
typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
in future roles. For example,
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
offered him the role of
Simon Phoenix ''Demolition Man'' is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Marco Brambilla in his directorial debut. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, and Nigel Hawthorne. Stallone plays John Spartan, a risk-taking ...
, a criminal in the futuristic film '' Demolition Man''. Chan declined and the role was taken by
Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...
. Chan finally succeeded in establishing a foothold in the North American market in 1995 with a worldwide release of ''
Rumble in the Bronx ''Rumble in the Bronx'' () is a 1995 action comedy film directed by Stanley Tong, and starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip. The film is set in the Bronx area of New York City, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. A ...
'', attaining a
cult following A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
in the United States that was rare for Hong Kong movie stars. The success of ''Rumble in the Bronx'' led to a 1996 release of ''Police Story 3: Super Cop'' in the United States under the title ''Supercop'', which grossed a total of US$16,270,600. Chan's first huge blockbuster success came when he co-starred with
Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series '' Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990 ...
in the 1998
buddy cop Buddy cop is a film and television genre with plots involving two people of very different and conflicting personalities who are forced to work together to solve a crime and/or defeat criminals, sometimes learning from each other in the process. ...
action comedy ''
Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
'', grossing US$130 million in the United States alone. This film made him a Hollywood star, after which he wrote his autobiography in collaboration with
Jeff Yang Jeff Yang ( zh, t=楊致和; born ) is an American writer, journalist, businessman, and business/media consultant who writes the ''Tao Jones'' column for ''The Wall Street Journal''. Previously, he was the "Asian Pop" columnist at the ''San Fra ...
entitled ''
I Am Jackie Chan ''I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action'' is a 1998 autobiography written by Jackie Chan with help from Jeff Yang, written before Chan's success '' Rush Hour''–a special edition of the book was released in 1999 telling events occurring after ...
''.


1999–2007: Fame in Hollywood and dramatization

In 1998, Chan released his final film for Golden Harvest, '' Who Am I?''. After leaving Golden Harvest in 1999, he produced and starred alongside
Shu Qi Lin Li-hui (born 16 April 1976) ( zh, c=林立慧), better known by her stage name Shu Qi ( zh, c=舒淇), is a Hong Kong–Taiwanese actress and model. Widely regarded as one of the most successful Taiwanese actresses of all time, Shu has receive ...
in ''
Gorgeous Gorgeous may refer to: Animals * Gorgeous barb, a species of cyprinid fish native to Africa * Gorgeous bushshrike, a bird in the family Malaconotidae * Gorgeous prawn goby, a species of goby native to tropical reefs of the Indian Ocean to the we ...
'', a romantic comedy that focused on personal relationships and featured only a few martial arts sequences. Although Chan had left Golden Harvest in 1999, the company continued to produce and distribute for two of his films, ''Gorgeous'' (1999) and ''
The Accidental Spy ''The Accidental Spy'' () is a 2001 Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong martial arts film, martial arts Hong Kong action cinema, action film starring Jackie Chan, produced by Chan and Raymond Chow, and directed by Teddy Chan. Filming took place in ...
'' (2001). Chan then helped create a
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
game in 2000 called ''
Jackie Chan Stuntmaster ''Jackie Chan Stuntmaster'' (titled ''Jackie Chan's Stuntmaster'' in PAL's in-game menu) is a 2000 beat 'em up platform video game developed by Radical Entertainment for the PlayStation. Midway Games released it in North America while Sony C ...
'', to which he lent his voice and performed the motion capture. He continued his Hollywood success in 2000 when he teamed up with
Owen Wilson Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has frequently worked with filmmaker Wes Anderson, with whom he has shared writing and acting credits on the films '' Bottle Rocket'' (1996), '' Rushmore'' (1998), and ''T ...
in the
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
action comedy ''
Shanghai Noon ''Shanghai Noon'' is a 2000 martial arts western action comedy film directed by Tom Dey in his feature film debut, written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and starring Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. It is the first entry in the ...
''. A sequel, ''
Shanghai Knights ''Shanghai Knights'' is a 2003 martial arts action comedy film. It is the sequel to ''Shanghai Noon'', and the second installment of the ''Shanghai'' film series. Directed by David Dobkin and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars ...
'' followed in 2003 and also featured his first on-screen fight scene with
Donnie Yen Donnie Yen Chi-tan ( zh, c=甄子丹, p=Zhēn Zǐdān, j=, first=j; born 27 July 1963) is a Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and action director. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Golden Horse Fi ...
. He reunited with Chris Tucker for ''
Rush Hour 2 ''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jeff Nathanson. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' franchise and stars Jackie Chan and ...
'' (2001), which was an even bigger success than the original, grossing $347 million worldwide. Chan experimented with the use of special effects and wirework for the fight scenes in his next two Hollywood films, ''
The Tuxedo ''The Tuxedo'' is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Kevin Donovan and starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It is a spy parody that involves a special tuxedo that grants its wearer superhuman abilities. It al ...
'' (2002) and ''
The Medallion ''The Medallion'' () is a 2003 buddy action comedy film directed by Hong Kong film director Gordon Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Bennett Joshua Davlin, Bey Logan, Paul Wheeler, and Alfred Cheung, who also produced. The film star ...
'' (2003), which were not as successful critically or commercially. In 2004, he teamed up with
Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English-Irish actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. His accolades include four BAFTA Awards and three British Comedy Awards, and nominations for two Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...
in ''
Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...
'', loosely based on
Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
's novel of the same name. In 2004, film scholar Andrew Willis stated that Chan was "perhaps" the "most recognized star in the world". Despite the success of the ''Rush Hour'' and ''Shanghai Noon'' films, Chan became frustrated with Hollywood over the limited range of roles and lack of control over the filmmaking process. In response to Golden Harvest's withdrawal from the film industry in 2003, Chan started his own film production company,
JCE Movies Limited JCE Movies Limited () is a film distribution and production company based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It was founded in 2004 and is a division of Emperor Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG). The company was ...
(Jackie Chan Emperor Movies Limited) in association with Emperor Multimedia Group (EMG). His films have since featured an increasing number of dramatic scenes while continuing to succeed at the box office; examples include ''
New Police Story ''New Police Story'' is a 2004 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Benny Chan (filmmaker), Benny Chan. It stars Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi, and Daniel Wu. The film was released theat ...
'' (2004), '' The Myth'' (2005) and the hit film ''
Rob-B-Hood ''Rob-B-Hood'' (, also known as ''Robin-B-Hood'', literally: Baby Project) is a 2006 Hong Kong action comedy drama film written, produced and directed by Benny Chan, feature an ensemble cast include Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Yuen Biao, Michael ...
'' (2006). Chan's next release was the third instalment in the ''Rush Hour'' film series directed by
Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the Rush Hour (film series), ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', ''Red Dragon (2002 film), Red Dragon'', ''X-Men: The Last Stand'', ''Tower Heist ...
: ''
Rush Hour 3 ''Rush Hour 3'' is a 2007 American Buddy Cop film, buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Jeff Nathanson. It is the third installment in the Rush Hour (franchise), ''Rush Hour'' franchise and sequel to ''Rush Hour 2'' ...
'' in August 2007. It grossed US$255 million. However, it was a disappointment in Hong Kong, grossing only HK$3.5 million during its opening weekend.


2008–present: New experiments and change in acting style

Filming of ''
The Forbidden Kingdom ''The Forbidden Kingdom'' (: ''Gong Fu Zhi Wang'' (Mandarin) or ''Gung Fu Ji Wong'' (Cantonese) and translated ''King of Kung Fu'' ( English); Working title: ''The J & J Project'') is a 2008 Chinese-American fantasy wuxia film written by John ...
'', Chan's first on-screen collaboration with fellow Chinese actor
Jet Li Li Lianjie (courtesy name Yangzhong; born 26 April 1963), better known by his stage name Jet Li, is a Chinese-born Singaporean Martial arts, martial artist and actor. With a Jet Li filmography, film career spanning more than forty years, Li is re ...
, was completed on 24 August 2007 and the movie was released in April 2008. The movie featured heavy use of effects and wires. Chan voiced Master
Monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...
in ''
Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'' (released in June 2008), appearing with
Jack Black Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for roles in family and comedy films, in addition to his voice work in animated films. His awards include a Children's and Family Emmy ...
,
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...
, and
Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...
. In addition, he has assisted Anthony Szeto in an advisory capacity for the writer-director's film ''Wushu'', released on 1 May 2008. The film stars
Sammo Hung Samuel "Sammo" Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a figh ...
and Wang Wenjie as father and son. In November 2007, Chan began filming ''
Shinjuku Incident ''Shinjuku Incident'' (, ''Shinjuku Inshidento'') is a 2009 Hong Kong Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama film directed by Derek Yee, and written by Yee and Chun Tin-nam. It stars Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Xu Jinglei, and Fan Bin ...
'', a dramatic role featuring no martial arts sequences with director
Derek Yee Derek Yee Tung-sing () is a Hong Kong filmmaker and former actor. Early life Yee was born Yee Tung-sing in Hong Kong on 28 December 1957, the son of Yee Kwong (), a film producer from Tianjin, Tientsin (Tianjin), and Hung Wei (), an actress of ...
, which sees Chan take on the role of a Chinese immigrant in Japan. The film was released on 2 April 2009. According to his blog, Chan discussed his wishes to direct a film after completing ''Shinjuku Incident'', something he has not done for a number of years. The film was expected to be the third in the Armour of God series, and had a working title of '' Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac''. The film was released on 12 December 2012. Because the Screen Actors Guild did not go on strike, Chan started shooting his next Hollywood movie ''
The Spy Next Door ''The Spy Next Door'' is a 2010 American spy action comedy film directed by Brian Levant, written by Jonathan Bernstein, James Greer and Gregory Poirier, produced by Robert Simonds with music by David Newman. The film stars Jackie Chan, with ...
'' at the end of October in
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
. In ''The Spy Next Door'', Chan plays an undercover agent whose cover is blown when he looks after the children of his girlfriend. In ''
Little Big Soldier ''Little Big Soldier'' (, lit. "Big Soldier, Little General") is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Ding Sheng and produced and written by Jackie Chan, also starring Chan and Leehom Wang. A Hong Kong-Chinese co-production, the film was produ ...
'', Chan stars alongside
Leehom Wang Wang Leehom ( zh, c=王力宏, poj=Ông Le̍k-hông; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. His music is known for fusing hip-hop and R&B, with Guoyue, tradi ...
as a soldier in the
Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...
in China. He is the lone survivor of his army and must bring a captured enemy soldier Leehom Wang to the capital of his province. In 2010, he starred with
Jaden Smith Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998) is an American rapper and actor. The son of Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith, he has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young A ...
in ''
The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen. It is the first film in ''The Karate Kid'' franchise. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, an ...
'', a remake of the 1984 original. This was Chan's first dramatic American film. He plays Mr. Han, a
kung fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
master and maintenance man who teaches Jaden Smith's character kung fu so he can defend himself from school bullies. His role in ''The Karate Kid'' won him the Favorite Buttkicker award at the
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in tel ...
in 2011. In Chan's next movie, '' Shaolin'', he plays a supporting role as a cook of a temple instead of one of the major characters. His 100th movie, ''
1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...
'', was released on 26 September 2011. Chan was the co-director, executive producer, and lead star of the movie. While Chan has directed over ten films over his career, this was his first directorial work since '' Who Am I?'' in 1998. ''1911'' premiered in North America on 14 October. While at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, Chan announced that he was retiring from action films citing that he was getting too old for the genre. He 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, Chan starred in ''
Police Story 2013 ''Police Story 2013'' (also known as ''Police Story: Lockdown'') is a 2013 neo-noir action thriller film directed and written by Ding Sheng (director), Ding Sheng. A Chinese-Hong Kong co-production, it stars Jackie Chan in another reboot of the ...
'', a reboot of the ''Police Story'' franchise directed by
Ding Sheng Ding Sheng may refer to: * Ding Sheng (general) (1913–1999), Chinese general and Governor of Guangdong * Ding Sheng (director) Ding Sheng () is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. Born in Qingdao, Shandong in 1970, his directorial works ...
, and it was released in China at the end of 2013. Chan's next film '' Dragon Blade'' was released in early 2015 and co-starred Hollywood actors
John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...
and
Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama '' The Pianist'' (2002) becoming the youngest acto ...
. In 2015, Chan was awarded the title of "
Datuk Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay language, Malay honorific title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Use of the title various between loc ...
" by Malaysia as he helped Malaysia to boost its tourism, especially in
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
where he previously shot his films. In early 2017, Chan's new film titled ''
Kung Fu Yoga ''Kung Fu Yoga'' ( zh, 功夫瑜伽) is a 2017 Chinese action adventure comedy film written and directed by Stanley Tong and produced by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to '' The Myth'' (2005), with Chan reprising his role as an a ...
'', a Chinese-Indian project, which also starred Indian actors
Disha Patani Disha Patani (; born 13 June 1992) is an Indian actress primarily working in Hindi films. Patani made her acting debut with the Telugu film '' Loafer'' (2015), and had her first Hindi film release with the biopic '' M.S. Dhoni: The Untold St ...
,
Sonu Sood Sonu Sood (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian actor, film producer, Model (person), model, humanitarian, and Philanthropy, philanthropist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema, Hindi, Telugu cinema, Telugu and Tamil cinema, Tamil films. He is k ...
and
Amyra Dastur Amyra Dastur (; born 7 May 1993) is an Indian actress who prominently works in Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and Tamil films. Dastur is known for her work in ''Anegan'' (2015), '' Mr. X'' (2015), '' Kaalakaandi'' (2018), '' Prassthanam'' (2019), '' ...
, was released. The film reunited Chan with director
Stanley Tong Stanley Tong (; born 7 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, stunt choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for directing action-adventure films, including several with Jackie Chan. Early life Stanl ...
, who directed a number of Chan's films in the 1990s. Upon release, the film was a huge success at the box office, and became the 5th highest-grossing film in China, one month after its release. In 2016, he teamed up with 
Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ''Jackass (franchise), ...
and starred in his own production '' Skiptrace''. That same year he also starred in the action-comedy ''
Railroad Tigers ''Railroad Tigers'' is a 2016 Chinese action comedy film directed by Ding Sheng (director), Ding Sheng and starring Jackie Chan. It was released in China on December 23, 2016. The film is about a railroad worker who leads a team of freedom fighters ...
''. In 2017, he co-starred with
Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...
in the action-thriller '' The Foreigner'', an Anglo-Chinese production. He also starred in the 2017 science fiction film ''
Bleeding Steel ''Bleeding Steel'' is a 2017 Chinese science fiction cyberpunk action film directed and written by Leo Zhang and starring Jackie Chan. ''Bleeding Steel'' was released in China on 22 December 2017. In the US, Lionsgate Premiere released the film ...
''. In 2018, he served as an executive producer for the plant-based documentary, ''The Game Changers'', along with
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
,
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
, and
Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress, model and media personality. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month. She went on to make regular appearan ...
. He teamed up with
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
and starred in the 2023 Chinese-American co-production '' Hidden Strike''. He also voiced
Splinter A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
in the animated film '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem''. His 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. In Europe, his films collectively sold about tickets between 1973 and 2010. , his films have grossed over () in China, and (more than adjusted for inflation) in the United States and Canada. , 48 of his films have collectively grossed more than at the worldwide box office.


Other works


Music

Chan had vocal lessons while at the Peking Opera School in his childhood. He began producing records professionally in the 1980s and has gone on to become a successful singer in Hong Kong and Asia. He has released 20 albums since 1984 and has performed vocals in Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Taiwanese and English. He often sings the theme songs of his films, which play over the
closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...
. Chan's first musical recording was "Kung Fu Fighting Man", the theme song played over the closing credits of ''
The Young Master ''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, from a screenplay by Chan, Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi, and Tung Lu. It co-stars Yuen Biao, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was released thea ...
'' (1980). At least 10 of these recordings have been released on soundtrack albums for the films. His Cantonese song "Story of a Hero" (英雄故事) (theme song of '' Police Story'') was selected by the
Royal Hong Kong Police The history of the Hong Kong Police originates in 1841, when the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) was officially established by the British colonial government, the same year that the British Empire, British had settled in Hong Kong. While change ...
and incorporated into their recruitment advertisement in 1994. Chan voiced the character of Shang in the Chinese release of the
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
animated feature ''
Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century Common Era, CE) of Chinese history. Scholar, Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicte ...
'' (1998). He also performed the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You", for the film's soundtrack. For the US release, the speaking voice was performed by
BD Wong Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in '' M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Crit ...
and the singing voice was done by
Donny Osmond Donald Clark Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host and former teen idol. He gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gold albums. In the ...
. He also collaborated with Ani DiFranco on "Unforgettable". In 2007, Chan recorded and released "We Are Ready", the official one-year countdown song to the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
which he performed at a ceremony marking the one-year countdown to the
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...
. 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 Andy Lau Tak-wah ( zh, order=t,j, t=劉德華, j=Lau4 Dak1 Waa4; born Lau Fook-wing; 27 September 1961), is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He was named the "Fourth Tiger" among the Five Tiger Generals of TVB in the 1 ...
,
Liu Huan Liu Huan (born August 26, 1963) is a Chinese singer and songwriter. He is one of China's modern era pioneers in pop music. He combines his music career with teaching the history of Western music at the Beijing University of International Busin ...
and
Wakin Chau Wakin Chau (; born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau during the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese people, Taiwanese singer and actor, popular throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Sou ...
, at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.


Academia

Chan received his honorary Doctorate of Social Science degree in 1996 from the
Hong Kong Baptist University Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) is a public Liberal arts education, liberal arts university with a Christian ethics, Christian education heritage in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university was established as Hong Kong Baptist ...
. In 2009, he received another honorary doctorate from the
University of Cambodia The University of Cambodia (UC; , Romanization of Khmer#UNGEGN, UNGEGN: , Romanization of Khmer#ALA-LC Romanization Tables, ALA-LC: ) is a private university located on North bridge Road in Sen Sok District, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. Foun ...
, and has also been awarded an honorary professorship by the
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France. It was founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the United ...
in Hong Kong in 2008. Chan is currently a faculty member of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the
Hong Kong Polytechnic University The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU or HKPU) is a public research university in Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. The university is one of the eight government-funded degree-granting tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. Founded in 1937 a ...
, where he teaches the subject of tourism management. , he also serves as the Dean of the Jackie Chan Film and Television Academy under the Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences.


Personal life

In 1981, Chan met Taiwanese actress
Joan Lin Joan Lin Feng-jiao (born 30 June 1952) is a Taiwanese people, Taiwanese former actress. She is married to Hongkongers, Hong Kong actor and martial artist Jackie Chan. Early life Born 30 June 1952 in Taipei, Lin was the second child out of five ch ...
. In December 1982, they married in Los Angeles; their son,
Jaycee Chan Jaycee Chan Joming (, born December 3, 1982) is an American actor and singer based in Asia. The only son of Jackie Chan and Joan Lin, he debuted with a Mandopop album in 2004 and pursued a music and acting career in Greater China until his career ...
, was born the day after. Lin retired from acting after their marriage, but made a cameo in ''
CZ12 ''CZ12 (Armour Of God 3)'' (), also known as ''Chinese Zodiac'', is a 2012 Hong Kong Action film, action-adventure film, adventure comedy film co-written, co-produced and directed by Jackie Chan, who also starred as the main character in the fi ...
'' (2012), in which she plays Chan's wife. Chan had an extramarital affair with
Elaine Ng Yi-Lei Elaine Ng Yi-lei (born 23 September 1972), sometimes credited as Elaine Wu, is a Hong Kong actress. She was the winner of Miss Asia in 1990. She announced that she was pregnant in 1999, and disclosed the affair with Jackie Chan after public spec ...
, who gave birth to their daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam, on 18 January 1999. Shortly before Etta's birth, Ng publicly revealed Chan as the father, sparking a scandal. Chan held a press conference where he expressed regret over the affair but stated that he had "only committed a fault that many men in the world commit". In 2002, Ng moved from Hong Kong to Shanghai. She and her daughter attracted media attention for their financial struggles, family conflicts, and mental health issues. However, according to her lawyer, Chan refused to provide any assistance. Chan has never met his daughter since her birth. In 2017, when asked about her coming out as lesbian, he replied: "As long as she's happy." Chan speaks
Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...
,
Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
, and English. He also knows
American Sign Language American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual language that i ...
. Chan is an avid
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
fan and supports the
Hong Kong national football team The Hong Kong national football team (; recognised as Hong Kong, China by FIFA) represents Hong Kong in international association football, football and is controlled by the Football Association of Hong Kong, China, the governing body for foot ...
, the
England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
, and
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. He is a fan of the Italian duo
Bud Spencer Bud Spencer (born Carlo Pedersoli; 31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016) was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player. He was known for action-comedy and spaghetti Western roles with his long-time film partner and friend Ter ...
and
Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with hi ...
, from whom he was inspired for his movies.


Stunts and screen persona

Chan has performed most of his own stunts throughout his film career, which are choreographed by the
Jackie Chan Stunt Team The Jackie Chan Stunt Team (), also known as Jackie Chan's Stuntmen Association, is a group of stuntmen and martial artists who work alongside Jackie Chan. Founded in the 1970s, it originally included Hong Kong action stuntmen and martial art ...
. The team was established in 1983, and Chan has used them in all his subsequent films to make choreographing easier, given his understanding of each member's abilities. Chan and his team undertake many of the stunts performed by other characters in his films, shooting the scenes so that their faces are obscured. In the early 1980s, Jackie Chan began experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences in films such as ''
The Young Master ''The Young Master'' () is a 1980 Hong Kong martial arts film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, from a screenplay by Chan, Edward Tang, Lau Tin-chi, and Tung Lu. It co-stars Yuen Biao, Fung Fung and Shih Kien. The film was released thea ...
'' (1980) and especially ''
Dragon Lord ''Dragon Lord'' (also known as ''Dragon Strike'', ) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film starring and directed by Jackie Chan, who also wrote the screenplay with Edward Tang and Barry Wong. It was originally supposed to be a sequel t ...
'' (1982), which featured a pyramid fight scene that holds the record for the most
take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each ...
s required for a single scene, with 2900 takes, and the final fight scene where he performs various stunts, including one where he does a backflip off a
loft A loft is a building's upper storey or elevated area in a room directly under the roof (American usage), or just an attic: a storage space under the roof usually accessed by a ladder (primarily British usage). A loft apartment refers to large ...
and falls to the lower ground. In 1983, '' Project A'' saw the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and added elaborate, dangerous stunts to the fights and typical slapstick humor; at one point, Chan falls from the top of a clock tower through a series of fabric canopies. Critics have compared his comedic stunts in ''Project A'' to
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...
, who was also known to perform his own stunts, although Chan himself had not watched Keaton's films until years after ''Project A'' released; according to 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'' (1985) contained many large-scale action scenes, including an opening sequence featuring a
car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive industry i ...
through a
shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...
, Chan stopping a
double-decker bus A double-decker bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are used primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sightseeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They app ...
with his service
revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...
and a climactic fight scene in a shopping mall. This final scene earned the film the nickname "Glass Story" by the crew, due to the huge number of panes of
sugar glass Sugar glass (also called candy glass, edible glass, and breakaway glass) is a brittle transparent form of sugar that looks like glass. It can be formed into a sheet that looks like flat glass or an object, such as a bottle or drinking glass. Descr ...
that were broken. During a stunt in this last scene, in which Chan slides down a pole from several stories up, the lights covering the pole had heated it considerably, resulting in Chan suffering
second-degree burns A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), solids, ...
, particularly to his hands, as well as a back injury and dislocation of his pelvis upon landing. Chan performed similarly elaborate stunts in numerous other films, such as several '' Police Story'' sequels, ''
Project A Part II ''Project A Part II'' (; aka ''Jackie Chan's Project A II''; released in the Philippines as ''Super Fighter'') is a 1987 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action film starring and directed by Jackie Chan. It co-stars Maggie Cheung, Bill Tung, ...
'', the '' Armour of God'' series, ''
Dragons Forever ''Dragons Forever'' () is a 1988 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film directed by Sammo Hung, who also starred in the film, and co-directed by Corey Yuen. The film co-stars Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, Pauline Yeung, Deannie Yip, Yuen Wah, R ...
'', ''
Drunken Master II ''Drunken Master II'' () is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style mart ...
'', ''
Rumble in the Bronx ''Rumble in the Bronx'' () is a 1995 action comedy film directed by Stanley Tong, and starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Françoise Yip. The film is set in the Bronx area of New York City, but was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada. A ...
'', and the ''
Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
'' series, among others. The dangerous nature of his stunts makes it difficult to get insurance, especially in the United States where his stunt work is contractually limited. Chan holds the
Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
for "Most Stunts by a Living Actor", which emphasizes that "no insurance company will underwrite Chan's productions in which he performs all his own stunts". Chan has been injured frequently when attempting stunts; many of them have been shown as outtakes or as
blooper A blooper, or gag reel, is short clip from a film, television program or video production, usually a deleted scene, containing a mistake made by a member of the cast or crew. It also refers to an error made during a live radio or TV broadcast or ...
s during the closing credits of his films. He came closest to death filming ''Armour of God'' when he fell from a tree and fractured his skull. Over the years, he has dislocated his pelvis and also broken numerous parts of his body, including his fingers, toes, nose, both cheekbones, hips, sternum, neck, ankle, and ribs. Promotional materials for ''Rumble in the Bronx'' emphasized that he performed all of the stunts, and one version of the movie poster even diagrammed his many injuries. Chan created his screen persona as a response to the late
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was an American-born Hong Kong martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from ...
and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death. Lee's characters were typically stern, morally upright heroes. In contrast, 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, Chan holds his tight to the body; where Lee was loose and flowing, Chan is tight and choppy. Despite the success of the ''Rush Hour'' series, Chan has stated that he is not a fan of it since he neither appreciates the action scenes in the movie nor understands American humor. American filmmaker
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
classified Chan's style of acting and filmmaking as
physical comedy Physical comedy is a form of comedy focused on manipulation of the body for a humorous effect. It can include slapstick, clowning, mime, physical stunts, or making funny faces. Physical comedy originated as part of the Commedia dell'arte. It is ...
, and considered him one of the greatest in the genre. British filmmaker
Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical Film genre, genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zo ...
describes Jackie Chan as an "expressive" visual performer with an
everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin and history The term ''everyman'' was used ...
persona. He notes that, in contrast to other action heroes (such as Bruce Lee,
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
,
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
or
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
), Chan presents himself as a loveable "goofball" underdog who overcomes the odds with almost "superhuman" acrobatic stunts and fighting abilities. In the 2000s, the ageing Chan grew tired of being typecast as an action hero, prompting him to act with more emotion in his latest films. In ''
New Police Story ''New Police Story'' is a 2004 Hong Kong action cinema, Hong Kong action thriller film directed by Benny Chan (filmmaker), Benny Chan. It stars Jackie Chan, Nicholas Tse, Charlie Yeung, Charlene Choi, and Daniel Wu. The film was released theat ...
'' (2004), he portrayed a character suffering from alcoholism and mourning his murdered colleagues. To further shed the image of a "nice guy", Chan played an antihero for the first time in ''
Rob-B-Hood ''Rob-B-Hood'' (, also known as ''Robin-B-Hood'', literally: Baby Project) is a 2006 Hong Kong action comedy drama film written, produced and directed by Benny Chan, feature an ensemble cast include Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Yuen Biao, Michael ...
'' (2006) starring as Thongs, a burglar with gambling problems. Chan plays a low-level gangster in 2009's ''
Shinjuku Incident ''Shinjuku Incident'' (, ''Shinjuku Inshidento'') is a 2009 Hong Kong Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama film directed by Derek Yee, and written by Yee and Chun Tin-nam. It stars Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Xu Jinglei, and Fan Bin ...
'', a serious drama set in Tokyo about unsavory characters.


Legacy

Chan has received global recognition for his film acting and stunt work. His accolades include the Innovator Award from the
American Choreography Awards The American Choreography Awards was a ceremony and show that honored outstanding choreographers in the fields of feature film, television, music videos, and commercials. They were first known as the L.A. Dance Awards (1994–95), then as Bob Fos ...
and a lifetime achievement award from the
Taurus World Stunt Awards The Taurus World Stunt Awards is a yearly award ceremony held midyear that honors stunt performers in movies. It is held each year in Los Angeles. The first awards were given out in 2001. The deciding committee has been around since the year 2000. ...
. He has stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
and the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars. In addition, Chan has also been honored by placing his hand and footprints at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre, known as the Chinese colloquially and officially billed as TCL Chinese Theatre for sponsorship reasons, is a movie palace on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, Unite ...
. Despite considerable box office success in Asia, Chan's Hollywood films have been criticized with regard to their action choreography. Reviewers of ''Rush Hour 2'', ''The Tuxedo'', and ''Shanghai Knights'' noted the toning down of Chan's fighting scenes, citing less intensity compared to his earlier films. The comedic value of his films is questioned; some critics stating that they can be childish at times. Chan was awarded the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) in 1989 and the
Silver Bauhinia Star The Silver Bauhinia Star (, SBS) is the second rank of the Order of the Bauhinia Star under the honours system of Hong Kong, awarded to people who have taken a leading part in public affairs or voluntary work over a long period. The award was ...
(SBS) in 1999. When American filmmaker
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
presented Chan with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the
1995 MTV Movie Awards The 1995 MTV Movie Awards were hosted by Jon Lovitz and Courteney Cox. Performances *TLC — "Waterfalls" *The Ramones — "Best Song from a Movie Medley" *Boyz II Men — " Water Runs Dry" *Blues Traveler — " Run-Around" Presenters *Val Ki ...
, Tarantino described Chan as "one of the best filmmakers the world has ever known" and "one of the greatest physical comedians since sound came into film." In 2001, he was inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame. He was also awarded an honorary black belt by the
World Karate Federation The World Karate Federation (WKF) is an international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than a hundred million members. The ...
, along with his '' Karate Kid: Legends'' co-star
Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( , ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Daniel LaRusso in the ''Karate Kid'' films (1984–1989, 2025), a role he reprised in the martial arts series ''Cobra Kai'' (2018–2025). F ...
during the film's New York premiere in 2025.


Cultural impact


Film industry

Numerous films from around the world have taken inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography. Examples include ''
The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
'' and ''
Kill Bill ''Kill Bill: Volume 1'' is a 2003 American martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, who swears revenge on a group of assassins ( Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox and Michael ...
'' (both choreographed by his former colleague
Yuen Woo-ping Yuen Woo-ping (; alias: Yuen Wo-ping; born 1945) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong Stage combat, martial arts choreographer and film director who worked in Hong Kong action cinema and later Hollywood films. He is one of the inductees on the Avenue ...
), the ''
Kung Fu Panda ''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'' series (where he also voiced Monkey), '' The Raid: Redemption'' (2011) from
Indonesian cinema The cinema of Indonesia refers to films produced domestically in Indonesia. The statutory Indonesian Film Board, or BPI, defines Indonesian films as "movies that are made by or using Indonesian resources whose Intellectual Property Right is ow ...
, '' Kingsman: The Secret Service'' (2014), the ''
John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American media franchise created by Derek Kolstad. It centers on a neo-noir action thriller film series featuring titular character portrayed by Keanu Reeves. Wick is a legendary hitman who is reluctantly drawn back int ...
'' series, ''
Atomic Blonde ''Atomic Blonde'' is a 2017 American action thriller film directed by David Leitch (receiving his first credit as feature film director) from a screenplay by Kurt Johnstad, based on the 2012 graphic novel ''The Coldest City'' by Antony Johns ...
'' (2017),
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
films such as ''
Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...
'' (2018) and ''
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' is a 2021 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Shang-Chi. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is List of Marvel ...
'' (2021), the
DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comic ...
film ''
Birds of Prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...
'' (2020), and the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
film ''
Extraction Extraction may refer to: Science and technology Biology and medicine * Comedo extraction, a method of acne treatment * Dental extraction, the surgical removal of a tooth from the mouth Computing and information science * Data extraction, the ...
'' (2020). British filmmaker
Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical Film genre, genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zo ...
cited Chan as an influence and said that, "No matter how many people try and rip off Jackie Chan movies, there's something which they can't rip off which is Jackie Chan himself."
Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, he featured on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019. Some publications have called him one of the most ...
also cited Chan as an influence on several action scenes in ''
Uncharted ''Uncharted'' is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog. Created by Amy Hennig, the ''Uncharted'' franchise follows a group of treasure hunters who trav ...
'' (2022), noting Chan's use of his surroundings to fight people in unique ways.


In popular culture and media

Chan has been the subject of Ash's song "
Kung Fu Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
",
Heavy Vegetable Heavy Vegetable was a rock band based in Encinitas, California, which featured guitarist and lead singer Rob Crow, singer Eléa Tenuta, bassist Travis Nelson and drummer Manolo Turner. 11 years after their final studio album was released, Crow, ...
's "Jackie Chan Is a Punk Rocker",
Leehom Wang Wang Leehom ( zh, c=王力宏, poj=Ông Le̍k-hông; born May 17, 1976), sometimes credited as Leehom Wang, is an American singer-songwriter, actor, producer, and film director. His music is known for fusing hip-hop and R&B, with Guoyue, tradi ...
's " Long Live Chinese People", as well as in "Jackie Chan" by
Frank Chickens Frank Chickens are a Japanese musical group based in London, who have performed songs mainly in English since 1982. They were nominated for the 1984 Edinburgh Comedy Award for their performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In the same y ...
, and television shows ''
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' is an American sketch comedy television series created by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim for Cartoon Network's nighttime programming block Adult Swim. It premiered on February 11, 2007 and originally ...
'', ''
Celebrity Deathmatch ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' is an adult stop-motion claymated series created by Eric Fogel and produced by John Worth Lynn Jr. for MTV. A parody of sports entertainment programs, ''Celebrity Deathmatch'' depicted various celebrities engaging ...
'' and ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
''. He has been cited as the inspiration for
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
and
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
such as ''
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...
'', 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". Toriyama said he had a young Jackie Chan in mind for a live-action
Goku Son Goku is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is based on Sun Wukong (known as ''Son Gokū'' in Japan and the Monkey King in the West), a main character of the cl ...
, stating that "nobody could play Goku but him." Chan himself was a fan of the series, and had expressed some interest in adapting ''Dragon Ball'' into a live-action film, but said it would require "a lot of amazing special effects and an enormous budget." The
parkour Parkour () is an athletic Training#Physical training, training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from one point to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment ...
movement was also inspired by Chan. A number of
video games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
have been based on, or featured, Jackie Chan. His film ''
Wheels on Meals ''Wheels on Meals'' () is a 1984 Hong Kong martial arts action comedy film written and directed by Sammo Hung, with action choreographed by Jackie Chan. The film stars Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lola Forner, Benny Urquidez, and J ...
'' (called ''Spartan X'' in Japan) spawned the hit 1984
beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
arcade game ''Kung-Fu Master (video game), Spartan X'' (released as ''Kung-Fu Master'' in Western markets), and its sequel ''Spartan X 2'' for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Famicom console. ''Spartan X'' laid the foundations for the beat 'em up genre, and inspired other games including ''Super Mario Bros.'' (1985) and ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter'' (1987). ''Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu'' was released in 1990 for the PC-Engine and Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1995, Chan was featured in the arcade game ''The Kung-Fu Master Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master''. A series of Japanese video games were released on the MSX computer by Pony, based on several of Chan's films (''Project A'', ''Project A 2'', ''Police Story'', ''The Protector'' and ''Wheels on Meals''). Other games based on Jackie Chan include ''
Jackie Chan Stuntmaster ''Jackie Chan Stuntmaster'' (titled ''Jackie Chan's Stuntmaster'' in PAL's in-game menu) is a 2000 beat 'em up platform video game developed by Radical Entertainment for the PlayStation. Midway Games released it in North America while Sony C ...
'', ''Jackie Chan Adventures (video game), Jackie Chan Adventures'' and ''Jackie Chan J-Mat Fitness''. Chan also inspired video game characters such as Lei Wulong in ''Tekken'' and the fighting-type Pokémon Hitmonchan. On 25 June 2013, Chan responded to a hoax Facebook page created a few days earlier that alleged he had died. He 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. He posted a Facebook message, commenting: "If I died, I would probably tell the world!" In 2015, a made-up word inspired by Chan's description of his hair during an interview for a commercial, ''duang'', became an internet viral meme particularly in China. The Chinese character for the word is a composite of two characters of Chan's name. A wax figure of Jackie Chan was revealed at Madame Tussauds New York in 2020.


Public image

Jackie Chan has a sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi Motors that has resulted in the appearance of Mitsubishi cars in a number of his films. Furthermore, Mitsubishi launched a limited series of Evolution cars personally customized by Chan. Chan was also 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 Chan's Hong Kong action movies as they were being released in the United States. In anticipation for ''
Rush Hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English, Indian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice e ...
'', Chan's first major Hollywood crossover, he coded the website in two weeks and the site went live shortly before the release of ''Rush Hour''. 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. He has generally refused to play villains and has been very restrained in using swear words in his films – he persuaded the director of ''Rush Hour'' to take "fuck" out of the script. Chan's greatest regret in life is not having received a proper education, inspiring him to fund educational institutions around the world. He funded the construction of the Jackie Chan Science Centre at the Australian National University and the establishment of schools in poor regions of China. Chan is a spokesperson for the Government of Hong Kong, appearing in public service announcements. In a ''Clean Hong Kong'' commercial, he urged the people of Hong Kong to be more considerate with regards to littering, a problem that has been widespread for decades. Furthermore, in an advertisement promoting nationalism, he gave a short explanation of the March of the Volunteers, the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. When Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005, Chan participated in the opening ceremony. In the United States, Chan appeared alongside
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
in a government advert to combat copyright infringement and made another public service announcement with Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to encourage people, especially Asian people, to join the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.


Cultural honors and depictions

In November 2013, a statue of Chan was unveiled in front of what is now known as the JC Film Gallery, which opened in the spring of 2014. On 1 February 2015, Chan was awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the Malaysian states and federal territories#Federal Territories, Order of the Territorial Crown by the King of Malaysia, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia Abdul Halim of Kedah, Tuanku Abdul Halim in conjunction with the country's Federal Territory Day. It carries the title of Malay styles and titles#Datuk, Datuk in Malaysia.


Political views

Chan's views on Politics of Hong Kong, Hong Kong politics have gradually shifted from a Pro-democracy camp (Hong Kong), pro-democratic stance in the late 1980s to a Pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong), pro-Beijing stance in the 2010s. In 1989, 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. Since 2013, Chan has been a pro-China politician, having served two terms as a delegate to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's Political consulting, political advisory body. According to Chan, he wanted to be a Party member but his moral failings make him unqualified. Chan stated that he can "see the greatness of the CCP" and his view that "[i]t will deliver what it says, and what it promises in less than 100 years, but only a few decades." During a news conference in Shanghai on 28 March 2004, Chan referred to the recently concluded 2004 Taiwanese presidential election, 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 H. Chang, Parris Chang, called for the government of Taiwan to ban ''
Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' () is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate ...
''. Police and security personnel separated Chan from scores of protesters shouting "Jackie Chan, get out" when he arrived at Taipei airport in June 2008. Referring to his participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, torch relay for the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...
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 the Olympics coverage that year would "provide another way for us to tell the world about Chinese culture." In 2009, 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 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." On 18 April 2009, during a panel discussion at the annual Boao Forum for Asia, he questioned whether or not broad freedom is a good thing. Noting the strong tensions in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he said, "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." Chan's comments prompted angry responses from several prominent figures in Taiwan and Hong Kong. A spokesman later said Chan was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry, rather than in Chinese society at large. In December 2012, Chan caused outrage when he criticized Hong Kong as a "city of protest", suggesting that demonstrators' rights in Hong Kong should be limited. The same month, in an interview with Phoenix TV, Chan stated that the United States was the "most corrupt" country in the world, which in turn angered parts of the online community. Other articles situated Chan's comments in the context of his career and life in the United States, including his "embrace of the American film market" and his seeking asylum in the United States from Hong Kong triads. From 2013 to 2023, Chan served two terms as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representing the "Literature and Arts" sector. In April 2016, Chan was named in the Panama Papers. While Chan was not accused of engaging in illegal activity per se, he was listed as having up to six different offshore accounts, likely for the purposes of serving as tax shelters. In 2019, Chan criticized 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests, saying that the Flag of China, Five-starred Red Flag' is respected everywhere around the world." He also supported the National People's Congress decision on Hong Kong national security legislation.


Entrepreneurship and philanthropy

In addition to his film production and distribution company,
JCE Movies Limited JCE Movies Limited () is a film distribution and production company based in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. It was founded in 2004 and is a division of Emperor Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Emperor Entertainment Group (EEG). The company was ...
, Jackie Chan owns or co-owns the production companies JC Group China, Jackie & Willie Productions (with Willie Chan) and Jackie & JJ Productions. Chan has also put his name to Jackie Chan Theater International, a cinema chain in China, co-run by Hong Kong company Sparkle Roll Group Ltd. The first—Jackie Chan-Yaolai International Cinema—opened in February 2010, and is claimed to be the largest cinema complex in China, with 17 screens and 3,500 seats. Chan expressed his hopes that the size of the venue would afford young, non-commercial directors the opportunity to have their films screened. Fifteen further cinemas in the chain were planned for 2010, throughout Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, with a potential total of 65 cinemas throughout the country proposed. In 2004, Chan launched his own line of clothing, which bears a
Chinese dragon The Chinese dragon or loong is a legendary creature in Chinese mythology, Chinese folklore, and Chinese culture generally. Chinese dragons have many animal-like forms, such as Bixi (mythology), turtles and Chiwen, fish, but are most commonly ...
logo and the English word "Jackie", or the initials "JC". Chan also has a number of other branded businesses. His sushi restaurant chain, Jackie's Kitchen, has outlets throughout Hong Kong, as well as seven in South Korea, with plans to open another in Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas. Jackie Chan's Cafe has outlets in Beijing, Singapore, and the Philippines. Other ventures include Jackie Chan Signature Club gyms (a partnership with California Fitness), and a line of chocolates, cookies and nutritional oatcakes. With each of his businesses, a percentage of the profits goes to various charities, including the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. In 2016, Chan partnered with Asian Le Mans Series champion David Cheng to form a racing team in the series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. The two met in March 2015 and Chan told Cheng about his interest in motorsports and raised the possibility of starting a team. Together, the two formed Baxi DC Racing Alpine, the first mainland China-based operation in WEC. In October, leading into the 2016–17 Asian Le Mans Series season, the team was rebranded to Jackie Chan DC Racing and raced with liveries promoting Chan's movie ''
Kung Fu Yoga ''Kung Fu Yoga'' ( zh, 功夫瑜伽) is a 2017 Chinese action adventure comedy film written and directed by Stanley Tong and produced by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to '' The Myth'' (2005), with Chan reprising his role as an a ...
''. At the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team became the first Chinese team to win its class (LMP2). Chan is a List of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and has championed charitable works and causes. He has campaigned for conservation (ethic), conservation and against animal abuse, and has promoted disaster relief efforts for natural disasters in China, floods in mainland China and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 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, Chan pledged the donation of half his assets to charity upon his death. On 10 March 2008, Chan was the guest of honour for the launch, by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, of the ''Jackie Chan Science Centre'' at the John Curtin School of Medical Research of the Australian National University. Chan is also 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. Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Chan donated RMB ¥10 million to help those in need. In addition, he planned to make a film about the Chinese earthquake to raise money for survivors. In response to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Chan and fellow Hong Kong-based celebrities, including American rapper MC Jin, headlined a special three-hour charity concert, titled ''Artistes 311 Love Beyond Borders'', on 1 April 2011 to help with Japan's disaster recovery effort. The 3-hour concert raised over $3.3 million. In January 2017, Chan donated $65,000 to help 2017 Southern Thailand floods, flood victims in Thailand. Chan founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation in 1988 to offer scholarship and active help to Hong Kong's young people and provide aid to victims of natural disaster or illness. In 2005, 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. The foundation also provides for the elderly with donations of warm clothing, wheelchairs, and other items.


Endorsements

One product which Chan had endorsed in China was the "Little Tyrant" ("小霸王") produced by Subor, a Famiclone, Nintendo Entertainment System hardware clone marketed as a "learning machine" to circumvent China's then-ban on video game consoles. In 2010, Chan served as brand ambassador for Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in Asia. There is an urban legend called the Jackie Chan curse. ABC News reported in 2010 that the legend originated because "A slew of products sold in China bearing his name, smile and seal of approval have proven defective, prone to explosion, and in one case, potentially damaging to consumers' health." This led to a belief that any product or company which was endorsed by Jackie Chan would suffer setbacks. In 2016 the failure of fitness chain California Fitness was blamed on the curse. The curse was again invoked in 2021 when Evergrande Group suffered major losses following Chan's promotion of Evergrande Spring brand bottled water. However, Jackie Chan has also endorsed a number of products and companies which have not had issues.


Filmography


Discography


Awards and nominations


International honours and recognition

* : ** Member of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(MBE) (1989) * : ** Commander of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the Malaysian states and federal territories#Federal Territories, Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) – Datuk (2015) * 2002 List of actors with Hollywood Walk of Fame motion picture stars, motion pictures star at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Walk of Fame. * The
Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards Jackie Chan Action Movie Awards are awards presented to action film genre. The "Jackie Chan Action Movie Week" was originally presented during the Shanghai International Film Festival since 2015, but in 2019 it moved to a new date and venue in Sha ...
, held at the Shanghai International Film Festival since 2015, is named after Jackie Chan. * Chan is a recipient of an honorary black belt by the
World Karate Federation The World Karate Federation (WKF) is an international governing body of sport karate with 198 member countries. It is the only karate organization recognised by the International Olympic Committee and has more than a hundred million members. The ...
in 2025, along with '' Karate Kid: Legends'' co-star
Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( , ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Daniel LaRusso in the ''Karate Kid'' films (1984–1989, 2025), a role he reprised in the martial arts series ''Cobra Kai'' (2018–2025). F ...
during the film's movie premiere in New York City.


See also

* Hong Kong action cinema * Jackie Chan Hill


Notes


References


Further reading

* Boose, Thorsten; Oettel, Silke. ''Hongkong, meine Liebe – Ein spezieller Reiseführer''. Shaker Media, 2009. * Boose, Thorsten. ''Der deutsche Jackie Chan Filmführer''. Shaker Media, 2008. * Chan, Jackie, and Jeff Yang. ''I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action''. New York: Ballantine Books, 1999. . Jackie Chan's autobiography. * Cooper, Richard, and Mike Leeder. ''100% Jackie Chan: The Essential Companion''. London: Titan Books, 2002. . * Cooper, Richard. ''More 100% Jackie Chan: The Essential Companion Volume 2''. London: Titan Books, 2004. . * Corcoran, John. ''The Unauthorized Jackie Chan Encyclopedia: From Project A to Shanghai Noon and Beyond''. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 2003. . * Fox, Dan. ''Jackie Chan. Raintree Freestyle''. Chicago, Ill.: Raintree, 2006. . * Gentry, Clyde. ''Jackie Chan: Inside the Dragon''. Dallas, Tex.: Taylor Pub, 1997. . * Le Blanc, Michelle, and Colin Odell. ''The Pocket Essential Jackie Chan''. Pocket essentials. Harpenden: Pocket Essentials, 2000. . * Major, Wade. ''Jackie Chan''. New York: Metrobooks, 1999. . * Moser, Leo. ''Made in Hong Kong: die Filme von Jackie Chan''. Berlin: Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, 2000. . * Poolos, Jamie. ''Jackie Chan''. Martial Arts Masters. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2002. . * Rovin, Jeff, and Kathleen Tracy. ''The Essential Jackie Chan Sourcebook''. New York: Pocket Books, 1997. . * Stone, Amy. ''Jackie Chan''. Today's Superstars: Entertainment. Milwaukee, Wis.: Gareth Stevens Pub, 2007. . * Witterstaetter, Renee. ''Dying for Action: The Life and Films of Jackie Chan''. New York: Warner, 1998. . * Wong, Curtis F., and John R. Little (eds.). ''Jackie Chan and the Superstars of Martial Arts''. The Best of ''Inside Kung-Fu''. Lincolnwood, Ill.: McGraw-Hill, 1998. . * Jackie Chan and Zhu Mo ''Never Grow Up (book), Never Grow Up'' 2018 . Jackie Chan's autobiography. * Berger, Christian. ''Der echte Jackie Chan'' (The real Jackie Chan). Weiz: Selbstverlag, 2019, (in German). * Berger, Christian. ''Fantastic Movie Concepts for Jackie Chan''. Weiz, Austria: Self-published, 2021.


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chan, Jackie Jackie Chan, 1954 births Living people 20th-century Hong Kong male actors 20th-century Hong Kong male singers 21st-century Hong Kong male actors 21st-century Hong Kong male singers Academy Honorary Award recipients Hong Kong action choreographers Cantopop singers Elektra Records artists Hong Kong businesspeople Hong Kong emigrants to Australia Hong Kong expatriates in Australia Hong Kong fashion businesspeople Hong Kong fashion designers Hong Kong film directors Hong Kong film producers Hong Kong hapkido practitioners Hong Kong kung fu practitioners Hong Kong male child actors Hong Kong male comedians Hong Kong male film actors Hong Kong male voice actors Hong Kong male screenwriters Hong Kong Mandopop singers Hong Kong martial artists Hong Kong philanthropists Hong Kong restaurateurs Hong Kong businesspeople in retailing Hong Kong stunt performers Hong Kong wushu practitioners Members of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Dickson College People named in the Panama Papers Recipients of the Silver Bauhinia Star Sports car racing team owners UNICEF goodwill ambassadors Victor Records artists Chinese comedy film directors Slapstick comedians