Jackie Chan

Lore & Background

Chan was born in British Hong Kong to Charles and Lee-lee Chan, political refugees from the Chinese Civil War. His father, originally named Fang Daolong, briefly worked as a secret agent in Kuomintang-ruled China before fleeing to Hong Kong and changing his surname to Chan. Chan discovered his father's identity and adopted Fang Shilong as his Chinese name in the late 1990s. He spent his formative years within the grounds of the French consul's residence in Victoria Peak, where his father worked as a cook. After failing his first year at Nah-Hwa Primary School, his parents withdrew him, and in 1960 he was sent to the China Drama Academy, a Peking Opera School run by Master Yu Jim-yuen. There he trained rigorously for a decade, excelling in martial arts and acrobatics, and became part of the performance group Seven Little Fortunes, gaining the stage name Yuen Lo.

Reader's Guide

Chan's breakthrough came with the action comedy Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978), followed by Drunken Master (1978), which propelled him to mainstream success. He made his directorial debut with The Fearless Hyena (1979). Throughout the 1980s, he was part of the 'Three Dragons' with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Project A (1983) saw the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and established his signature style of elaborate, dangerous stunts combined with martial arts and slapstick humor. Rumble in the Bronx (1995) brought him into the North American mainstream, and he gained Hollywood success portraying Chief Inspector Lee in Rush Hour (1998). He has received fame stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as an honorary Academy Award in 2016. Chan is also a philanthropist and was named one of the top 10 most charitable celebrities by Forbes in 2011.

Did You Know?

• Chan earned two Guinness World Records for CZ12 (2012): 'Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor' and 'Most Credits in One Movie'.
• He was named one of the top 10 most charitable celebrities by Forbes in 2011.
• Chan's father briefly worked as a secret agent for Lieutenant General Dai Li in Kuomintang-ruled China.
• He is an operatically trained vocalist who has released several pop music albums and performed theme songs for some of his films.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"I feel the pride of being a Chinese everywhere, the Five-starred Red Flag is respected worldwide." — Jackie Chan "I'm jealous that you are CCP [Communist Party of China] members. The CCP is really great. The CCP's promises don't take 100 years, they are fulfilled in decades. I want to be a CCP member." — Jackie Chan "More than 120 takes. Those kinds of things ... You [say] "Wow, Jackie's good." It's not good. You can do it. Except, do you have the patience or not?" — Jackie Chan