Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan 成龍
Born	Chan Kong-Sang
Other names	房仕龍 Yuen Lo (School given name)
Style	Chinese Kung Fu
Height	174 cm (5 ft 9 in) (5'8½")
Spouse	Lin Feng-Jiao
Website	jackiechan.com

Chan Kong-Sang (simplified Chinese: 陈港生; traditional Chinese: 陳港生; pinyin: Chén Gǎngshēng), also known as Sing Lung (simplified Chinese: 成龙; traditional Chinese: 成龍; pinyin: Chéng Lóng) or Jackie Chan SBS, (born on April 7, 1954) is a Chinese martial artist, action star, actor, director, screenwriter, film producer, singer and stunt performer.

Chan is one of the best known names in kung fu and action movies worldwide for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of props including furniture and other set pieces as improvised weapons and performing many of his own stunts. Chan has appeared in over a hundred films and is one of the most recognisable Asian movie stars in the world. He has a star on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong as well as on 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.

Biography

Jackie Chan was born on Victoria Peak, Hong Kong. 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, with Chan spending his formative years within the confines of the embassy. Chan's Chinese name at birth was Chan Kong-Sang, meaning "born in Hong Kong".

Before he adopted the Westernized name, "Jacky", and later, "Jackie", he was known by a variety of other nicknames. As he was a heavy baby - 5.5 kg (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). In his autobiography Chan states that he used this name, which is close to his opera brother Sammo Hung's opera name, so that he didn't have to put his name on films he wasn't happy with. He was thereafter known as "Jacky", named by his Australian co-workers when living in Australia in 1976-1977. Working on a building site alongside a labourer named Jack, Chan's co-workers nicknamed him "Little Jack", and later shortened this to Jacky. However, he changed Jacky to Jackie during the filming of "The Big Brawl" and has been known by it ever since. 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". He has also been listed as "Sing Lung" (meaning "already a dragon" in an attempt to jump out of Bruce Lee's shadow), particularly in relation to his music and it may be no coincidence that his character in the film Fearless Hyena was called "Shing Lung".

Jackie's star status in Asia has been unquestionable ever since his first films in the late 1970s. Translating that success into global stardom has proved much more difficult. In particular, the American market was very unreceptive, due to a combination of bad marketing and bad casting. His first US feature film, Battle Creek Brawl saw him portraying a vengeful loner, a routine which had already been done before by countless actors and was not suited to Jackie's comedic talent. His next American film, Cannonball Run, was a hit, but it was an ensemble piece and did not give a good idea of audience reaction to Chan himself.

A further complication was the restriction to Chan's style of work, enforced mainly by the studios fearful of legal action if their investment were ever to injure himself on set. The lack of actual contact during action scenes removed the intensity which was his hallmark, which added to the frustration.

It was not until 1994 that Jackie finally decided to try the States again, when Rumble in the Bronx was released. When it made almost $10 million on its opening weekend and became the first Hong Kong film to make it to number one at the US box office, he had finally cracked it. Every film Jackie has made since has seen a successful American release, making him a true global phenomenon.

Early years

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Jackie Chan and Yuen Siu Tin in the film Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

Chan was educated at Nan Hua Elementary Academy, but he struggled and his parents felt he didn't fit in at the 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. The enrollment was to last for 10 years, and while 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 close friends with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, and the three of them would later come to be known as the Three Brothers / Three Dragons.

Upon finishing at the Opera school, Chan found it difficult to find work, especially due to the declining popularity of Chinese Opera. Like his fellow former students, he found work as a film stuntman on several films including Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. However, when Lee died in 1973, Hong Kong action cinema went into decline and the studios were forced to release many of their staff, including Chan.

In 1975, he was in an adult comedic film called “All in the Family”. “I had to do anything I could to make a living 31 years ago, but I don't think it's a big deal, even Marlon Brando used to be exposed in his movies,” Chan said. The adult scenes at that time were more conservative than the current films however. This remains the only film he has done so far where no fighting or stunts were involved.

After a brief spell living with his parents in Australia, working on building sites, Chan received a job offer via his friend, film producer Willie Chan. After some hesitation due to the low pay, Chan accepted and began working for Lo Wei's studio at Golden Harvest, one of the most famous directors in Hong Kong, agreeing a ten year contract. They were looking for a young actor to mould into a star. Lo was desperate to find the new Bruce Lee, but his attempts at making Chan into this character resulted in poor box office returns. Chan did however make his first starring roles in films such as Shaolin Chamber of Death (1976) and Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin (1978).

Willie Chan arranged to loan Jackie out to rival studio, Seasonal Films. Given greater creative freedom, Chan starred in the first box office hit of his career, Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and his first international success, Drunken Master (both 1978). Both films were directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and both featured Yuen's father (Yuen Siu Tien also known as Simon Yuen) in fundamentally the same role, as a drunken beggar / kung fu master. In the latter film, Chan depicted Wong Fei Hung as a young and mischievous rascal, rather than the venerable Kung fu master that the Hong Kong audiences knew so well. Drunken Master was a radical film for its time and led the way for other international hits. A sequel to Drunken Master, Drunken Master II, was later released 16 years later in 1994.

As his loan period ended, Chan had to return to Lo Wei's studio. Although he was handed his own directorial debut with Fearless Hyena (1979), Chan was still constrained by Lo over both wages and creativity. Willie Chan assisted Jackie by securing a deal for him to work directly for Golden Harvest, breaking his contract with Lo Wei. In response, Lo Wei asked the Triads to force Chan to remain in his employment. Chan escaped briefly to the US, whilst negotiations took place to resolve the issues, and even after his return to Hong Kong, there were interruptions during the filming of Chan's next feature, The Young Master (1980). Eventually the problems were sorted out, with the help of Jimmy Wang Yu, Golden Harvest bought out Lo Wei's contract and Lo subsequently retired from the film industry.

1980s

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Chan in his earliest Golden Harvest film The Young Master

Chan married Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-Jiao (Chinese: 林鳳嬌) in 1983 according to his autobiography, but many Asian sources state he was married on December 1, 1982. His official website states that he “has been married to Lin Feng-Jiao since 1982”. Chan admitted on an interview with Indian Talk Show hostess, Simi Garewal that he married his wife because she got pregnant before marriage. 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.

Stated in Jackie Chan's autobiography, 'I am Jackie Chan', two Japanese fans attempted suicide when a Japanese article printed the marriage of Chan and Feng Jiao. One girl drank poison in front of Jackie's manager, Willie Chan, and other JC staff in the JC Studios based in Hong Kong. She was rushed to a hospital and saved. The other, however, threw her body in front of a subway and killed herself. Since then, Jackie has kept his family in the dark and in a recent interview with UK presenters of the Priory Show, Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston in August 2001, when asked if there was a 'Mrs Chan' in his life, he replied 'secret' and nothing more. Taiwanese fans have shown aggression towards Jackie and accuse him of being responsible for Feng Jiao's early retirement.

Chan's attempts to break into the American movie industry began in the 1980s, appearing in movies like Battle Creek Brawl, The Cannonball Run, Cannonball Run II and The Protector.

Between 1983 and 1985, Chan enjoyed his most prolific period of acting alongside his opera school brothers. Just after Hung and Biao had made Prodigal Son, all three appeared together in Chan's Project A and the first of Hung's original Lucky Stars trilogy, Winners and Sinners. All three films came in 1983. These were followed by Wheels on Meals in 1984, and the trio were reunited twice more for the Lucky Stars semi-sequels My Lucky Stars and Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Stars, both in 1985. Chan appeared once more with Hung in 1985, in Heart of Dragon. 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. In 1988, the last film to star all three together was released, Dragons Forever. Although they have expressed an interest in working together again, as a trio, it has yet to occur.

Chan is perhaps best known for performing the majority of his own stunts, which he choreographs 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". Chan has been injured a number of 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.

He may also hold the record for the most number of takes for a single shot in a film, over 2900, for a complex scene involving a shuttlecock game in the movie Dragon Lord, although this is not recognized by the Guinness World Records.

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.

The 80s also saw Chan move away from the traditional period kung fu films to films set in a more modern era, with more spectacular stunts.

1990s

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Chan in his Hollywood breakthrough film Rumble in the Bronx

In the 1990s, as well as continuing with his successful Asian film career, Chan still wanted Hollywood success and was offered two roles that would portray him as a villain, but he declined both of them as he didn't want to risk being typecast for further Hollywood roles. His friend, Sylvester Stallone, offered him the role of the criminal, Simon Phoenix, in the futuristic film Demolition Man. When he declined the role, it was taken by Wesley Snipes. He also chose not to play a villain in the film Lethal Weapon 4 with the role taken by Jet Li.

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 which was his break into the mainstream Hollywood industry. He has attained the box-office guarantee and Cult popularity that has so far eluded other Hong Kong movie stars like Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh in Hollywood. His next big success was the buddy cop action comedy Rush Hour in 1998 opposite Chris Tucker. He also voiced a fictionalized version of himself in a successful animated series, Jackie Chan Adventures.

In February 1998, Leonard Ho, Chan's godfather and co-founder of Golden Harvest, died. Although a sad time for Chan, it did afford him the opportunity to take greater control of the films he chose to work on. Chan had a long-held desire to make dramatic films, but was constantly dissuaded by Ho. Ho had always argued that to ensure a successful return on his films, Chan should play to his fanbase by only doing kung fu / action movies and should avoid the love scenes that may alienate certain markets (most notably Japan). Soon after Ho's death, after 18 years with the studio, Chan released his final film for Golden Harvest, Who Am I? (1998). His first Hong Kong film after that move, Gorgeous (1999), was a romantic comedy, and whilst it still contained a few scenes demonstrating Chan's fighting abilities, they weren't the main focus of the film. In the 1980s, most of Chan's films were directed either by himself or by Sammo Hung. In the 1990s, Chan chose instead to work with a variety of successful and upcoming Hong Kong directors, as he sought to learn new techniques. They included Ringo Lam, Tsui Hark, Stanley Tong, Kirk Wong, Lau Kar-Leung and Vincent Kok. Around this time, Chan also expressed an interest in making Armour of God 3, although the film has yet to be made.

2000s

Chan continued his Hollywood success with Shanghai Noon, its sequel Shanghai Knights, and Rush Hour 2. He also helped to create a PlayStation game based on him called Jackie Chan Stuntmaster, Jackie did the voice over and motion capture for the game. In 2004 Chan returned to Hong Kong box office success with the films New Police Story, in which Chan plays a troubled police officer, The Myth where we see Chan as a modern archaeologist who has dreamt he has been reincarnated from an ancient Chinese Warrior and Rob-B-Hood, which stars Chan as a criminal who kidnaps a baby. These are examples of Chan's growing wish to play a new style of character and to include more dramatic scenes into his films. Currently Chan is back in Hollywood with filming of Rush Hour 3 complete and filming recently beginning on The Forbidden Kingdom, the first onscreen collaboration with fellow Hong Kong actor Jet Li.

Chan's star on the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong

As well as many on-going projects Chan is also 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 and 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.

Future projects

Apart from filming the movie The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li, it was confirmed that he will be the voice of Master Monkey, in Dreamworks newest animation called Kung Fu Panda slated to be released early in 2008. After completing a currently unknown film after The Forbidden Kingdom, Chan wishes to direct a film, something he hasn't done for a number of years.[1]

Filmography as actor

Further information: Jackie Chan filmography

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, Vietnamese 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.

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One of Jackie's more recent albums, With All One's Heart

Albums

• Love Me, (1984)
• Thank You, (1984)
• A Boy's Life, (1985)
• Shangrila, (1986)
• Jackie Chan Sing Lung, (1986)
• No Problem, (1987)
• Jackie Chan, (1988)
• First Time, (1992)
• Dragon's Heart, (1996)
• With All One's Heart, (2002)

Compilation Albums

• The Best of Jackie Chan, (1988)
• Hong Kong, My Love, (1988)
• See You Again, (1989)
• Jackie, (1989)
• Giant Feelings, (1990)
• Best of Movie Themes, (1995)
• The Best of Jackie Chan, (1999)
• Asian Pop Gold, (2000)
• Jackie Chan Greatest Hits, (2005)

Official Soundtracks

• Police Story 3, (1992)
• Drunken Master 2, (1994)
• Thunderbolt, (1995)
• Mr. Nice Guy, (1997)
• Mulan, (1998)
• Rush Hour, (1998)
• Who Am I?, (1998)
• Gorgeous, (1999)
• The Accidental Spy, (2001)
• The Myth, (2005)
• Rob - B - Hood, (2006)

Interesting facts

Skills

• While not afraid to do his own stunts, he confesses that, like many, he is afraid of needles and hates receiving injections. Unlike injuries that may come from a failed stunt, with a shot he "knows that it's coming."
• 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 where he broke his skull. 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 dislocated his pelvis and broken his fingers, toes, nose, both cheekbones, hips and sternum, and broken his neck and ribs on numerous occasions while filming.
• 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 the media

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Jackie with Disney favourites

• Chan has won several awards including The American Choreography Award and 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.
• Hosted Saturday Night Live
• Was 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.
• In 1990, an NES video game, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu was released. In 1995, Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master (aka Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire), an arcade fighting game from Kaneko, was released. The game features digitized fighters and the bosses are three different versions of Jackie Chan. Future video game releases, such as Jackie Chan Stuntmaster, for the PlayStation were developed along with a series of Jackie Chan games released on MSX by Sony, which were all based on his movies (Project A, Project A 2, Police Story, The Protector and Sparatan X "Wheels On Meals").
• A television show, Jackie Chan Adventures, was based on Jackie Chan, his niece, and his uncle, as well as a shopkeeper. Video games have also been made based on the show.
• A 2003 documentary film, Traces of a Dragon, explores the past of Jackie Chan and the difficulties of his Chinese families during the Cultural Revolution.
• The character Lei Wulong from the Tekken video game series is heavily based on Jackie Chan, featuring the actor's looks and similar fighting style.
• He is the central subject of UK band Ash's song Kung Fu, which is used for the end credits of the UK and US versions of Rumble in the Bronx.
• 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.
• Although he did not voice the part, a likeness of him appeared in the Family Guy episode, Breaking Out Is Hard to Do, when Peter Griffin said, "Oh my god, it's Jackie Chan!" three different times to three different Asian people in Asiantown before seeing Jackie Chan, who says "Oh my god, it's Malcom in the Middle!" while pointing at Meg.
• He has appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in a government advert to combat piracy
• In the Dragon Ball series, a martial arts master 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 commercials in 2006.
• Recorded a duet of the Nat King Cole song Unforgettable with Ani DiFranco, which appears as the first track for the album When Pigs Fly: Songs You Thought You'd Never Hear.
• 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. The film has been dubbed The J&J Project.
• His nickname to the people of Hong Kong is Big Brother
• In an interview unlocked in the video game Jackie Chan Stuntmaster (A game where he was motion captured for game animations), Chan stated that he likes to play video games.
• He sang I'll Make a Man Out of You, the song originally sung by Donny Osmond, in Cantonese and Mandarin, in a special feature on the Disney Mulan DVD
• In a song by the artist Lemon Demon called The Ultimate Showdown, a likeness of him fought Shaquille O' Neal, but was defeated by a Care Bear. The song was brought to popularity because of the flash movie of the same name on the website Albino Black Sheep, which also portrays the scene with Jackie Chan.
• Chan featured in an ad campaign for clothing company, Hanes, to promote their Hanes "Go Tagless" T-shirt. Chan featured along side other celebrities, which included Michael Jordan and Brian Regan

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.
• Though action orientated, Jackie's films rarely contains any scenes of violence or death. His good natured style of acting had made him a popular figure with the children. He has always maintained that he wanted to be a good role model to the kids, which is why he has never taken the role of a villain.

Language

• A successful acting career despite the lack of any proper education, had never disillusioned Chan to the importance of it. In fact he was ashamed of that aspect of himself so much so that he named his lack of education his greatest regret in life. He had since assisted in the building up and funding of many educational facilities around the world, like the research institute in Australia, and particularly the funding of many schools in the rural area of China, so that poorer and less fortunate kids could be educated.
• 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 film to film. Chan is quite fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and often dubs himself in other languages (such as English).

Other

• In an interview with the popular Shonen Jump Magazine, Akira Toriyama stated that his top selling manga series Dragon Ball was in part influenced by Jackie Chan's Drunken Master film
• The physical toll he took over the years meant than Chan can not sleep on a normal mattress for long hours for fear of aggravating further injuries. Chan has his bed modified so that it is hard and inflexible, and will just sleep on the floor as a make shift bed during some of his trips.
• He owns a pewter-coloured Lamborghini Murcielago (photograph at exoticspotter.com).
• He once owned a car tuning business called JC Sports in Hong Kong.
• Owns a set of Japanese daisho (matching set of katana & wakizashi) hand crafted by renowned swordsmith Yoshihara Yoshikazu
• He often drives Mitsubishi cars in his films, as he has held an endorsement deal with the company since 1983, and has hosted the charity celebrity support race at the Macau Grand Prix on numerous occasions. The only times he does not drive a Mitsubishi are in The Cannonball Run in which his character drives a modified black Subaru DL 4WD, City Hunter, which he drives a Mazda RX-7 modified by his tuning company and The Tuxedo which he drives a BMW Z8. His tuning company at the time (JC Sports) even catered mainly for Mitsubishi.
• For his 2004 film, New Police Story, Chan had a Japanese tuning company commission a modified Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII specially for the film.
• Shortly after filming New Police Story, Jackie reported that he would produce and play Yue Fei in a biopic about the general’s life. Jaycee Chan, Jackie’s son, will share the role as young Yue Fei. Jackie said, “There's already a rough draft right now, we've even found a co-star. In fact, filming of ‘Genghis Khan’ is also under consideration, but it must be a good script, because a lot of people have filmed this story, and the story itself is complicated and randomized, so up to now, there isn't a concrete plan yet. And [the script for] ‘Ngok Fei’ is nearly completed." He continues, “I think Yue Fei is a man with great sense of loyalty, so am I. I've been loyal to Golden Harvest, to friends and to my country!" Filming will not begin until Jackie finishes filming several other projects (including Rush Hour 3), but he is willing to work for reduced pay so he can work with his son. This is because he believes the box office results will be good. However, Director Tang Jili (唐季礼) says the role of Yue Fei could possibly go to Andy Lau.
• In 1998, Chan appeared in a commercial for a credit card company that was shown in Hong Kong.
• Jackie has made donations to the Australian National University for the John Curtin School of Medical Research. The first in 2002 was for cancer research, in memory of his mother. His donation in 2006 prompted director to announce the establishment of the Jackie Chan Science Centre.
• During the summer of 2006 Chan filmed a VISA commercial for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It began airing in China on January 24 this year. The commercial shows Chan playing various sports.
• In March 2007, Chan and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca joined forces in encouraging people, especially Asians, to join the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Chan was seen wearing an authentic LA County Sheriff's Department uniform. He will be featured in a public service announcement.

Injury list

Jackie Chan has been injured on numerous occasions during filming usually from doing his own stunts, and occasionally, these mishaps can be seen as bloopers during the end credits of his films. Below is a list of documented injuries he had sustained over the course of his acting career.

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Armour of God II: Operation Condor.

The Accidental Spy (2001)

• Hurt his back. Doctor said that if he had another back injury that Chan could be paralyzed for life.
• The floor was slippery in the Turkish Bath scene and Jackie Chan fell, hitting his head.

Armour of God (1987)

• Chan and his crew were filming in Yugoslavia and the scene called for him to jump from a wall to a tree branch. The first take went perfectly, but Jackie was not satisfied and wanted to do the scene once more. The second time, his grip on the branch slipped and Jackie fell forty feet to the ground below. Jackie Chan landed hard on his head, causing a partial skull fracture which resulted in bone entering his brain. He was flown to the hospital and remained in surgery for eight hours. He now has a plastic plug, and a permanent hole in his head. He is also slightly hard of hearing in one ear as a result that fall.

Armour of God II (AKA Operation Condor)

• Dislocated sternum after falling from a handing chain.
• A wire went through his leg.
• Bruises and cuts on his chest from repeatedly being kicked in chest forty-three times for one scene.

City Hunter

• Hurt knees during a skateboard chase. Also hurt his leg, and had to spend time in a wheelchair and on crutches.
• Dislocated shoulder.
• Broke top part of foot.

Crime Story (1993)

• His legs got crushed between two cars.

Dragon Fist

• Broken nose.

Dragon Lord

• Injured chin.
• Fell from the bun tower and hit his head. Got a big bruise.

Dragons Forever (1988)

• Hurt ankle.

Drunken Master (1978)

• His brow ridge was injured, and he almost lost an eye.
• Suffered concussion.

Drunken Master II (1994)

• Burned his buttocks, hands and face during the hot coal scene.
• Back was injured when he was kicked onto a table.
• Hurt nose when he and Ken Lo bumped heads.

Hand of Death

• He was knocked unconscious as a stunt man.

The Medallion

• He got whipped by a broken stunt wire. It left a large cut between his nose and left eye.
• While shooting a scene for the U.S. version, he burned his hands and some of his hair.

Magnificent Bodyguards

• Broken hip.

Miracles (Mr. Canton and Lady Rose)

• Got a piece of bamboo between his eye and eyebrow.
• Got a small gash on his brow from a misdirected ax handle.

Mr. Nice Guy (1997)

• Broke nose.
• Messed up on a flip and hurt his neck.

Police Story (1985)

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Jackie Chan as he prepares to leap off the top of a shopping mall.

• Dislocated pelvis during the pole slide stunt.
• Was almost paralyzed when he nearly broke his seventh and eighth vertebrae in his spine.
• Burned all the skin off of his hands and suffered third degree burns on them during the pole slide stunt.

Police Story 2 (1988)

• Head Injury while crashing through a billboard and glass window (Apparently this happened because he jumped through the wrong billboard).
• Accidentally knocked over by a van, sprawling him ten feet.
• Cut on arm.
• Hurt eye when pop-it went off near it.
• Cut by glass at least twice on scalp and various other places.

Police Story 3: Supercop (1992)

• Chan Broke his shoulder.
• He Suffered from a fractured rib when he was hit by a helicopter.
• Chan received a deep bruise on his back.
• Chan's cheek bone was dislocated.

Police Story 4: First Strike (1996)

• Chan nearly died of hypothermia after falling into an icy lake.
• Chan accidentally split his upper lip.
• Chan accidentally cut his finger.

Project A (1983)

• Chan suffered from a broken nose.
• received his worst neck injury; occurred during the clock tower fall.
• He broke a finger.
• During the brawl in the pub, he jumped over a chair and grazed his back badly.
• Chan either lost a tooth or knocked one loose when he fell down a a flight of stairs.

Project A Part 2 (1987)

• Chan hurt his leg when being thrown down a staircase during the teahouse fight.
• He hurt his hand when taking a wooden board.

The Protector

• He injured his hand and broke finger bones.

Rumble in the Bronx (1996)

File:Jackiechanleap.jpg

Rumble in the Bronx: Leaping from one building to another.

• Chan broke his ankle while jumping onto a hovercraft. He was supposed to stay off his feet until it healed, but instead he put on a sock painted like a sneaker and continued filming.
• He was run over incorrectly by a hovercraft.

Rush Hour (1998)

• He hurt his back when he landed incorrectly.

Rush Hour 2

• Chan broke his previously broken toe on his right foot. He popped it back into place and continued to film.

Shanghai Knights (2003)

• Received a small scratch on left of face from a spear.
• Chan bruised his throat. As a result it became swollen which made talking difficult.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

• Hwang Jang Lee accidentally kicked out one of Chan's teeth.
• Chan's arm was slashed by a sword that was supposed to have a blunted edge. Chan fell down screaming, and the cameras kept on rolling; that scene displayed real blood.

Thunderbolt (1995)

• Chan's eyebrows were singed from standing too close to an explosion.
• He hurt his back after a fall from a container port.
• Cracked a bone in his hip.

The Tuxedo

• received a small cut on forehead.
• Suffered from a sprained ankle.

The Twin Dragons (1992)

• Chan had glass shards lodged in his buttocks

The Young Master

• Chan broke his nose.
• Chan injured his throat and nearly suffocated.

See also

• Cinema of China
• Cinema of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong action cinema
• Jackie Chan Stunt Team

Further reading

• Jackie Chan, I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action, Ballantine Books (June 28, 1999), ISBN 0-345-42913-3.
• Curtis F. Wong and John R. Little, Jackie Chan (Best of Inside Kung-Fu), McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (December 11, 1998), ISBN 0-8092-2837-8.

External links

• Jackiechan.com - Jackie Chan's official website
• Jackie Chan Kids Corner
• Detailed biography on the life and works of Jackie
• Jackie Chan at Rotten Tomatoes
• Jackie Chan at IMDb
• Jackie Chan's charity work
• More detailed on Jackie Chan's music career