Facts About Jackie Chan

July 9, 2017 | Josh Mendelssohn

Facts About Jackie Chan


Jackie Chan is one of the most successful foreign actors working in Hollywood. Having been a dominant force in Chinese cinema, Chan made the move to America and the risk paid off huge.

Here are 42 lightning quick facts about Jackie Chan.


Jackie Chan Facts

1. BeLeeve

Jackie worked with Bruce Lee as a stunt coordinator. He says the most painful of all the injuries he's sustained in his career happened on Enter the Dragon, when Bruce Lee accidentally hit him in the face with a nunchuck. Ouch!

Jackie Chan attend the 'Chinese Zodiac' photocall during the 65th Cannes Film FestivalDenis Makarenko, Shutterstock

2. Padded

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. That’s probably for the best.

Jackie Chan at the premiere of "The Tuxedo" at the Chinese TheatreKevin Winter, Getty Images

3. Broken

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. The skull injury resulted in a plastic plug being surgically inserted into his skull. It's permanent. Now that’s method acting!

Jackie Chan And Owen Wilson In Shanghai Noon PhotoHandout, Getty Images

4. Too Real

He was to star in a film entitled Nosebleed, but the project was canceled after the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. He was to play a window-washer at the WTC who has to stop a terrorist plot. Someone get that writer on the phone ASAP, they know something!

Jackie Chan speaking at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con InternationalGage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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5. Vocal Range

Jackie most often dubs his own voice for the English release of his Asian films. He also dubs his Asian films in Mandarin. And he does his own stunts? Is there anything this man can’t do?

Jackie Chan attends New York Asian Film Festival Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award CeremonyBen Gabbe, Getty Images

6. Squad Goals

He has his own stunt team, known as the Sing Ga Ban (Jackie Chan Stuntman Association). Members of the team appear as extras in his films. The team includes Andy Kay, Chung Cheng, Chung Chi Li(Nicky Li), and Bradley James Allan. Jackie and his stunt team have no insurance, so he pays for any injuries to himself or his team.

Actors Liu Fengchao, Jackie Chan and Wang Wenjie attend the 'Le Silence De Lorna' Premiere at the Palais des Festivals during the 61st International Cannes Film FestivalSean Gallup, Getty Images

7. Records

Guinness awarded Jackie Chan the record for the most film credits in his movie Chinese Zodiac. In it, he was the writer, director, lead actor, producer, executive producer, cinematographer, art director, unit production manager, stunt coordinator, prop man, gaffer, stuntman, composer, theme song vocalist, and catering coordinator. Ok this is getting out of hand now.

Actor Jackie Chan attends the premiere of Wanda and AMC releasing's "Chinese Zodiac" at the AMC Century City 15 theaterFrederick M. Brown, Getty Images

8. Fans

He has a great, long-lasting relationship with Mitsubishi Motors. The company has donated many of their automobiles for his films, most of which get destroyed. Not a bad trade though, as it’s basically free advertising for them, and free cars for Jackie’s movies.

Actor Jacky Chan (L) stands beside the concept car Mitsubishi Concept-RA during a special media opening of the Auto China 2008 showFeng Li, Getty Images

9. Skills

He is trained in Northern & Southern styles of Kung-Fu as well as other styles of Martial Arts including Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu & Hapkido. Chan also has some experience in Jeet Kune Do having studied under Bruce Lee.

Jackie Chan, martial arts expert, in Britain to publicise his latest film the 'Big Brawl'.Central Press, Getty Images

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10. Pacifist

Despite being known for his extraordinary combat skills, Jackie abhors violence in real life and claims to having only been in one fight his entire life and only then because his friends dragged him into it.

Actor Jackie Chan poses in front of Cologne Cathedral prior to tonight's premiere of his new film, "New Police Story"Juergen Schwarz, Getty Images

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11. Book Smart

His greatest regret in life is not having received a proper education, inspiring him to fund educational institutions around the world. Can the vatican declare Jackie a saint already?

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan (C) writes for the Jilin Provincial Orphan School on September 16, 2007 in Changchun of Jilin Province, China.China Photos, Getty Images

12. Signals

During the fight scenes, Jackie and the stunt fighters communicate by making specific grunting noises, similar to how dancers keep count in their head to ensure they’re where they need to be, when they need to be. Pretty cool!

Hong Kong actor and martial arts expert Jackie Chan demonstrates his remarkable agilityMonti Spry, Getty Images

13. Sucker

He was sucker punched by one of his fans while filming Rush Hour 2 because the fan thought he would block the punch. Word of advice to everyone reading this, do not punch your heroes, even if they might be able to block it.

Actor JACKIE CHAN & actress ZHANG ZIYI at the world premiere of their new movie Rush Hour 2Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

14. From Scratch

Jackie Chan’s son will get none of his hundred million dollar fortune. According to him, “If he is capable, he can make his own money. If he is not, then he will just be wasting my money.” Talk about tough love!

Jackie Chan and his son Jaycee Chan attend a press conference announcing a concert at the Bird's Nest StadiumVCG, Getty Images

15. Stunt, Man

Chan said in an interview that his inspiration to perform stunts was from films such as The General where Buster Keaton performed his own stunts.

American comedian and film maker Buster Keaton (1895 - 1966) in a promotional still for 'The Cameraman'Hulton Archive, Getty Images

16. Dangerous

Jackie Chan used to carry multiple guns and even a grenade to protect himself and his other artists from The Triad in the 1980s and 1990s. Where there no police officers in China back then?

Jackie Chan on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Lee M. McCaskill, Wikimedia Commons

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17. Fear Factor

The only two things scare Jackie are needles and public speaking. Funny how a man who has no problems with broken bones is scared of needles and speaking to groups of people.

Jackie Chan speaks on stage during a press conference and photocall for Bleeding SteelBrendon Thorne, Getty Images

18. Records Part II

Jackie Chan holds the Guinness World Record for Most Stunts by a Living Actor. Go Jackie!

Wax work view of famous people Jacky ChanKeongDaGreat, Shutterstock

19. Agent, Man

His father Charles was a spy for Chinese Nationalist government. No wonder he knows how to kick so much butt.

Jackie Chan at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The LEGO Ninjago Movie'Tinseltown, Shutterstock

20. Drug Dealer

His mother Lee-Lee was a stage performer who also sold opium on the side. Being an actor is a tough gig, so it’s best to supplement your income. Drug dealing wouldn’t be our first option, though.

Jackie Chan has his hand & footprints set in cement in the courtyard of the TCL Chinese TheatreFeatureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock

21. Board

Chan was left in a boarding school while his parents went to Australia in search of work. Jackie eventually moved to Australia with them and even holds an Australian passport. He returns to Australia whenever he needs to renew his passport, and films a movie while there to make the most of his trip.

Nana Ouyang, Jackie Chan, Erica Xia-hou and Tess Haubrich speak on stage during a press conference and photocall for Bleeding SteelBrendon Thorne, Getty Images

22. Vocal Range Part II

Jackie has released 20 albums since 1984 and has performed vocals in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and Taiwanese.

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan receives the Most Warmhearted Golden Song and Outstanding Singers Of Promoting Olympic Games AwardsChina Photos, Getty Images

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23. Toothy

Jackie used to work as a bouncer at a nightclub to make some extra cash. He spent several days after one particularly vicious brawl to push a protruding bone back into his knuckle, only to discover that it was actually somebody else’s tooth. Gross!

Actor Jackie Chan arrives at the premiere of Lionsgate & Relativity Media's "The Spy Next Door"Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

24. Strong

Chan once broke twelve concrete blocks with his hand, while holding an egg in his fist. The egg was not broken. We don’t recommend anyone attempt this, for both the egg’s and your hand’s sake.

Actors Jackie Chan attends the La Silence de Lorna premiereDenis Makarenko, Shutterstock

25. Payday

Jackie was never passionate about the Rush Hour series but did it because he was offered an irresistible amount of money. But don’t tell Chris Tucker that!

Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan star in the movie "Rush Hour."Handout, Getty Images

26. Linguistics

He speaks 7 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English, German, Korean, Japanese and Thai and also American sign-language.

Jackie Chan at the Jackie Chan Hand and Foot Print Ceremony, TCL Chinese Theaters_bukley, Shutterstock

27. Red

Chan is a big supporter of China's Communist Party and he thinks the Taiwanese democracy is "the biggest joke in the world".

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan (2nd R), Chinese actor Zhang Guoli (2nd L), Chinese director Feng Xiaogang (R) and Chinese director Zhao Baogang (L) arrive at a plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative ConferenceFeng Li, Getty Images

28. Hot Air

Jackie Chan once jumped out a plane and landed on top of a hot air balloon. Most people wouldn’t even be able to simply jump out of a plane, let alone land on top of a balloon! What’s in Jackie’s water?

Actor Jackie Chan shows at the 2015 Asian Business Aviation Conference & ExhibitionVCG, Getty Images

29. Go Again

In the movie Dragon Lord, one scene took Jackie 2900 separate takes because it was so complex. How frustrating would it be if the scene didn’t make the final cut of the film? (It did).

Screenshot from the movie Dragon Lord (1982)Golden Harvest, Dragon Lord (1982)

30. Imposter

Chan didn't actually voice his character in the Jackie Chan Adventures series of cartoons. The voice you heard was that of James Sie.

Screenshot from the Jackie Chan Adventures animated television seriesSony, Jackie Chan Adventures (2000-2005)

31. Much Better

In Jackie Chan Adventures, the character of his niece was voiced by Stacie Chan, his real niece. We’ll let this bit of nepotism slide, but Jackie’s son probably wasn’t too happy about it.

Screenshot from the Jackie Chan Adventures animated television seriesSony, Jackie Chan Adventures (2000-2005)

32. Jackie!

He received the name "Jackie" from fellow workers on a construction site in Australia, who couldn't pronounce his real name, which is actually Chan Kong-Sang. Kong Sang means "Born In Hong Kong.

Jackie Chan attends the 'De Rouille et D'os' PremiereDenis Makarenko, Shutterstock

33. Big Fan

Jackie Chan loves football and supports the Hong Kong National team, England National team and Manchester City. It really is the most popular sport in the world.

General view of City's stadium with the new crestCosmin Iftode, Shutterstock

34. Nice

Jackie loves giving thumbs up. What a surprise, because we love seeing Jackie give the thumbs up.

Hollwood actor Jackie Chan arrives at the Laureus World Sports AwardsJamie McDonald, Getty Images

35. Royalty

He was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his services to entertainment in 1989. He didn’t let it go to his head.

Jackie Chan at the premiere of "The Tuxedo"Kevin Winter, Getty Images

36. Rivalry

While filming for Wheels on Meals in 1984, Jackie became angry after being painfully hurt by Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez (a kickboxing world champion) while shooting a fight scene with him. Jackie had also landed a few blows of his own on the boxer. Letting bygones be bygones, Jackie and Urquidez appeared again in a fight scene of the film Dragons Forever.

Screenshot from the movie Wheels on Meals (1984)Golden Harvest, Wheels on Meals (1984)

37. Foreign

Jackie isn’t much of a fan of Hollywood. Even after years of success with blockbuster movies like Rush Hour films and Shanghai Noon films, Jackie says that he doesn’t get American humour nor does he understands Hollywood’s craziness behind car-chase formulated film.

Actor Jackie Chan attends the premiere of the New Line Cinema film "Rush Hour 3"Vince Bucci, Getty Images

38. Watch This

Much like the scene from the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid when Jackie Chan catches a fly with chopsticks, actor Jason Isaacs claims that he once saw Jackie catch a fly with his bare hand while on the set of The Tuxedo. Then, just to prove he could, he caught another one without even looking!

Screenshot from the movie The Karate Kid (2010)Columbia, The Karate Kid (2010)

39. Gone Baby, Gone

Jackie’s parents were so poor when he was born that, not only did they struggle to pay the hospital bills, but they considered selling him off to a British physician to offset the medical costs. We’re glad they didn’t.

Director and actor Jackie Chan waves as he attends the 24th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) Opening CeremonyKiyoshi Ota, Getty Images

40. Prolific

Jackie has been featured on a number of different film soundtracks, too. Perhaps most notably, he sang “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” for the Chinese version of Disney’s Mulan. The American version was originally sung by Donny Osmond.

Actress dressed as Mulan at the Ultimate Disney ExperienceLoren Javier, Flickr

41. Adult Film Star

In 1975 Jackie made an adult film called All in the Family.I had to do anything I could to make a living 31 years ago,” He said in 2006. In the film Jackie strips down to play the role of Little Tang, the rickshaw driver. “The porn movie at that time was more conservative than the current films,” Chan said of the movie, which would not be considered pornographic by today’s standards, and is also notable in the actor’s filmography for its lack of action scenes.

Portrait Photo of the actor Jackie Chan wearing a shirt, tie and a hatArchive Photos, Getty Images

42. Skills Part II

Many people are able to train pets like dogs and cats, but how many can say that they can train fish? Jackie Chan can, as he’s able to make koi carp and catfish to “roll over” upon command. We didn’t even know fish could understand us.

Jackie Chan in Kuala Lumpur for Press conference "CZ12" Promo Tour at a hotel in Kuala LumpurFirdaus Latif, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sources: 1, 2,3,4,5


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