Vital Statistics: Jackie Chan was named Chan Kong-Sang (meaning Born In Hong Kong) at his birth on April 7, 1954, as the only child of Charles and Lee-Lee Chan. It has been said that Jackie remained in his mother's womb for as long as 12 months, when he was finally born by ceserian section, weighin in at 12 pounds. His mother reportedly called him Pao-Pao, meaning Cannonball.
Influenced to Take Martial Arts: Chan attended the Nah-Hwa primary school on Hong Kong Island, where he was often the target of fights with the caucasion kids in the area. His father enrolled him at age 7 in the Peking Opera School, operated by Shu Master Yu Jan-Yuen. Chan was so awestruck by what he saw there that he never returned to his academic education.
Martial Arts Styles: Multiple - Most notably hapkido, tae kwondo, judo, shaolin and wing chun kung fu. At the Peking Opera School, Jackie endured strenuous training in martial arts, acrobatics and drama. The training was brutal and beatings were common. Jackie's (at this time called Yuen Lo) parents left for work in Australia, leaving Jackie to be adopted by his single-minded school Master.
Early Achievements: Chan was lucky, he got his first chance for dramatic acting at age 8 in Big And Little Wong Tin Bar. He worked with the great Taiwanese star Li Li-hua as his mother, who gave him roles in her next series of features. Great for Chan, except that his Master took his paychecks.
Jackie Chan - Big Brother and Big Star: Jackie's extraordinary athleticism and inventive stunt-work brought him many lead roles and he became very well known, however, he remained overshadowed by Bruce Lee for many years until Lee's death cleared the path for Jackie Chan's rising star in Kung-Fu movies, bringing him fame across Asia. But it was his turn to a mix of slapstick comedy and amazing stunt work that brought him stardom worldwide.
Claim to Fame: Despite many brushes with Triads (chinese gangs), Jackie Chan pursued his acting career and has appeared in nearly 100 films! He has also directed, produced, choreographed and does many of his own stunts. He is a true kung fu renaissance man.
Top 10 Jackie Chan Movies: To learn more about Jackie Chan's movies, here is my list of the top 10 Jackie Chan movies of all time.