How many of these cool Jackie Chan facts do you know? Here are some awesome pieces of trivia about the action movie star!
You’ve probably heard of Jackie Chan – actor, stuntman and martial arts genius! But how many other cool facts do you know about him and his awesome career? We’ve rounded up 15 fantastic facts about Jackie Chan and his amazing career. Find out all about his singing career, why he’s a world record breaker, and how many languages he can speak!
Once you’ve checked out this awesome list, why not learn some Star Wars facts, take our gargantuan 50-question movie quiz, or test your sci-fi trivia!
1. He’s a record breaker!
Jackie Chan Currently holds the record for most credits in a single movie! And if you’re wondering how many that is, it’s 15! He was the writer, director, producer, actor and 11 other roles in the film Chinese Zodiac! Phew!
2. He’s also a singer!
Jackie Chan is probably best known as an action star, but he’s also a talented singer! He’s released over 20 albums and is a big singing star in China!
3. He’s been injured doing his own stunts!
Because he does so many of his own stunts, Jackie is bound to get hurt every now and then! In fact, he’s had over 70 injuries on set! He’s also got a hole in his skull from a mishap on set!
4. He’s the voice of Li Shang…
In the Cantonese and Mandarin dubs of the Disney movie Mulan, he voices hero Li Shang as well as singing too! Talk about multi-talented!
5. His heroes are silent film stars!
Jackie Chan loves doing comedy, and studied famous silent era actors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to better understand what makes physical comedy so funny. That’s real dedication!
6. His childhood nickname was ‘Cannonball’!
As a child, Jackie Chan was full of energy and was always rolling around and doing stunts. His nickname was ‘Cannonball’ and it’s easy to see why all these years later!
7. He worked with Bruce Lee!
In his early film career, Jackie Chan got to work on stunt co-ordinations with famous martial arts superstar Bruce Lee in two different films including the classic film Enter The Dragon. “He influenced me a lot,” said Chan in an interview. “I admired him, and the way he would talk.”
8. He speaks lots of different languages!
As well as speaking Chinese and Mandarin, Jackie Chan can also speak English and Korean, and some German, Japanese and Thai – that’s seven languages! Wow!
9. He has a Pokémon named after him!
The fighting Pokémon Hitmonchan is named after Chan and the word ‘hit’, because it’s a boxing Pokémon. What would a Pokémon be like if it was named after you?
Jackie Chan loves football! As well as supporting Hong Kong, he also supports the English national team and Manchester United!
11. He had a pretty weird childhood
Growing up, Jackie’s family were always very poor, which was really hard on him. What was also hard was the fact that his father was a spy! He was also raised by the Chinese Opera Company from the age of 7 while his parents looked for work.
12. He didn’t become famous in the West until the 90s!
Jackie Chan has been a star of Chinese and Asian cinema since the 70s, but it wasn’t until the 1990’s that western audiences started to watch him. His most popular films in English include Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon and Kung Fu Panda!
13. He’s not insured!
Jackie Chan’s stunts are so dangerous that no one will insure him, because he’s likely to injure himself. Instead, he pays for him and his stunt team himself!
14. ‘Jackie’ is a nickname!
Jackie Chan – who was born Chan Kong-sang – was given the nickname Jackie when he was working on a construction site in Australia. A builder named Jack showed him the ropes and was known on site as ‘Little Jack’, which then turned to Jackie. It’s stuck ever since!
15. He has his own cartoon!
Jackie Chan Adventures is an American cartoon all about a fictional version of Jackie Chan and his family, who have to battle evil and supernatural forces!
