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Chan Kong-sang known as Jackie Chan (born on April
7, 1954 in Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, director,
producer, stuntman and singer.
Chan is one of the most well-known names in Kung fu
and action movies worldwide, known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic
timing, and use of props including furniture and other set pieces as improvised
weapons. Chan has appeared in over a hundred movies, and is one of the most
recognisable Asian movie stars in the world. He has a star on the Avenue of
Stars in Hong Kong as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Chan is also a major pop star in Asia, and has
released over 100 song titles in 20 albums since 1984. He sings in many
different languages including English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese. He also
sings many of the theme songs to his films.
****
Screen Name
Cantonese Pengyam Seng Long
Mandarin Pinyin Chéng Lóng
Chinese 成龍 (Traditional)
成龙 (Simplified)
Birth Name
Cantonese Pengyam Can Gõhng Säng
Mandarin Pinyin Chén Gǎngshēng
Chinese 陳港生
Alternate Personal Name
(see below)
Cantonese Pengyam Fong Si Lung
Mandarin Pinyin Fáng Shìlóng
Sometimes credited as Jacky Chan
Yuan Lung Chan
Yuen-Lung Chan
Lung Chen
Long Cheng
Wellson Chin
Sing Lung
Chinese 房仕龍 (Traditional)
房仕龙 (Simplified)
****
Biography
Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong, China (presently
part of People's Republic of China). Chan is the son of Lee-Lee and Charles
Chan, who emigrated to Canberra, Australia in 1960 as refugees from the Chinese
Civil War. Prior to leaving China, Lee-Lee and Charles had worked as a maid and
butler, respectively, for the French ambassador to Hong Kong. Chan's Chinese
name at birth was Chan Kong-Sang, meaning "born in Hong Kong".
Before he adopted the Westernised name, "Jackie",
he was known by a variety of other nicknames. As he was a heavy baby, (12 lb at
birth, he claims to have spent 12 months in the womb), his mother nicknamed him
"Pao Pao" (meaning "Cannonball"). Later, while studying at the Peking Opera
School he was known as Yuen Lo, as a mark of respect to his master, Yu Jim-Yuen.
In his early stuntman and acting career (prior to
New Fist of Fury in 1976) he was known as Chen Yueng Lung (or Chen Yuen Lung).
It may be ann odd coincidence that Sammo Hung's Opera School name was similar -
Yuen Lung. He was thereafter known as "Jackie", named by his Australian
co-workers when living in Australia in 1976-1977[1]. Working on a building site
alongside a labourer named Jack, Chan's co-workers nicknamed him "Little Jack",
and later shortened this to Jackie. Because his father's family name was
originally Fong and was changed only when arriving in Hong Kong, Chan's Chinese
name was changed in family records years later to "Fong Si Lung"[2]. He has also
been listed as "Sing Lung" (meaning "young dragon" or "to become a dragon"),
particularly in relation to his music and it may be no coincidence that his
character in the film Fearless Hyena was called "Shing Lung".
Early years
Chan was educated at Nan Hua Elementary Academy,
but his parents felt he didn't fit in at school so they sent him to the Chinese
Opera Research Institute (1961-1971) and later, due to financial difficulties,
they enrolled him at the Peking Opera School. Whilst there, he was taught skills
in acrobatics and kung fu under an extremely strict regime. It was here that
Chan joined a number of other students who would become members of the Seven
Little Fortunes (the Opera school's best students), and ultimately his Hong Kong
film industry compatriots. They included Yuen Wah, Corey Yuen (Yuen Kwai) and
Yuen Qiu. He also became firm friends with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, and the
three of them would later come to be known as the Three Brothers or Three
Dragons.
Upon finishing at the Opera school, and a brief
spell in Australia, Chan returned to Hong Kong and like his fellow former
students, found work as a film stuntman, before ultimately being offered acting
roles. Chan got his first international success in 1978, with the film Drunken
Master. The movie depicted Wong Fei Hung, played by Chan, as a young and
mischievous rascal instead of the venerable master of Kung fu that he normally
was. This approach made the movie pretty radical. Another special thing about
the movie was the silly antics and charm of Chan and Yuen Siu Tien (also known
as Simon Yuen), father of renowned martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping. The
film was a big success and led the way for other international hits such as
Rumble in the Bronx.
1980s
Chan married Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-Jiao
(Chinese: 林鳳娇) in 1983 according to his autobiography, but many Asian sources
state he was married on December 1, 1982. His official website states that he
was married in 1982. Chan admitted on an interview with Indian Talk Show
hostess, Simi Garewal that he married his wife because she got pregnant before
marriage [3]. Chan and Lin Feng-Jiao have a son, Jaycee Chan (aka Jo-Ming), who
was born on December 3, 1982, although Chan's autobiography lists his son's
birth year as 1984. Chan also alledgedly has a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (b.
November 19, 1999), as a result of an affair with Elaine Ng Yi-Lei.
Between 1983 and 1985, Chan enjoyed his most
prolific period of acting alongside his opera school brothers. The three
appeared together in Chan's Project A and the first of Hung's original Lucky
Stars trilogy, Winners and Sinners in 1983. These were followed by Wheels on
Meals in 1984, and they were reunited twice more for the Lucky Stars
semi-sequels My Lucky Stars and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars, both in 1985. This
was something of a golden period for Hong Kong cinema-goers, as three of the
nation's most loved stars performed together on screen.
Chan is perhaps best known for performing the
majority of his own stunts, which he cheorographs along with his stunt team.
Around the time of Project A in 1983, Chan officially formed the Jackie Chan
Stunt Team, allowing him to train and work with a group of trusted martial
artists and stuntmen for each of his ensuing movies. Chan stated that this makes
it easier to choreograph fight scenes as he already has knowledge of his team's
abilities. He and his team also undertake many of the more dangerous stunts for
the other characters in his films. These are usually shot from behind or
otherwise obscuring the faces so it is not obvious to the viewer. The dangerous
nature of the stunts make it difficult for Chan to get insurance, particularly
in the US, where his stunt work is contractually limited.
Chan holds the Guinness World Record for "Most
Stunts By A Living Actor". The record notes that "no insurance company will
underwrite Chan's productions, in which he performs all his own stunts"[4]. Chan
has been injured several times during his stunts, and these are sometimes played
amongst the bloopers shown over the closing credits of his later movies. He came
closest to death while filming Armour of God (1985), when he fell from a tree in
a relatively routine stunt and fractured his skull.
In his autobiography, Chan says he originally
created his screen persona as a reaction to that of the martial artist Bruce
Lee, and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death (see
"Bruceploitation"). Where Bruce Lee's characters were typically stern, morally
upright heroes, Chan plays well-meaning, slightly foolish regular guys, often at
the mercy of friends, girlfriends or families. However, his characters always
triumph in the end.
Chan repeatedly attempted to break into the
American movie industry, appearing in movies like Battle Creek Brawl, Cannonball
Run, Cannonball Run II and The Protector in the early 1980s.
1990s
In the 1990s, Chan was offered two roles that would
portray him as a villain, but declined both of them. His friend, Sylvester
Stallone, offered Chan the role of the criminal, Simon Phoenix, in the
futuristic film Demolition Man but he declined as he did not want to play a
villain for fear of being typecast for any future Hollywood roles. The role was
instead taken by Wesley Snipes. He also declined to play a villain in the film
Lethal Weapon 4 with the role taken by Jet Li. Was approached about playing the
bad guy in Rambo IV, but turned it down since he feels that a lot of kids look
up to him and he wants to be a good role model. Additionally the character was a
drug dealer and Jackie has a very personal reason for not wanting to play any
character associated with drugs.
While he did attain cult popularity in the US, his
break into the mainstream was Rumble in the Bronx in 1995. He has attained the
box-office guarantee that has so far eluded other Hong Kong movie stars like
Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh in Hollywood. He also made a successful animated
series called Jackie Chan Adventures.
In 1994, MTV honoured Chan with a lifetime
achievement award for his action-oriented movies, and a year later, he made his
"official" debut in North America with a worldwide release of Rumble in the
Bronx.
2000s
As well as many on-going projects, Chan is a keen
philanthropist and has worked tirelessly to champion many charity works and
causes. As a well-respected figure of the Hong Kong entertainment industry, he
is often one of the leaders in such works, speaking up for conservation, against
animal abuse as well as promoting disaster relief efforts for flooding in
mainland China and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Chan helped raise thousands of
US dollars, however this money was later stolen by a third party. In June, 2006,
he announced that he would donate half of his assets to charity when he dies. He
stated that he admired the efforts by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to help
those in need.[5]
Filmography as Actor
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
The J&J Project (2007)
Rush Hour 3 (2007) (Filming)
Rob-B-Hood (2006) (Original Working Title, Project
BB)
The Myth (2005)
New Police Story (2004)
The Twins Effect 2 (2004) (also known as The Huadu
Chronicles: Blade of the Rose)
Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
The Medallion (2003)
The Twins Effect (2003)
Shanghai Knights (2003)
The Tuxedo (2002)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
The Accidental Spy (2001)
Jackie Chan Adventures (2000-2005)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
The King of Comedy (1999)
Gorgeous (1999)
Who Am I? (1999)
Rush Hour (1998)
Mr. Nice Guy (1998)
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1997)
(Cameo)
Police Story 4: First Strike (1996) (also known as
Jackie Chan's First Strike)
Thunderbolt (1995) (also known as Dead Heat)
Rumble in the Bronx (1994)
Drunken Master II (1994) (also known as The Legend
of Drunken Master, 2000)
Once a Cop (1993) (also known as Supercop 2 and
Police Story V)
Crime Story (1993) (also known as Police Story IV
and The New Police Story)
City Hunter (1993)
Police Story 3 (1992) (also known as Super Cop)
Twin Dragons (1992) (also known as Brother vs.
Brother and When Dragons Collide)
A Kid from Tibet (1991)
Island of Fire (1991) (also known as The Burning
Island)
Armour of God II: Operation Condor (1990)
Miracles (1989) (also known as The Canton Godfather
and Black Dragon)
Police Story 2 (1988)
3 Brothers and one sister (Closed relationship)
(1988)
Dragons Forever (1988)
Project A Part II (1987) (also known as Jackie
Chan's Project A2 and Project B)
Armour of God (1987)
Dirty Boys (1986) (also known as Naughty Boys)
Police Story (1985)
Heart of Dragon (1985)
Ninja and the Thief (1985) (also known as Ninja
Thunderbolt)
The Protector (1985)
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985) (also known as
My Lucky Stars 2)
My Lucky Stars (1985)
Wheels on Meals (1984)
Dragon Attack (1984)
Pom Pom (1984) (also known as Motorcycle Cop 2)
(cameo)
Two in a Black Belt (1984)
Cannonball Run II (1983)
The Fearless Hyena Part II (1983)
Winners and Sinners (1983) (also known as Five
Lucky Stars)
Project A (1983) (also known as Jackie Chan's
Project A)
Dragon Lord (1982)
Black Magic Wars (1982)
Fantasy Mission Force (1982)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
The Big Brawl (1980)
The Young Master (1980)
Dragon Fist (1979)
Fearless Hyena (1979)
Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978)
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow (1978)
Spiritual Kung-Fu (1978) (also known as Karate
Ghostbuster)
Drunken Master (1978)
Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978)
The 36 Crazy Fists (1977)
To Kill with Intrigue (1977)
The Killer Meteors (1976)
Shaolin Chamber of Death (1976) (also known as 36
Wooden Men, Shaolin Wooden Men, Shaolin Wooden Men - Young Tiger's Revenge, and
Wooden Man)
Countdown in Kung Fu (1976)
New Fist of Fury (1976)
Mr. Boo 2 : The Private Eyes (1976)
All in the Family (1975)
Bruce Lee and I (1975)
No End of Surprises (1975)
Fists of the Double K (1974)
The Golden Lotus (1974)
Police Woman (1974)
Supermen Against the Orient (1974)
Enter the Dragon (1973)
Facets of Love (1973)
Eagle Shadow Fist (1973)
Attack of the Kung Fu Girls (1973)
Lady Kung Fu (1972)
Master With Cracked Fingers aka Little Tiger From
Canton (1971)
Come Drink with Me (1966)
The Story of Qin Xianglian (1964)
Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962)
Discography
In Hong Kong and across Asia Jackie Chan is a very
popular and successful singer. He started professionally producing records in
the 1980s. He sings in many languages including Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese
and English. He also sings many of his films theme songs, but when the films are
released in Britain and the U.S. the original soundtrack is replaced.
Albums
With All One's Heart, (2002)
The Accidental Spy (OST), (2001)
Asian Pop Gold, (2000)
Gorgeous (OST), (1999)
Best of JC, (1999)
Who Am I? (OST), (1998)
Rush Hour (OST), (1998)
Mulan (OST), (1998)
Mr. Nice Guy (OST), (1997)
Dragon's Heart, (1996)
Thunderbolt (OST), (1995)
Best of Movie Themes, (1995)
Japanese Release, (1995)
Drunken Master 2 (OST), (1994)
First Time, (1992)
Police Story 3 (OST), (1992)
The Man with the Baseball Bat, (1989)
See You Again, (1989)
Sing Lung, (1988)
The Best of JC, (1988)
The Best of JC (Version 2), (1988)
Giant Feelings, (1988)
No Problem, (1987)
Jackie Chan Sing Lung, (1986)
Shangrila, (1986)
A Boy's Life, (1985)
Thank You, (1984)
Love Me, (1984)
Music videos
Supercop OST:
What's Love Got To Do With It (Warren G Feat. Adina
Howard and cameo appearance by Jackie Chan)
Mulan Chinese OST:
A Man Out Of You
Trivia
Skills
Though Chan's willingness to do his own stunts was
originally the trademark feature of his movies, he has sustained various
injuries over the years which render him incapable of performing certain stunts.
He tries to avoid stunts where he may suffer severe head trauma due to a near
fatal incident that occurred while shooting Armour of God. He has also broken
his left ankle so many times, he can no longer rely on it while pushing for a
jump and must use his right foot instead. Over the years, he has been forced to
use body doubles on various occasions. He has also broken his fingers, toes,
nose and ribs on numerous occasions while filming.
He has a medical record so long that no life
insurance company will cover him.[citation needed]
While not afraid to do his own stunts, he confesses
that, like many, he is afraid of needles and hates taking shots. Unlike injuries
that may come from a failed stunt, with a shot he "knows that it's coming."
His final fight with Benny Urquidez in Wheels on
Meals is considered to be one of the finest fights of the movie genre.
He knows Kung Fu, and has trained under GrandMaster
Leung Ting in Wing Tsun, as well as numerous other masters in Tong Long
(Mantis), Bak Mei (White Eyebrow), as well as the traditional northern Shaolin
Kung Fu he learned in opera school. Jackie has also learned numerous other
styles of martial arts to help his screen fighting, including Hapkido, Boxing,
Judo, Taekwondo and Hei Long (Under Master G.J. Torres). Jackie's personal style
is said to be a mixture of Boxing, Wing Chun, Hapkido and Judo. He stated that
some of his martial arts training has been attributed to Jin Pal Kim, a Korean
hapkido stylist.
In an interview unlocked in the videogame Jackie
Chan Stuntmaster (A game where he was motion captured for game animations), Chan
stated that he likes to play videogames
He has sung together with Teresa Teng.
While performing his own stunts, he has broken his
nose three times, his ankle, most of the fingers in his hand, both cheekbones
and his skull.
In the Media
Chan has won several awards including The American
Choreography Award, The World Stunt Award and has a Star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame, along with several awards from Hollywood, Hong Kong, Montreal World and
Fant-Asia Film Festivals; but he has never won an Oscar. Currently there is a
campaign underway to award him an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Academy Award.
To support this, everyone is eligible to cast a supporting vote (one time only)
at: [2].
Has been voted 41st in a poll of the 100 Greatest
Movie Stars on Channel 4 in the UK.
Chan appeared with, and was quickly "killed" by
martial arts legend Bruce Lee in 1973's Enter the Dragon in a very short scene
where Chan plays one of Kahn's guards.
A videogame called Jackie Chan Stuntmaster for the
Playstation was made, of course with his name. Previously, an NES game called
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu was released.
A television show, Jackie Chan Adventures, was
based on Jackie Chan, his niece, and his uncle, as well as a shopkeeper.
Videogames have also been made based on the show.
He is the central subject of UK band Ash's song
Kung Fu, which is used for the end credits of the UK version of Rumble in the
Bronx (the US version uses a Tom Jones remake of Carl Douglas' Kung Fu
Fighting).
The Pokémon Hitmonchan is named after him (similar
in style to how the Pokémon Hitmonlee is named after Bruce Lee).
He helped to open Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in
2005.
Chan had planned to star as Vin Diesel's role in
the movie The Pacifier, but due to busy arrangements, did not take the role.
He was asked to play Wah Sing Ku in the Mel Gibson
film Lethal Weapon 4 but turned down the part as he would have to play a
criminal, Chan often says he doesn't like to play real criminals as it is bad
for his image, although he doesn't mind playing either comical criminals or
anti-heroes as in his newest film Rob-B-Hood. The part of Wah Sing Ku was later
played by Jet Li.
He has appeared along side bodybuilder turned actor
turned governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger in a government advert to combat piracy,
which can be viewed here.
Owns a Pewter Lamborghini Murcielago, which can be
seen here.
Once owned a car tuning business called JC Sports
in Hong Kong.
In both the anime and manga series of Dragon Ball,
a martial artist named Master Roshi disguises himself and uses the alias "Jackie
Chun" to take part in a few martial arts tournaments to secretly test out the
powers and abilities of Goku, the main character of the series.
Appeared in 2 Diet Pepsi commercial in 2006.
In the Internet movie The Ultimate Showdown, he
fought Shaquille O' Neal, but was defeated by a Care Bear.
Sung a duet of the Nat King Cole song Unforgetable
with Ani DiFranco.
He has declared that it is almost certain that he
will, for the first time, partner another kung fu cinema legend Jet Li in an
upcoming film that will start filming in spring 2007 [3]
His nickname to the people of Hong Kong is Big
Brother
He holds the record for the most number of takes
for a single shot in a film, over 2900. (Dragon Lord for the marathon 20 minute
fight that is the grand finale of the film.)[4]
Trademark
After filming Cannonball Run, he continued
stuntman/director Hal Needham's style of ending each of his movies with a
sequence of "out-takes" being shown. This would sometimes include accidents
during filming, as in The Young Master, Armour of God, Miracles etc. This
practice became so popular that when a later Chan film was released without any
out-takes, the Japanese audience complained in such great numbers that the film
was re-released with out-takes added back in.
Language
He sings many of his own movie theme songs. Chan
has had a fairly successful career as a recording artist (though not as
successful as his movie career). The American versions of his movies do not
typically feature the original theme songs, something which his fans find rather
irritating. Chan was also featured on the Mandarin and Cantonese soundtracks for
the Disney movie Mulan, which includes a video on the DVD version.
Since the early 1990s, Chan has always dubbed his
own movies. However, in the 1970s and 80s it was not common practice in Hong
Kong for stars to do their own dubbing. For much of the early part of Chan's
acting career his voice dubbing was done by a single Cantonese voice-over
artist, so although the voice wasn't Chan's it was at least consistent from fiml
to film. Chan is quite fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and occasionally dubs
himself in other languages (such as English).
He has named his lack of education his greatest
regret in life.
Owns a set of Japanese daisho (matching set of
katana & wakizashi) hand crafted by renowned swordsmith Yoshihara Yoshikazu [5]
Other
Has a son, Jaycee Chan (b. December, 3, 1982).
In a 1999 scandal, he denied the paternity of his
own daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (born 19th November 1999), to former Miss Asia
(Hong Kong), Elaine Ng.
****
Footnotes
1 Australian Herald Sun, 9 July 2005.
2 I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, revised
paperback edition, p.354, ISBN 0-345-42913-3; Variety Magazine
3 MSN India on Simi Gatewal's Interview of Jackie
Chan, 5 September 2006
4 Guinness World Records official site
5 [1]. June 29, 2006.
****
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