In the cinema world, Jackie Chan, also known by his Chinese name Chéng Lóng, is famous for his acrobatic fighting style, which he always combines with slapstick acts. Chan was born on April 7, 1954 in what was then still British Hong Kong, where his parents had fled from the Chinese Civil War. He learned Chinese fighting techniques from his father as a small child and for ten years from the age of seven at the Peking Opera School in Kowloon, Hong Kong, a strict boarding school with a focus on martial arts, singing and acting. The training there was very hard, but his parents had found work in Australia and couldn’t take him with them.
Even as a child, Chan appeared in numerous films, and by the time he was 20 he had already appeared in more than 25 – now there are well over 200. Chan began his path to becoming the most famous and influential star in Asia in the 1970s as a stuntman. He managed to stand out from his competitors through particularly daring actions and eventually worked as the youngest stunt coordinator in Hong Kong film history. In 1995 the actor also became a star in the West with “Rumble in the Bronx”. In 1998 he achieved another coup alongside comedian Chris Tucker with the American action comedy “Rush Hour”. The successful first film was followed by two sequels, “Rush Hour 2” (2001) and “Rush Hour 3” (2007). In 2016, Chan received an honorary Oscar for his life’s work. Chris Tucker gives the eulogy and explains: “I couldn’t wait to get on set every day to work with Jackie Chan.”
Jackie Chan: His wealth should help the poor
His versatile talent, great hard work and immense output made Chan a global star. Chan founded one back in 1988 Foundation, endowment. Half of his assets, currently estimated at 360 million euros, will pass to them, but he has long demonstrated his social commitment. In 2006, US magazine Forbes named him “one of the ten most generous celebrities in the world.”
Of course, there are also other voices surrounding Jackie Chan; for example, he is criticized for his relationship with the Communist Party. In 2009 he starred in the propaganda film “The Successful Founding of a State” – and about state control he says: “I have the feeling more and more that we need to be controlled. If we are not monitored, we do what we want .” It’s not just artists like Ai Weiwei who might see this differently.