Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan, born on April 7, 1954, is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, director and stuntman. He also has the following nicknames: Yuen Lo, Sing Lung and Pao Pao.

Biography

Jackie Chan is the son of Lee-Lee Chan and Charles Chan who migrated to Canberra, Australia in 1960 as a refugee from the Chinese civil war and who had previously worked as a maid and butler for the French ambassador to Hong Kong. His Chinese name at birth was Chan Kong-sang and he was given his Westernized name, "Jackie", by his Australian coworkers when living in Australia in 1976-1977{{fn|1}}. Because his father's family name was original Fong and was changed only when arriving in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan's Chinese name was, years later, changed in family records to Fong Si Lung{{fn|2}}.

Related Topics:
Charles Chan - Canberra - Australia - 1960 - Chinese civil war - French - Ambassador

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Chan married Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-Jiao (???) in 1983 according to his autobiography, but many Asian sources state he was married on December 1, 1982, and with whom he had a son, Jackson "Jaycee Chan" Jo-Ming (born on December 3, in either 1982 or 1984). He is also rumored to have a daughter, Etta Ng Chok Lam (b. 1998) with Elaine Ng Yi-Lei out of wedlock.

Related Topics:
Taiwan - Lin Feng-Jiao - 1983 - December 1 - 1982 - Jaycee Chan - December 3 - 1984 - Out of wedlock

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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.

Related Topics:
1961 - 1971 - Peking Opera School - Seven Little Fortunes - Sammo Hung - Yuen Biao

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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, including stunts for other characters if they are not showing their faces, and has racked up an impressive list of injuries to prove it. (The closing credits of his movies 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.

Related Topics:
Armour of God - 1985

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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.

Related Topics:
Bruce Lee - Bruceploitation

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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. 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.

Related Topics:
Battle Creek Brawl - Cannonball Run - Cannonball Run II - The Protector - Cult - US - Rumble in the Bronx - 1995 - Chow Yun-Fat - Michelle Yeoh - Hollywood - Animated series - Jackie Chan Adventures

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

Related Topics:
UK - Ash

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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.

Related Topics:
1994 - MTV - North America

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Jackie has a star on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong as well as the Walk of Fame. Chan is also known as a major pop star in Asia, and he released over 100 song titles in 20 albums since 1984. He sings in many different languages including English, Cantonese, Mandarin and Japanese.

Related Topics:
Avenue of Stars - Walk of Fame - Pop star - 1984

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Chan is one of the most well-known philanthropists 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.

Related Topics:
Conservation - Animal abuse - 2004 Tsunami

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