Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan
Missing image Jackie_Chan_2002.jpg
Artist Name
Cantonese Pengyam	Seng Long
Mandarin Pinyin	Chéng Lóng
Chinese	成龍
Real Name
Cantonese Pengyam	Can Gõhng Säng
Mandarin Pinyin	Chén Gǎngshēng
Chinese	陳港生

Jackie Chan, born Chan Kong-sang on April 7 1954, is a Hong Kong martial artist, film actor, director and stuntman.

Chan is one of the most recognized names in kung fu and action movies worldwide, known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing and use of improvised weapons. Chan has starred in over a hundred movies, and is one of the most recognizable Chinese and Asian film stars in the world.

Contents

1 Biography 2 Filmography as actor includes 3 Trivia 4 See also 5 Further Reading 6 External links

Biography

Jackie Chan is the son of Charles Chan (a refugee from the Chinese civil war who worked as cook and housekeeper for the French ambassador to Hong Kong) and Lee-Lee Chan. He married Lin Feng-Chiao (林鳳嬌; also known as Lin Feng Chow, a Taiwanese actress) in 1983 with whom he had a son, Jackson "Jaycee Chan" Cho-Ming (b. 1982). He also had a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (b. 1998) with Elaine Ng Yi-Lei.

He was educated at Nan Hua Elementary Academy, Chinese Opera Research Institute (1961-1971) and Peking Opera School. Chan was in the Seven Little Fortunes Chinese opera troupe as a youth, along with Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao and Corey Kwai.

Chan is often said to do all his own stunts. While this claim does not hold up to close scrutiny, he does insist on doing the majority of them, and has racked up an impressive list of injuries to prove it. (The closing credits of his films usually show bloopers and at least one serious injury.) He is unable to get insurance anywhere in the world. He came closest to death while filming Armour of God 1985, when he fell from a tree in a relatively routine stunt and fractured his skull.

In recent years, in order to minimize danger as he grows older, Chan has begun using doubles and special effects in his movies.

In his biography, Chan says he created his screen persona as a reaction to that of Bruce Lee, and the numerous imitators who appeared before and after Lee's death (see "Bruceploitation"). Where 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 films like Battle Creek Brawl, Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II and The Protector. 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 television series called Jackie Chan Adventures.

Chan also has the distinction of being the central subject of UK band Ash's song Kung Fu.

In 1994, MTV honored 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 world-wide release of "Rumble in the Bronx." Jackie has a star on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Chan is one of the most well-known philanthropist figures in Hong Kong, 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 such as the recent mainland China relief flood programmes and the 2004 Tsunami donations.

Filmography as actor includes

• Rush Hour 3 (2006)
• New Police Story (2004)
• The Twins Effect 2 (2004)
• Around the World in 80 Days (2004)
• The Medallion (2003)
• The Twins Effect (2003)
• Shanghai Knights (2003)
• The Tuxedo (2002)
• Rush Hour 2 (2001)
• The Accidental Spy (2001)
• Shanghai Noon (2000)
• Gen-X Cops (1999)
• The King of Comedy (1999)
• Gorgeous (1999)
• Who Am I? (1999)
• Rush Hour (1998)
• Mr. Nice Guy (1998)
• 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) (known in the U.S. as The Legend of Drunken Master, 2000)
• Once a Cop (1993), aka Police Story V
• Crime Story (1993), also known as Police Story IV and The New Police Story
• City Hunter (1993)
• Police Story 3 (1992) aka Super Cop
• Brother vs. Brother (1992)
• A Kid from Tibet (1991)
• Island of Fire (1991) (also known as The Burning Island)
• Twin Dragons (1991) (also known as Brother vs. Brother and When Dragons Collide)
• New Kids in Town (1990)
• Operation Condor:Armour of God II (1990)
• Miracles (1989)
• Police Story 2 (1988)
• 3 Brothers (1988)
• Jackie Chan's Project A2 (1987), aka Project B
• Dragons Forever (1987)
• Naughty Boys (1986)
• Armour of God (1986)
• Police Story (1985)
• Heart of Dragon (1985)
• Ninja and the Thief (1985)
• The Protector (1985)
• My Lucky Stars 2: Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars (1985)
• My Lucky Stars (1985)
• Wheels on Meals (1984)
• Dragon Attack (1984)
• Pom Pom (1984)
• 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)
• Dragon Lord (1982)
• Black Magic Wars (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 Eagle's Shadow (1978)
• Karate Ghostbuster (1978)
• Drunken Master (1978)
• Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)
• Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978)
• The 36 Crazy Fists (1977)
• To Kill with Intrigue (1977)
• Killer Meteor (1976)
• Shaolin Wooden Men (1976)
• Countdown in Kung Fu (1976)
• Fists to Fight (1976)
• All in the Family (1975)
• No End of Surprises (1975)
• Fists of the Double K (1974)
• The Golden Lotus (1974)
• Police Woman (1974)
• Supermen Against the Orient (1974)
• Facets of Love (1973)
• Eagle Shadow Fist (1973)
• Enter the Dragon (uncredited, 1973)
• Attack of the Kung Fu Girls (1973)
• Lady Kung Fu (1972)
• Bruce Lee and I (1972)
• The Chinese Connection (1972)
• Little Tiger of Canton (1971)
• Come Drink with Me (1966)
• The Story of Qin Xianglian (1964)
• Big and Little Wong Tin Bar (1962)

Trivia

• Jackie Chan actually sings many of his own movie theme-songs. Jackie has had a fairly successful career as a recording artist though as can be expected not as successful as his movie career. Regardless, Jackie has an excellent singing voice as does his son. The American versions of his movies do not typically feature the original theme-songs, something which Jackie's fans find rather irritating. Jackie was also featured on the Mandarin soundtrack for the Disney-movie Mulan.
• With a few exceptions Jackie always dubs his own movies. Jackie is quite fluent in Mandarin and Japanese and occasionally dubs himself in other languages (such as English).
• The Pokémon Hitmonchan is named after him (similar in style to how the Pokémon Hitmonlee is named after Bruce Lee).

See also

• Cinema of China

Further Reading

• Jackie Chan, I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Ballantine Books (June 28, 1999), ISBN 0345429133.
• Curtis F. Wong and John R. Little, Jackie Chan (Best of Inside Kung-Fu), McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 11, 1998), ISBN 0809228378.

External links

• Official Website (http://www.jackiechan.com/)
• Template:Imdb name
• Jackie Chan Directory (http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/People/C/Chan,_Jackie/)
• Jackie Chan Kids Corner (http://www.jackiechankids.com/)
• Nederlandse Forum (http://s10.invisionfree.com/Jackiechan/index.php/)
• Chan Urges Foreigners to Marry Chinese Women (http://contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/chan%20urges%20foreigners%20to%20marry%20chinese%20women) (15 June 2005, Contactmusic.com)bg:Джеки Чан

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