Jackie Chan: From Hong Kong to Hollywood
Roots
Jackie Chan was born Chan Kong-sang on April 7, 1954, in Hong Kong.
Martial arts
Chan and his friend Sammo Hung (from his school's performance group), started training hapkido (Korean martial art) with grand master Jin Pal Kim. The actor reached a black belt level.
Early career
Jackie Chan started as a child actor. Chan's film debut was 'Big and Little Wong Tin Bar' in 1962. He was eight at the time.
Leading roles
Jackie Chan got his first leading role in 1973 with 'Little Tiger of Canton.'
Hollywood debut
Jackie Chan's first Hollywood film was 'The Big Brawl' in 1980. But soon after, he returned to the Hong Kong film industry.
Hollywood star
In 1998, Chan exploded into stardom with the action comedy 'Rush Hour.' Chan and his co-star, Chris Tucker, went on to perform in a number of sequels in the following years.
Dynamic duo
They went on to costar in 'Shanghai Knights.' A further sequel, 'Shanghai Dawn,' has been in talks for some time.
Video games
Chan inspired a number of video games, including 'Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu,' 'Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master,' 'Jackie Chan Stuntmaster,' 'Jackie Chan Adventures,' and 'Jackie Chan J-Mat Fitness.'
Remake of a classic
In 2010, he taught Jaden Smith's character how to fight in the movie 'The Karate Kid.'
Music career
In addition to movies, Jackie Chan has also had a prolific music career since the 1980s.
Jackie Chan usually sings the theme songs of his films.
Multilingual
Jackie Chan is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and American Sign Language. But he can also speak a bit of German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Thai.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Jackie Chan was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 4, 2002.
