Some know Jackie Chan for his stylish martial arts moves and scenes that have gone down in history as the best in action cinema. Many others know him for his charisma and comedic timing in dozens of Hollwood films. Others do it for a mix of the two, which is what has always characterized him. And others even for the Disney Channel animated series.
But what is clear is that Jackie Chan has become an enduring pop culture icon. A unique action star like few others. A memorable actor that everyone admires and loves. And a unique representative of Chinese culture in Hollywood history.
For this reason, and because the actor presents Ride On, a film in which he teaches martial arts to a horse -not all his decisions have to be good, I guess-, we take this space to tell the story behind the legend of Jackie Chan. Who he is and why he is remembered as the biggest Chinese star in American cinema.
From China to Hollywood
Born in Hong Kong in 1954, Chan Kong-sang – Jackie Chan is his stage name – was raised by his adoptive parents who worked at the French Embassy in the city. From a very young age, he showed a great interest in martial arts and began training in different disciplines. At the age of seven, moreover, his interests grew and he entered the Beijing Opera Academy, a school where artists were trained in different disciplines such as acrobatics, singing and acting.
At the Academy, Chan learned martial arts techniques and acrobatics that would be very useful in his future career. There he also met other actors who would become his friends and collaborators in the future, such as Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. After graduating, Chan began working as an extra in Hong Kong films and television series.
His big break came in 1978. After Bruce Lee’s death, the Golden Harvest studio was looking for a new martial arts hero for its films. Thus, thanks to his charisma and great moves, Chan was chosen to star in Drunken Master, a film that would become a classic of martial arts cinema. In it, Chan plays a rebellious young man who learns the techniques of Drunken Kung Fu from an elderly master. The film was a huge success and established Chan as a rising star.
In the following years, the doors of the industry opened and he starred in numerous martial arts films that earned him great popularity in Asia. But his fame spread beyond the borders of his country and he began to work assiduously in Hollywood. In 1980 he participated in The Big Brawl, his first English-language film, and in 1985 he starred in The Protector, alongside Danny Aiello.
But it was in the 1990s that the actor became a worldwide star. In 1995, the actor starred in Rumble in the Bronx, an action movie that was a huge hit around the world. In it, Chan plays a Hong Kong salesman who travels to New York to help his uncle in his store. There, he gets involved in a robbery and gangster plot and has to face numerous enemies in spectacular action scenes. The film was a huge hit around the world and established Jackie Chan as an international star.
After Rumble in the Bronx, Chan starred in several more Hollywood films, including Rush Hour (1998), Shanghai Kid (2000) and The Myth (2005). In all of them, he demonstrated his great ability for martial arts, acrobatics and humor, becoming one of the most recognized and beloved figures in action cinema.
A life on the brink of death
But Chan’s career has also been marked by serious injuries, the result of him doing all the action scenes himself – and there are many of them.
One of the most dangerous moments of Chan’s career occurred during the filming of the movie “Police Story” in 1985. In one scene, Chan jumps from a second story and falls through a series of glass panels. During filming, one of the panes failed to break and Chan fell directly on top of it, suffering deep cuts to his neck and hands. The injury was so severe that Chan had to be hospitalized and receive stitches. Despite this, the scene remained in the film and has become one of the most famous and spectacular of Chan’s career.
That same year, during the filming of The Protector, Chan fell from a tree and fractured his skull, which caused a cerebral hemorrhage and kept him in a coma for several days. On another occasion, during the filming of Armour of God II: Operation Condor in 1990, Chan fell off a rock and fractured his skull again, this time on the opposite side. And in another scene in that film, he got a knife stuck in his hand and had to undergo emergency surgery.
To continue counting injuries, in 1994, during the filming of Drunken Master II, he suffered a serious ankle fracture. In one scene, Chan was fighting several opponents while using a table as a weapon. At that moment, Chan jumped on the table and split it in two with a kick. However, his right foot got caught between the table’s boards, which caused the injury. Despite the injury, Chan continued filming and completed the scene later that day. Later, he had to undergo surgery to heal his ankle.
Finally, he also suffered major injuries during the filming of Rush Hour 2 in 2001. In one scene, Chan jumped from a bridge onto a moving boat. However, during the shoot he lost his balance and fell into the water from a height of 50 feet. Chan was rushed to the hospital, where it was discovered that he had fractured his coccyx. Despite the injury, Chan returned to the set after two days and completed the film.
Transcending beyond cinema
Jackie Chan has also been a strong supporter of Chinese culture and traditions. In 2008, during the Beijing Olympics, Chan participated in the opening ceremony and carried the Olympic flag alongside other famous Chinese athletes. He has also worked on several films celebrating Chinese culture, including The Drunken Master (1978), The Armor of God (1986) and Chinese Zodiac (2012).
As a result, it is considered one of China’s most important icons. And so much so that he was chosen to hold the Olympic Torch during the Beijing Olympics in 2008. As for awards, due to the genre in which he is a specialist he has not had too much repercussion, but in 2016 he was awarded an honorary Oscar for his career.
In addition, Jackie Chan is a great philanthropist and has founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, which helps children and elderly people in need around the world. He also founded, in 1998, the Jackie Chan Stuntmen Association, an organization created to help film stuntmen protect their rights and improve working conditions.
Undoubtedly, Jackie Chan has become an everlasting star, who even had his own series on Disney Channel. Now, his career seems to be in its final stretch, but considering that he has survived so many accidents, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has an old age full of action and adventure.
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