Jackie Chan is one of the most influential pioneers in action films. The unique blend of martial arts and slapstick sense of humour helped make him an international film star. Drawing inspiration from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Bruce Lee, Chan developed his own style of martial arts blended with screwball physical comedy. He pushed the boundaries of action-comedy for decades and stamped his place globally with his impeccable skills and talent. Here are some lesser known facts about the actors.
1. Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong on April 7, 1954, and was named Chan Kong-sang.
2. His parents fled the communist regime and moved to Australia leaving 7-year-old Chan back in Hong Kong.
3. Chan studied at the boarding school, Chinese Opera Research Institute in Hong Kong and learned martial arts, drama, acrobatics, and singing.
4. After many years, Chan found out about his parents. He discovered his father, Fang Daolang, was involved in illicit criminal activities and his mother had once been arrested for smuggling opium.
5. He got the name “Little Jack” shortened to “Jackie” while working as a construction worker in Canberra, Australia.
6. He started his film career as a stuntman in Bruce Lee films. He made brief appearances in two Bruce Lee films: 1972’s The Chinese Connection and 1973’s Enter the Dragon.
7. Chan has incurred many injuries while performing his own stunts. He has broken his nose three times, ankle once, most of the fingers in his hand, both cheekbones, and even his skull while performing the stunts.
8. The actor holds the Guinness World record for “Most stunts by a living actor”.
9. He also holds the Guinness World record for most film credits in the movie Chinese Zodiac. He has 15 credits including the writer, director, lead actor, vocalists, and more under his name.
10. Chan can speak seven languages, namely Cantonese, Mandarin, English, German, Korean, Japanese, and Thai.
Bonus: With 200 films under his belt and 56 years in the film industry, Chan won an honorary Oscar for his decades of work in film.
