Jackie Chan - Biography

Last Editor: peppers14				Jackie Chan Biography -   Name : Jackie Chan Birth Date : April 7, 1954 Birth Place : Hong Kong, China Birth Name : Kong-Sang Chang also known as Jackie Chan Sing Lung (which means 'Already a Dragon') Height : 5'8 Education : Nan Hua Elementary Academy Chinese Opera Research Institute (1961-1971) Peking Opera School Nationality : Hong Kong/Chinese Profession : Actor, director, producer Wife : Lin Feng-Chiao (aka Lin Feng Chow; Taiwanese; actress; married in 1983; separated) Relationship : Elaine Ng (Miss Asia, 1 daughter) Claim to fame : as Ah Keung in Rumble in the Bronx (1995) Fan Mail : Willie Chan Golden Harvest Ltd. Hong Kong China

Jackie Chan Trivia -

Kong Sang means "Born In Hong Kong." Sing Lung means "Already a Dragon." Prefers to do action films with strong humour streaks and physical clowning like Buster Keaton. In the act of performing his own stunts, he has broken his nose three times, his ankle once, most of the fingers in his hand, both cheekbones and his skull. Not only does he do his own stunts, but he is a lead-from-the-front kind of guy and expects the actors & actresses in his movies to do their own stunts as well. Jackie Chan has a son, Jaycee Chan (b. December, 3, 1982). Most often dubs his own voice for the English release of his Asian films. He also dubs his Asian films in Mandarin. Jackie Chan was to star in a film entitled Nosebleed, but the project was cancelled after the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He was to play a window-washer at the WTC that has to stop a terrorist plot. In 1989, he was awarded an M.B.E.(Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to entertainment. His fan club once topped 10,000 members, mostly young girls; one of them committed suicide after she discovered that he was married. Another female fan attempted suicide, but was saved. Jackie Chan has a permanent hole in his head from a stunt accident. Jackie Chan admits he did Cannonball Run II (1984) just to fulfill his contract with Warner Brothers. His Opera Academy "brothers" include Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Biao Yuen, Corey Yuen, Wah Yuen and Yuen Man Meng. He has his own stuntman team, known as the Sing Ga Ban, or Jackie Chan Stuntman Association. Members of the team appear as extras in Jackie's films. Members include Andy Kai Chung Cheng, Chung Chi Li (Nicky Li) and Bradley James Allan. In 1990, he was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the French Minister of Culture and Communication. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conferred the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) upon him in 1999. Despite the minimal formal education he received, he was made an honorary doctor of social science of the Hong Kong Baptist University, and an honorary fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. In his action scenes, his punches and kicks actually connect with their targets. He has his actors wear special padding in their feet and body to prevent serious injury. Has a great, long lasting relationship with Mitsubishi Motors. The company has donated many of their automobiles for his films. Underwent plastic surgery in 1976 to re-shape his eyelids, giving him a more "Western" appearance. The final film with the old-look Chan is Shao Lin mu ren xiang (1976). His parents worked at the American Embassy in Canberra, Australia. Jackie lived with them there for a while after one of his attempt in the movie business fell through. According to Jackie Chan's production diary on the official Shanghai Knights (2003) website, the producers of Shanghai Knights wanted to throw him a birthday party, but he asked them not to since his mother had recently died and Chinese tradition dictates that you should wait 3 to 12 months after a death to stop 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." He sings in the Chinese version of Mulan (1998). He sings the Chinese version of "I'll make a man out of you". His role models are Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, all of which were more important to him as a child than any martial arts star, the latter label he was basically forced into at a very young age. Has a daughter with Elaine Wu He worked with Bruce Lee as a stunt coordinator. He was a stunt/fight coordinator for John Woo during his kung fu phase. Is good friends with Steven Seagal. He is also a talented singer. He has released numerous albums in Asia. His music is normally heard in the outtakes of his HK movies. Movies include: The Young Master Project A (not in us version) Police Story (not in us version) Armour of God (not in us version) Project A 2 Police Story 2 Dragons Forever Armour of God 2: Operation Condor (not in us version) Twin Dragons (not in us version) Police Story 3 (not in us version) Drunken Master 2 (not in us version) Rumble in the Bronx (not in us version) Jackie Chans First Strike (not in us version) Thunderbolt Nice Guy Who Am I? Twins Effect New Police Story Some of his favourite films include Gone with the Wind (1939), Singin' in the Rain (1952) and The Matrix (1999). Chan says the most painful of all the injuries he's sustained in his career happened on Enter the Dragon (1973), when Bruce Lee accidentally hit him in the face with a nun-chuck. Chan is best friends with Sylvester Stallone. Supporter of The Salvation Army's work in China. Capable of speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Korean. Appointed Honorary Ambassador of Peace for the Harvey Ball Foundation along with 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. Chan played a policeman in five movies in 1985 alone: Fuk sing go jiu (1985)[My Lucky Stars], The Protector (1985), Xia ri fu xing (1985) [Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars], Long de xin (1985) [Heart of Dragon], and Ging chaat goos si (1985) [Police Story]. Ironically, Chan said that if he didn't become an actor, he would have become a police officer. His family roots originate from the coastal port city of Ningbo, a suburb of Shanghai along the Eastern seaboard of Zhejiang province, China. Chan did an Indian TV commercial for a popular motorbike, Was payed 200 million Indian Rupees, the highest paycheck ever for an commercial in India. Chan received his name "Jackie" from fellow workers on a construction site in Canberra, Australia who couldn't pronounce his real name. Chan was first approached to play Sato in Black Rain (1989/I) but decided the role did not match his values/image. There is a Chinese Take-away in Hyde Park, Leeds of the United Kingdom named 'Jackie Chan's'.

Jackie Chan Detailed Biography -

The only child of Charles and Lee-Lee Chan, Jackie Chan was born Chan Kong-Sang (meaning Born In Hong Kong) on the 7th of April, 1954. The family lived in a mansion in the exclusive Victoria Peak district, not owned by them Charles worked as a cook for the French Ambassador, while Lee-Lee was the housekeeper. He was not academically bright which was noticed by Charles, who decided to enrol the boy, now 7, at the Peking Opera School, operated by Shu Master Yu Jan-Yuen. Being part of the Chinese Opera Research School, Jackie learnt through ten years of nineteen hours a day the major discipline of the Peking Opera, which includes acting, singing, dance, mime, acrobatics and a variety of martial arts. After graduation he went to work at the Shaw Brothers Studios as a stuntman, where after two years he was promoted to stunt co-ordinator. Watching Jackie direct stunt men, a producer spotted his talents and gave him his first adult in Little Tiger from Canton (1971). After years of being paid minimally for his abilities, 1978’s Snake in the Eagle Shadow and Drunken Master gave Jackie the freedom to create the genre of kung fu comedy, which transformed the Hong Kong film industry. In 1980 Jackie directed his first film, The Young Master, with producer Raymond Chow. The major success of The Young Master prompted Chow to bring Jackie to the United States to star in Big Brawl and Cannonball Run, which also starred Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore. With his experience in American film making techniques, Jackie’s headed back home to improve Hong Kong cinema and this is evident in Project A (1983). Jackie returned to the United States twice as an actor, in Cannonball Run 2 and the Protector, before the New York Film Festival honoured him for Police Story (1986). His direction in Police Story II, Project A II, and Armoured of God II which were all well acclaimed in the States increasing the popularity of Hong Kong Cinema. The conquest of Jackie and many of Hong Kong filmmakers went into full swing. But a major turning point came when Jackie starred in Rumble in the Bronx (1994), a Hong Kong production filmed in Canada and distributed by New Line Cinema. The success of Rumble in the Bronx helped launch a series of American films of Jackie’s and which lead finally to the present day of Rush Hour and it’s sequel Rush Hour 2.