ACTOR · BORN 1954
Jackie Chan
- Born
- 7 April 1954, Victoria Peak, Hong Kong
- Known for
- Around the World in 80 Days (2004), The Tuxedo (2002), Jui kuen II (1994), Karate Kid: Legends (2025)
296 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
Jackie Chan (born 7 April 1954) is an actor best known for Around the World in 80 Days, The Tuxedo and Jui kuen II.
Jackie Chan over the years
296 Interesting Facts About Jackie Chan
Interesting Facts (71)
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Though classed as a martial artist, Jackie Chan has very little formal training and no belt in any style. His foundation was Peking Opera, with its theatrical take on martial arts and acrobatics, and his screen fighting mixes styles: Northern and traditional Kung-Fu as the base, built up with other styles and slapstick to make each scene as funny as possible.
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He's also a talented singer with many albums out in Asia, and his songs usually play over the outtakes of his Hong Kong films, including The Young Master (1980), Project A (1983) (not in the US version), Police Story (1985) (not in the US version), Armor of God (1986) (not in the US version), Project A 2 (1987), Police Story 2 (1988), Dragons Forever (1988), Operation Condor (1991) (not in the US version), Twin Dragons (1992) (not in the US version), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) (not in the US version), Drunken Master II (1994) (not in the US version), Rumble in the Bronx (1995) (not in the US version), Thunderbolt (1995), First Strike (1996) (not in the US version), Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Who Am I? (1998), The Twins Effect (2003) and New Police Story (2004).
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Speaking about his part in the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay, Chan criticized protesters who repeatedly disrupted it to highlight a wide range of grievances against the Chinese government, warning that "publicity seekers" planning to stop him carrying the torch had better "not get anywhere near" him. He also argued that China was trying to reform and that the year's Olympic coverage was a chance for it to learn from the outside world.
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At a press conference in Shanghai on 28 March 2004, Chan called the just-finished 2004 Republic of China presidential election in Taiwan, which re-elected the Democratic Progressive Party's Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu as President and Vice President, "the biggest joke in the world." Taiwanese legislator and senior DPP member Parris Chang urged the government to ban his films and bar him from visiting Taiwan, and when he arrived at Taipei airport in June 2008, police and security had to keep him apart from crowds of protesters shouting "Jackie Chan, get out."
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In 2007 Jackie Chan recorded and released "We Are Ready," the official one-year countdown song for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and sang it at the ceremony marking one year to go to the 2008 Summer Paralympics. He also released one of the two official Olympic albums, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Official Album - Jackie Chan's Version, with several special guests, and at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics he sang "Hard to Say Goodbye" with Andy Lau, Liu Huan and Wakin (Emil) Chau.
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Jackie Chan has played seven characters more than once: Wong Fei-Hung in the Drunken Master films, Asian Hawk in the Armor of God films, the voice of Monkey in the Kung Fu Panda films, Lee in the Rush Hour films, Chan Ka Kui in the Police Story films, Dragon Ma Yue Lung in the 'A'gai wak films and Muscles in the Lucky Stars films.
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On 25 April 2008 in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, South India, Jackie Chan was chief guest at the audio launch of Dasavatharam, the much-anticipated film starring the great Indian [Tamil] star Kamala Hassan, alongside CM Mr. K. Karunanidhi, Amitab Bachan, Mammootty, Vijay, Hemamalini, Jayaprada, Mallika Shravat, Asin and others.
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Production Story (16)
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His first big breakthrough was Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978), made while he was on loan to Seasonal Film Corporation on a two-picture deal, with director Yuen Woo-Ping giving him complete freedom over the stunts. The film launched the comedy kung-fu genre and felt fresh to Hong Kong audiences, and Drunken Master (1978) then made him a mainstream star. Back at Wei Lo's studio, Lo tried to copy the Drunken Master formula with Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978) and Spiritual Kung Fu (1978), and let Chan co-direct The Fearless Hyena (1979) with Kenneth Tsang. When Willie Chan left the company, he told Jackie to decide for himself whether to stay with Lo. During Fearless Hyena 2 (1983) Chan broke his contract and joined Golden Harvest, and Lo, blaming Willie for losing his star, tried to intimidate Chan through the triads, until fellow actor-director Jimmy Wang Yu helped settle the dispute and Chan stayed at Golden Harvest.
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Behind the Scenes (102)
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According to his production diary on the official Shanghai Knights (2003) website, the producers wanted to throw him a birthday party, but he asked them not to, since his mother had recently died and Chinese tradition calls for 3 to 12 months of mourning. They threw it anyway, and Chan didn't mind because, he said, "it is an important part of the American culture to celebrate birthdays".
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His first big break was Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978), shot while he was loaned to Seasonal Film Corporation on a two-film deal, with director Yuen Woo-Ping giving him free rein over the stunts. It created the comedy kung-fu genre and was a breath of fresh air for Hong Kong audiences, and Drunken Master (1978) then brought him mainstream success. When he returned to Wei Lo's studio, Lo tried to repeat the Drunken Master formula with Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978) and Spiritual Kung Fu (1978), and let him direct The Fearless Hyena (1979) with Kenneth Tsang. When Willie Chan left the company, he advised Jackie to make up his own mind about staying with Lo. While shooting Fearless Hyena 2 (1983) Chan broke his contract and moved to Golden Harvest, and Lo threatened him through the triads and blamed Willie for his star's exit, until actor-director Jimmy Wang Yu helped resolve the dispute and Chan was allowed to stay at Golden Harvest.
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Jackie Chan personally holds the two Guinness World Records awarded to him on December 5, 2012. He holds the record for the most credits on a film and for the most stunts by a living actor. The first record was set by himself with Chinese Zodiac (2012), in which he took on 15 major creative filmmaking roles for the film, including Director, Producer, Actor, Fight Choreographer and Composer, breaking Robert Rodriguez's previous record of 11 credits.
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Although he is classified as a martial artist, he has very little formal training and holds no formal belt in any style. The foundation of his martial arts was Peking Opera, which uses a more theatrical interpretation of martial arts and acrobatics. The fighting style he used during filming was a mixture of different styles; he primarily used Northern and traditional Kung-Fu as a base, then enhanced it with other fighting styles and slapstick to make the scene work in the funniest way possible.
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According to the production diary on the official Shanghai Knights (2003) website, the film's producers wanted to throw him a birthday party, but he asked them not to because his mother had recently died and, according to Chinese customs, you must wait 3 to 12 months after a death before ending the mourning period. The producers threw the party anyway, and Chan did not object because he said "it is an important part of the American culture to celebrate birthdays."
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In 2009 he was appointed as an anti-drug ambassador by the Chinese government, took an active part in anti-drug campaigns and supported President Xi Jinping's statement that illegal drugs should be eliminated and their users severely punished. In 2014, when his own son Jaycee was arrested for marijuana use, he said he was "angry," "shocked," "heartbroken" and "ashamed" of his son. He also said, "I hope all young people will learn a lesson from Jaycee and stay away from the harms of drugs. I tell Jaycee that when you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences."
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His first major breakthrough was Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978), filmed while he was loaned to Seasonal Film Corporation under a two-picture deal. Director Yuen Woo-Ping gave Chan complete freedom in his stunt work. The film created the comedy kung-fu genre and came as a breath of fresh air to Hong Kong audiences. Chan then starred in Drunken Master (1978), which finally brought him mainstream success. When Chan returned to Wei Lo's studio, Lo tried to copy the comedy approach of Drunken Master and produced Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978) and Spiritual Kung Fu (1978). He also gave Chan the opportunity to direct The Fearless Hyena (1979) together with Kenneth Tsang. When Willie Chan left the company, he advised Jackie to decide for himself whether to stay with Wei Lo. During the shooting of Fearless Hyena 2 (1983), Chan broke his contract and joined Golden Harvest, which led Lo to threaten Chan with triads and to blame Willie for his star's departure. The dispute was resolved with the help of actor and director Jimmy Wang Yu, and Chan was allowed to stay at Golden Harvest.
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Referring to his participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in Beijing, Chan spoke out against protesters who disrupted the run several times to draw attention to a wide range of grievances against the Chinese government. He warned that "publicity seekers" planned to prevent the Olympic Torch from "not get anywhere near" him. Chan also argued that China was trying to reform and that that year's Olympic coverage would be a chance for the country to learn from the outside world.
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In 2007, he recorded and released "We Are Ready," the one-year official countdown song for the 2008 Summer Olympics, and performed the song at the ceremony celebrating the one-year countdown to the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Chan also released the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Official Album - Jackie Chan's Version, one of the two official Olympic albums, which featured a number of special guest performers. At the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, Chan performed "Hard to Say Goodbye" together with Andy Lau, Liu Huan and Wakin (Emil) Chau.
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On June 10, 2012, he received the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Asian Film Festival. The presentation was made at a special event held at New York's Lincoln Center. Jackie also took part in a Q&A session with Grady Hendrix, one of the founders of Subway Cinema, which launched the annual NYAFF and currently co-presents it. The evening ended with a screening of Jackie's latest film, Chinese Zodiac (2012).
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Along with Brooke Shields, Jerry Lewis, A. V. Shankardass, he was appointed an Honorary Peace Ambassador of the Harvey Ball Foundation, together with Prince Albert of Monaco, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Phil Collins, Jimmy Buffett, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Heather Mills, Yoko Ono, Patch Adams, Sergei Khrushchev and Winnie Mandela.
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He has played seven characters more than once in films: Wong Fei-Hung from the Drunken Master films, Asian Hawk from the Armor of God films, the voice of Monkey from the Kung Fu Panda films, Lee from the Rush Hour films, Chan Ka Kui from the Police Story films, Dragon Ma Yue Lung from the 'A'gai wak films and Muscles from the Lucky Stars films.
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For his services to the film industry, he was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah on February 1, 2015. He ultimately received the honorary title Yang Berbahagia Datuk in the Federal Territories of Malaysia.
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On April 25, 2008, in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, South India, he attended as chief guest for the audio release of the hugely anticipated film Dasavatharam by the great Indian [Tamil] star Kamal Haasan, along with CM Mr. K. Karunanidhi, Amitabh Bachchan, Mammootty, Vijay, Hemamalini, Jayaprada, Mallika Sherawat, Asin, etc.
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Characters & Cast (16)
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Though classed as a martial artist, he has little formal training and holds no belt in any style. His grounding came from Peking Opera, with its theatrical approach to martial arts and acrobatics, and his screen fighting blends styles, using Northern and traditional Kung-Fu as a base and adding other styles and slapstick to make each scene as funny as possible.
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He has played seven characters in more than one film: Wong Fei-Hung in the Drunken Master films, Asian Hawk in the Armour of God films, the voice of Monkey in the Kung Fu Panda films, Lee in the Rush Hour films, Chan Ka Kui in the Police Story films, Dragon Ma Yue Lung in the 'A' gai wak films and Muscles in the Lucky Stars films.
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Jackie Chan holds two Guinness World Records, awarded on December 5, 2012, for most credits in a single film and most stunts by a living actor. He set the first with Chinese Zodiac (2012), taking on 15 major creative roles including Director, Producer, Actor, Fight Choreographer and Composer, beating Robert Rodriguez's previous record of 11 credits.
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Easter Eggs & References (5)
Deeper Meaning (1)
Career & Awards (40)
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On 25 April 2008 in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, South India, he was chief guest at the audio release of great Indian [Tamil] star Kamala Hassan's eagerly awaited film Dasavatharam, alongside CM Mr K. Karunanidhi, Amitab Bachan, Mammootty, Vijay, Hemamalini, Jayaprada, Mallika Shravat, Asin and others.
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He was named an Honorary Ambassador of Peace for the Harvey Ball Foundation, alongside Brooke Shields, Jerry Lewis, A.V.T. Shankardass, Prince Albert of Monaco, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Phil Collins, Jimmy Buffett, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Darrell Waltrip, Heather Mills, Yoko Ono, Patch Adams, Sergei Khrushchev and Winnie Mandela.
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He is also a gifted singer with many albums released in Asia, and his songs usually play over the outtakes of his Hong Kong films, among them The Young Master (1980), Project A (1983) (not in US version), Police Story (1985) (not in US version), Armour of God (1986) (not in US version), Project A 2 (1987), Police Story 2 (1988), Dragons Forever (1988), Operation Condor (1991) (not in US version), Twin Dragons (1992) (not in US version), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992) (not in US version), Drunken Master II (1994) (not in US version), Rumble in the Bronx (1995) (not in US version), Thunderbolt (1995), First Strike (1996) (not in US version), Mr. Nice Guy (1997), Who Am I? (1998), The Twins Effect (2003) and New Police Story (2004).
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Jackie Chan holds two Guinness World Records, awarded December 5, 2012: Most credits in one movie and Most stunts by a living actor. He set the first on Chinese Zodiac (2012), handling 15 major creative roles including Director, Producer, Actor, Fight Choreographer and Composer, and beating Robert Rodriguez's previous record of 11 credits.
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In 2007 he recorded and released "We Are Ready," the official one-year countdown song for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which he performed at the ceremony marking one year to the 2008 Summer Paralympics. He also released one of the two official Olympic albums, Official Album for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Jackie Chan's Version, with several guest artists, and sang "Hard to Say Goodbye" with Andy Lau, Liu Huan and Wakin (Emil) Chau at the closing ceremony.
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On 10 June 2012 he received the New York Asian Film Festival's Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at a special event at New York's Lincoln Center, followed by a Q&A with Grady Hendrix, a founder of Subway Cinema, the group that started and now co-presents the annual NYAFF, and a screening of his newest film, Chinese Zodiac (2012).
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He was awarded Knight Commander of the Order of the Territorial Crown (PMW) by Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on February 1, 2015 for his services to the film industry. He eventually received the honorary title of Yang Berbahagia Datuk in the Federal Territories of Malaysia.
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On June 10, 2012, Jackie Chan was given the New York Asian Film Festival's Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at a special event at New York's Lincoln Center, did a Q&A with Grady Hendrix, a founder of Subway Cinema, which launched the annual NYAFF and now co-presents it, and capped the evening with a screening of his latest film, Chinese Zodiac (2012).
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Life & Family (45)
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At a Shanghai press conference on 28 March 2004, Chan called the just-ended 2004 Republic of China presidential election in Taiwan, which returned the Democratic Progressive Party's Chen Shui-bian and Annette Lu as President and Vice-President, "the biggest joke in the world". Taiwanese legislator and senior DPP member Parris Chang called for his films to be banned and for him to be barred from visiting Taiwan, and when he landed at Taipei airport in June 2008, police and security had to separate him from crowds of protesters shouting "Jackie Chan, get out."
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Of his role in the 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay, Chan spoke out against demonstrators who repeatedly disrupted it to draw attention to a wide range of grievances against the Chinese government, warning that "publicity seekers" planning to stop him carrying the torch should "not get anywhere near" him. He also argued that China was trying to reform and that the Olympics coverage that year would be a chance for the country to learn from the outside world.
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In 2009 the Chinese government named him an anti-drug ambassador, and he campaigned actively and backed President Xi Jinping's call to eradicate illegal drugs and punish users severely. In 2014, when his own son Jaycee was arrested for cannabis use, he said he was "angry," "shocked," "heartbroken" and "ashamed," adding, "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."
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His production diary on the official Shanghai Knights (2003) website says the producers wanted to throw him a birthday party, but he asked them not to, as his mother had just died and Chinese custom calls for 3 to 12 months of mourning. They threw it anyway, and he didn't object, saying "it is an important part of the American culture to celebrate birthdays."
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Named an anti-drug ambassador by the Chinese government in 2009, he campaigned against drugs and backed President Xi Jinping's call to wipe them out and punish users severely. When his son Jaycee was arrested for marijuana in 2014, he said he was "angry," "shocked," "heartbroken" and "ashamed," adding, "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."
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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