History Creator / JackieChan

Chan is best known as a stunt performer and fight choreographer, and [[JustHereForGodzilla that's pretty much the entire point of going to see any of his movies]] -- watching dumbfounded as he does all sorts of insane tricks and stunts (with little WireFu) in jaw-dropping fight scenes. He has developed a distinctive fighting style which incorporates elements from numerous other styles[[note]]including Northern and Southern Shaolin kung fu, Wing Chun, wushu, Jeet Kune Do, hapkido, judo, boxing, taekwondo, and karate[[/note]]; it is quite comedic and usually makes extensive use of props, even those at first sight [[ImprobableWeaponUser most unsuited to fighting]], such as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvXqLrgf0k stepladder]].[[note]]Seriously, if you've somehow never seen his work before, you can spend many happy and amazed hours on Website/YouTube watching fight scenes.[[/note]] He has said that he loves action, but hates violence, so rather than setting out to make bone-crunching kung fu, he took heavy inspiration from the physical comedy of Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/CharlieChaplin. Being that those were silent films, he was able to watch them without having to worry about the language barrier, and once his Hollywood work understood that connection, his popularity exploded.

* ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'': He is the voice of Master Monkey (surprisingly). [[QuestionableCasting He has roughly two lines in the first one, but more in the second and third films.]]

* ''The Young Master'': Jackie Chan is the titular master. It goes without saying this is among Chan's earlier films, given its title, and also notable for Chan's [[https://www.facebook.com/100044547424571/videos/the-young-master-final-fight/2121951218032719/ ''18-minute-long'' final battle with the]] BigBad.

* ''The Young Master'': Jackie Chan is the titular master. It goes without saying this is among Chan's earlier films, given its title, and also notable for Chan's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBudFx93UR8 18-minute-long final battle with the]] BigBad.

* ''Film/{{Gorgeous}}'': Another atypical Jackie Chan film, as close to a rom-com as Jackie Chan ever made—although by this point he was starting to look pretty old, and the female lead was young enough to be his daughter. And like the jaw-dropping fight against Benny the Jet in ''Wheels on Meals'', Jackie does another, if not even '''better''' fight against Australian boxer Brad Allen. What makes this fight special is that even if Jackie's age would've caught onto him back then, he ''STILL'' manages to put up a kickass fight against Allen.

Jackie Chan (成龙 ''Cheng Long''), born Chan Kong-Sang (陈港生) in UsefulNotes/HongKong on 7 April 1954, is an actor, filmmaker, and stuntman, and one of the biggest names in martial arts movies. He grew up in the UsefulNotes/PekingOpera and began a career as a stuntman in the early '70s before headlining his own films in the late '70s. He hit the big time after being "discovered" by Hollywood in the mid-'90s, and films such as ''Film/RushHour'', ''Film/ShanghaiNoon'', ''Film/TheTuxedo'' and ''Film/TheMedallion'' have made him an American household name.

[[HeAlsoDid A lesser-known aspect of his career]] (at least in America) is that he is also a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBcQA9A3zA professional singer]], having recorded many albums and often performing the {{theme song}}s for his movies (ex. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29nd5P_KqKg Who Am I?]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6IYt2qMj1A I'll Make a Man Out of You]]" in Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}''). This is a little less surprising if you're familiar with the UsefulNotes/PekingOpera, which features acrobatic fight scenes. He also has his own AnimatedAdaptation, ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures.''

Finally, in late 2016, Jackie Chan received his first-ever UsefulNotes/AcademyAward, an honorary Oscar for the decades of his contributions to the art of film.

* ''VideoGame/JackieChansActionKungFu''. Also known as ''Jackie Chan''. - {{UsefulNotes/NES}} and UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16
* ''VideoGame/JackieChanStuntmaster'' - UsefulNotes/PlayStation

Chan is best known as a stunt performer and fight choreographer, and [[JustHereForGodzilla that's pretty much the entire point of going to see any of his movies]] -- watching dumbfounded as he does all sorts of insane tricks and stunts (with little WireFu) in jaw-dropping fight scenes. He has developed a distinctive fighting style which incorporates elements from Norther and Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Wushu, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, Judo, Boxing, Taekwondo and Karate among other styles, quite comedic and usually making extensive use of props, even those at first sight [[ImprobableWeaponUser most unsuited to fighting]], such as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvXqLrgf0k stepladder.]][[note]]Seriously, if you've somehow never seen his work before, you can spend many happy and amazed hours on Website/YouTube watching fight scenes.[[/note]] He has said that he loves action, but hates violence, so rather than setting out to make bone-crunching kung fu, he takes heavy inspiration from the physical comedy of Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/CharlieChaplin. Being that those were silent films, he was able to watch them without having to worry about the language barrier, and once his Hollywood work understood that connection, his popularity exploded.

And in case you don't believe it, there's usually a [[HilariousOuttakes montage of outtakes]] over the end credits showing things going wrong while filming, often involving ambulances[[note]]Again, search on Website/YouTube for Jackie Chan outtakes... and prepare to be amazed![[/note]]. It's a good thing he's been so successful, because he's gone on record in many interviews as saying that ''no insurance company in the world'' will give him coverage. As he's grown older, despite being one hell of a badass at an age most people would retire, he understandably [[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,410040,00.html has stopped doing 100%]] of his stunts, partly because he has been told that if he falls on his head ''one more time'', it '''will kill him''', and partly because in the Hollywood system, insurance for the stars is a must and, as aforementioned, he has a little trouble with that.

* ''Film/HandOfDeath'', an early kung fu film where Chan teams up with Creator/JohnWoo. It's also notably the ''first'' film where the three dragons - Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao - appears in the same movie, though their characters do not interact with each other onscreen since their popularity isn't established at the time.

* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: {{Justified|Trope}}, as there were only so many Chinese Opera schools; several of his classmates are famous in their own right, like his "brothers" Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao.

* ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'': He is the voice of Master Monkey (surprisingly). [[WTHCastingAgency He has roughly two lines in the first one, but more in the second and third films.]]

* MartialPacifist: Jackie's characters are almost always very skilled fighters, but they are also just as likely to plead with their opponents not to start a fight before being forced to open a can of whoop-ass. He's also this in real life as he admits he's only ever been in one fight and only then because his friends forced him into it.

Chan is best known as a stunt performer and fight choreographer, and [[JustHereForGodzilla that's pretty much the entire point of going to see any of his movies]] -- watching dumbfounded as he does all sorts of insane tricks and stunts (with little WireFu) in jaw-dropping fight scenes. He has developed a distinctive fighting style which incorporates elements from Norther and Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, Wing Chun, Hapkido, Boxing, Taekwondo and Karate among other styles, quite comedic and usually making extensive use of props, even those at first sight [[ImprobableWeaponUser most unsuited to fighting]], such as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvXqLrgf0k stepladder.]][[note]]Seriously, if you've somehow never seen his work before, you can spend many happy and amazed hours on Website/YouTube watching fight scenes.[[/note]] He has said that he loves action, but hates violence, so rather than setting out to make bone-crunching kung fu, he takes heavy inspiration from the physical comedy of Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/CharlieChaplin. Being that those were silent films, he was able to watch them without having to worry about the language barrier, and once his Hollywood work understood that connection, his popularity exploded.

* MartialPacifist: Jackie's characters are almost always very skilled fighters, but they are also just as likely to plead with their opponents not to start a fight before being forced to open a can of whoop-ass.

Chan is best known as a stunt performer and fight choreographer, and [[JustHereForGodzilla that's pretty much the entire point of going to see any of his movies]] -- watching dumbfounded as he does all sorts of insane tricks and stunts (with little WireFu) in jaw-dropping fight scenes. He has developed a distinctive fighting style, quite comedic and usually making extensive use of props, even those at first sight [[ImprobableWeaponUser most unsuited to fighting]], such as a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcvXqLrgf0k stepladder.]][[note]]Seriously, if you've somehow never seen his work before, you can spend many happy and amazed hours on Website/YouTube watching fight scenes.[[/note]] He has said that he loves action, but hates violence, so rather than setting out to make bone-crunching kung fu, he takes heavy inspiration from the physical comedy of Creator/BusterKeaton and Creator/CharlieChaplin. Being that those were silent films, he was able to watch them without having to worry about the language barrier, and once his Hollywood work understood that connection, his popularity exploded.

When his series/movies is dubbed in Japan, his voice is usually dubbed by Creator/HiroyaIshimaru. In UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica, he's dubbed by Juan Alfonso Carralero, who also dubs-over for Creator/WillSmith and David Hasselhoff, and in Spain, his voice is usually dubbed by Ricky Coello.

* OlderThanTheyLook: Would you believe he was born in 1954? The only role he shows it is Mr. Han. He was actually aged up for this; makeup was applied in a very specific way to make him appear more aged and world-weary.

* MrFanservice: Even up to his 40's you wouldn't realize [[OlderThanTheyLook he's as old as he was]], and he maintains his fitness incredibly well. ''Rumble in the Bronx'', a 1996 film where he's 42, prominently has him take off his shirt shortly into the film to leave a tanktop, only for others to start EatingTheEyeCandy shortly afterwards. Of course, he occasionally crosses into FanDisservice, given the sheer amount of comedic (or [[DentedIron brutally beaten]]) situations his characters end up in.

* DoingItForTheArt: He didn't need to jump off buildings or craft intricate, fast-paced, nail-biting fight sequences that result in numerous injuries, but he's an unmatched legend in the filming world precisely because he took the time and effort to make all these death-defying scenes. Many of the smallest moments require 40 takes or more because they knew how important it was to get that bit right. A fight scene with Dutch clogs required Jackie to flip one in the air, spin around and kick it square into his opponents' chest, then stomp on his feet all from the same shot.

* AppropriatedAppelation: His StageName is an example of this. As he explained in a post-credits Q&A for ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', his co-workers at a factory job gave him the nickname "Jack", which he later changed to "Jackie" as he got better at English. And the rest is history.

* AppropriatedAppelation: His StageName is an example of this. As he explained in a post-credits Q&A for ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', his co-workers at a factory job gave him the name "Jack", which he later changed to "Jackie" as he got better at English. And the rest is history.