Jackie Chan was born as Chan Kung-Sang (meaning Born in Hong Kong) in 1954 in Hong Kong. His parents worked as the maid and butler for the French Ambassador to Hong Kong and in 1960, the family fled to Australia during the Chinese Civil War.
Jackie studied at the Nan Hua Elementary Academy as a boy and in 1961 his parents sent him to study at the Chinese Opera Research Institute until 1971. As a teen Jackie studied at the Peking Opera School.
Jackie began building his career as an actor and stuntman in 1976 in Australia. It was also during this time that he obtained his nickname, Jackie. One of the men he worked with was named Jack and he quickly became known by the other workers as little Jack. The nickname was later shortened to Jackie. Chan also goes by the name Sing Lung in his music career, which means "Young Dragon."
In 1982, after receiving his first taste of international success in the film Drunken Master, Jackie married the Taiwanese actress Lin Feng-Jiao. The couple had a son, Jaycee Chan, also in 1982. Jackie later had a daughter, Etta Ng Chock, who was born in 1999 to Elaine Ng Yi-Lei. Jackie had an affair with Elaine, who was the former Miss Asia.
Jackie is most famous for performing many of his own stunts in each of his movies; he will even do stunts for other characters in the same film. Jackie has had so many injuries relating to his work as a stuntman that he is unable to obtain insurance anywhere in the world. One of his most serious injuries was when he fractured his skull working on Armour of God in 1985 after falling out of a tree.
As a result of all of Jackie’s stunt work, he formed the Jackie Chan Stunt Team in 1983. The purpose of this group was to work and train with a group of fellow martial artists. This group would then work on film projects together making it easier for Jackie to trust each member of the team.
Jackie’s first major breakthrough into Hollywood films came in 1995 with the film Rumble in the Bronx. The year before Jackie was honored by MTV, earning the lifetime achievement award for his work in the action genre. Other popular comedic-action films that Jackie has been a part of include: Rush Hour in 1998, opposite Chris Tucker; and Shanghai Noon in 2000, co-starring Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu.
Other than continuing his successful film and singing careers, Jackie also works diligently with many charities. Some of the causes he works with include animal rights, conservation, and promoting disaster relief efforts after the 2004 tsunami. Jackie also appeared in an advertisement against piracy with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jackie has even announced that half of his entire fortune will be donated to charity when he dies.
YUDDY
