Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: July 13, 2023 | 
| 中文
Stuntman Jackie Chan with Bruce Lee in 1972
Shooting for a film was taking place in 1972, and the international star, Bruce Lee, was performing a dangerous stunt with an eighteen-year-old boy. The boy had to perform a rarely attempted stunt, but not only managed to finish it in style, but also impressed the man who introduced martial arts to Hollywood. The boy was none other than Jackie Chan, who was fighting the legendary Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury. Since then, Jackie Chan had to take a challenging road to success, eventually revolutionizing martial arts as well as rising to become one of the great film stars.
Born as Chan Kong Sang in Hong Kong on Apr. 7, 1954, he began appearing as a stuntman in late 1960s and has since acted in over 200 films. Chan Kong Sang's is a ‘from rags to riches story’. He worked as a stunt coordinator in many films, but after completing his schooling, moved to live with his parents in Australia. Jackie's father worked as a cook in the US Embassy in Canberra, where Jackie enrolled in a school. Fate brought him to a construction site where he got his name ‘Jackie Chan’, as his original name was too difficult to pronounce.
Young Jackie Chan with his parents
Chan returned to Hong Kong in 1972 and managed to watch Bruce Lee closely with his two forgettable appearances. With Lee’s death in 1973 and the search for ‘the next Bruce Lee’, the sudden rise in Kung Fu films went downhill. Jackie Chan also tried to fit in 'Lee’s shoes’ but being unaware of Lee’s fighting style and above all, the English language, he was nothing but a liability for producers. He may have been an accomplished action choreographer, yet adapting to demands was not his forte.
Although Kung Fu films were around before Bruce Lee elevated them to international status, Jackie Chan changed the way action was done. In 1978, he starred in the Hong Kong production Snake in the Eagles shadow, which was a massive hit. Jackie Chan had a sense of humor, and used to make deliberate mistakes that drew laughter and was not as stiff as Bruce Lee. However, his entry to Hollywood did not take place till 1995. He attempted to enter Hollywood with Robert Clouse’s The Big Brawl (1980) and James Glickenhaus' The Protector (1985), but both ended up as disasters.
Owen Wilson and Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights
For the next 9 years, Jackie Chan cemented his position in Asia by performing daredevil stunts and slapstick comedy. His usage of outtakes of the movie during end credits, also stopped the crowd from leaving the film. From 1983 till 1995, he introduced a dangerous stunt-driven style of martial arts in films, which include back flips, monkey jumps and flying kicks. With his opera school friends Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, Jackie starred in blockbusters, including Lucky Star trilogy. Known as ‘three brothers’, they were making name and fame, but Jackie had eyes on the North American market. He was fast becoming a legend in Asia, where actors in India and Pakistan, tried to follow his style of fighting, mostly doing cheap copies. Jackie Chan acted and directed in Operation Condor series, which saw him dive on a hot air balloon (yes, a flying balloon), dodge dynamites and jump on trees, while his police movies were a rage across the world.
Jackie Chan recieving Academy Award from Sylvester Stallone
It was in 1995 that he finally got his due with US-Hong Kong Production Rumble in the Bronx. The story begins when Chan’s character Keong, who came to America for his uncle’s wedding. The simple Simon landed up in trouble with the mafia and the rest is history. Jackie Chan impressed viewers and producers by his breath-taking stunts, and had an impact on American audiences.
As he performed his own stunts, he broke bones many times. Jackie and injuries have been together since Snake in the Eagles’ Shadow, but his dedication to performing always kept the films from getting delayed. He has acted with his fractured foot in a cast, broken his teeth, nose, injured his lip and damaged his eyebrow, a price he paid for his stunts.
From 1995 onwards, he went on to star in American films, and was the top draw for buddy cop films, which included the Rush Hour series with Chris Tucker and Western comedies, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights with Owen Wilson. After a couple of hits in Hollywood, he formed his own production company, and took on more challenging roles, where he had to use his body less. Even his dubbing for Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda animated cartoons is like watching Jackie Chan in action.
Jackie Chan in Rush Hour
He has collaborated with producers in America and India, has mesmerized the viewers with his work and in 1997, his hands were immortalized in cement outside the Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. He also became the first ever Chinese actor to receive an Oscar, after being in the industry for over 50 years. Jackie Chan is a true symbol of success, and is a proof of how dedication can turn a stunt coordinator into a successful star.
Jackie Chan at Hollywood's Chinese Theatre
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