Jackie Chan is a famous Chinese and American actor, as well as a martial artist. “Drunken Master”, “Rush Hour”, “First Hit”, “Armor of God” are the most successful works in Jackie Chan filmography. The list of films in which the actor took part includes more than a hundred. Almost all Jackie Chan's roles are related to martial arts. To date, the actor is still a popular and sought-after movie star of the world.
The childhood and youth of the actor
Jackie Chan was born in 1954 in the city of Hong Kong. His parents were ordinary people: his mother worked as a maid, and his father as a cook. When the actor was 6 years old, he moved with his family to Australia. From a very young age, Jackie began to study kung fu, and also went to the opera school. The filmography and biography of Jackie Chan are closely related. Thanks to his training in martial arts, the actor was able to break into the cinema.
When the boy was 8 years old, he first got into the world of cinema. Then the actor played a cameo in one film. After that he participated in extras. Gradually, the young man begins to be invited to various films as a stuntman. From the very first work in the cinema, the producers noted his charisma and talent. In 1978, Jackie Chan plays the role in the movie “The Snake in the Shadow of an Eagle,” which became a turning point in his career.
Filmography Jackie Chan by years: a list of films and his role in them
In the movie "The Snake in the Shadow of an Eagle," Jackie Chan played his first major role. This is the story of an orphan boy who saved the life of the great kung fu master. In gratitude, he takes the boy to himself and teaches martial arts. The role of the student was played by Jackie Chan. The next successful work in the filmography of Jackie Chan was the movie “The Drunken Master” (1978). This is the first comedic role of the actor. He again performs a character who became a student of a martial arts master. The Drunken Master is considered one of Hong Kong’s highest grossing films.
1983 was a very successful year for Jackie Chan. He was able to fulfill his old dream: he created a stunt team. Together with them, the actor starred in the movie "Project A", which was released the same year. This is an action movie with comedy elements, where Jackie Chan played the role of the main character - a sergeant of the naval police. The key goal of his hero is the fight against piracy. In 1986, the actor took part in the film "Armor of God." The film was so successful that it was decided to remove its continuation. In the 80-90s, Jackie Chan decides to conquer Hollywood and concludes an agreement with an American film company. An interesting fact is that in almost all the films in the filmography, Jackie Chan does not play the role of a villain, as he believes that this can harm his image and spoil the image of the hero in the eyes of viewers.
List of films that brought the actor the greatest success:
- "Racing" Cannonball "(1971-1979);
- The Heart of the Dragon (1985);
- The Mischievous Guys (1986).
The conquest of Hollywood
Jackie Chan made his first attempt to become a famous Hollywood actor already in 1980. The actor starred in the movie "Big Fight", which was released jointly by Hong Kong and the United States. In this movie, Jackie played the role of a guy named Jerry, who loved street fights. Once he was noticed by some mafiosi and offered money in exchange for participating in the tournament. The gang is blackmailing Jerry, kidnapping his brother’s bride, and the hero has no choice but to agree to the fight. Thanks to his role in this film, Jackie Chan became the highest paid American actor of Asian descent. So far, no one has been able to break his record. The film turned out to be quite successful, but it did not bring the actor great popularity with US viewers. Then in the filmography of Jackie Chan there are new works shot by American directors. Among them can be noted such films as: “Patron”, “Disassembly in the Bronx”, “Stormbreaker”. But the real popularity and love of the audience brought the actor a job in the American film "Rush Hour".
Role in the movie Rush Hour
The film “Rush Hour” was filmed in 1998 and entered the list of films with Jackie Chan. In the filmography of the actor, the role played was one of the best. The film takes place in Los Angeles. Jackie Chan played the role of Inspector Lee. His hero works in the Hong Kong police, but in America, the daughter of a consul who is a friend of the protagonist is kidnapped. The consul asks Lee for help, and then the inspector leaves for America. U.S. police give him the mates of the most talkative agent named James Carter. No one believes that they will succeed in solving the case, however, Lee and Carter become able to find a common language. Kidnappers demand a lot of money from Consul Khan. Lee and Carter find a way to free the girl without ransom. In addition, it turns out that she was kidnapped by one of Khan's best friends. The role of agent James Carter was played by American actor Chris Tucker. Together with Jackie Chan, they played the role of the most killer and comedic pair of police agents.
Jackie Chan's roles in the series Police Story
In the complete filmography of Jackie Chan, in addition to roles in ordinary films, there are works in films with several parts. The most famous multi-part film project with the participation of the actor was "Police History". In total, the film consists of seven parts, in each of which Jackie Chan is the main character.
The first film was released in Hong Kong in 1985. This is a story about a policeman named Kevin Chan. He was entrusted with protecting the witness in the case against one large mafia. However, on the day when the girl should appear in court, she disappears, and the head of the mafia is released due to lack of evidence. Now Kevin, by all means, needs to find a witness, since he was set up and accused of murder. The main character Kevin was performed by actor Jackie Chan. After the success of this work, it was decided to remove the continuation of the film. In 1988, the second part of the movie appeared on the screens, in which the actor still performs the role of the main character Kevin Chan. All episodes of the film “Police Story” made a great contribution to the filmography of Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan's Further Work in the World of Cinema
In 2000, Jackie Chan became the producer of the animated film "The Adventures of Jackie Chan." This is a story about a hero that was created based on characters played by Chan. The character image is taken from the actor himself. The voice acting of the protagonist was also engaged in Jackie Chan.
In 2004, the actor starred in the movie "Around the World in 80 Days." The painting was created jointly by 4 countries: USA, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland. However, at the box office, this project was doomed to failure. The box office of the film was half the amount that was spent on the creation of this film project.
In 2011, the actor played in the movie "The Fall of the Last Empire", which became 100 in a row in his filmography. Jackie Chan played the role of Huang Sina, a revolutionary and founder of a political party. The film tells the story of the Xinhai Revolution, which occurred in China in 1911.
Personal life
The personal life of the actor has developed quite successfully. Jackie Chan has long been married and very happy with his soulmate. His chosen one was the actress of Taiwan Lin Fenjiao. The couple married in 1983. The spouses have a common son, Chan Zumin. He, like his father, works in the world of cinema, and is also a famous musician. Chan Zumin has a pseudonym that he uses during his speeches - Jacy Chan. Jackie Chan always supports his son in his endeavors. In 1999, Jackie was born an illegitimate daughter from actress Elaine U Tsili. The actor acknowledged his paternity, but he does not appear in the life of his daughter and does not participate in her upbringing. Jackie Chan and Lin Fenjiao have been married for over 30 years and are still happy in their marriage.
Actor is currently
To date, the actor Jackie Chan still continues to act in films and build his career. One of his last works was the role in the film "Bleeding Steel." The actor performed the main character named Lin Dong. Lin Dong is a special forces agent. He is entrusted with protecting one girl from a criminal gang. The hero copes with his task perfectly, but he does not leave the feeling that he had already met this girl before.
One of the successful films in which Jackie Chan starred in 2017 is “The Foreigner”. This is a dramatic story about how, during one of the attacks in front of the main character, his underage daughter is killed. Currently, Jackie Chan continues to act in films, and soon there will be new works with his participation.