Jackie Chan is multi-talented with an acrobatic-style to his fighting. His martial arts films have raked in millions of dollars while his kung-fu fighting tactics have won over crowds and praise from around the world.
Born in Hong Kong, Jackie Chan’s parents were refugees from the Chinese Civil War. Jackie’s parents worked for the French ambassador so he spent a lot of time in the district known as Victoria Peak.
Jackie attended a Hong Kong Island School and failed his first year. Chan’s father moved to Australia to work as the head cook at the American embassy and Jackie had the good fortune to attend the Chinese Drama Academy. He joined a performance group and excelled in the performing arts.
Jackie gained some small parts in a few films before starting his adult film pursuits. After he turned seventeen, he played the stunt man for Bruce Lee in one of Lee’s films. His first lead part came in 1973 in the film dubbed Little Tiger of Canton.
In 1976, a Hong Kong film producer sent Jackie a telegraph. He liked what he had seen of Jackie’s stunt work and wanted him for a film. The plan was to mold him into another Bruce Lee but the plan wasn’t going to be successful because of Chan’s own fighting style and the differences between his style and Lee’s style of fighting.
Jackie Chan’s big break did materialize and it came in 1978 with the film Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow. It was followed by Drunken Master and proved to be the two films to spiral Jackie Chan into instant fame and success.
In the early eighties, Chan’s career began to skyrocket and he became an international force to recognize. His name has been linked to some all-time great movies and along the way he has gained a "rock-star" type following with fans in every corner of the world.
Jackie Chan is married to a Taiwanese actress and they have a son. It is also believed that he is the father of the former Miss Asia’s daughter. Jackie Chan is a philanthropist who has given his time and his money with a heart full of generosity to UNICEF and other organizations.
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