History Creator / JackieChan

* AcquaintedWithEmergencyServices: No insurance agency on the planet will cover him, who had, for the longest time, insisted on performing all of his own acrobatic stunts in his movies.

** ''Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars'' had a cameo by Andy Lau as Jackie Chan's police partner.

*** ''Police Story 3: Super Cop'' (released in America as ''{{Film/SuperCop}}'')

*** ''Once a Cop'' (the spin off starring Creator/MichelleYeoh's character from ''Super Cop''; also known as ''Film/SuperCop2''. Only featured a cameo appearance by Jackie... DisguisedInDrag no less!)

* ''Film/IslandOfFire'': A prison flick starring Jackie Chan and an EnsembleCast including Creator/AndyLau, Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Notably the closest Chan would get into the HeroicBloodshed genre, when the final scene of the movie inexplicably turning into a John Woo flick where Chan, Lau and Sammo gets to kill lots and lots of mooks with dual pistols.

* ''[[Film/ArmorOfGod]]'', and its sequel ''Armour of God 2: Operation Condor'', later released in the US in reverse order as ''Operation Condor'' and ''Operation Condor 2: The Armor of the Gods''.

* ''The Protector, an early vehicle for Jackie Chan to enter the US market, directed by James Glickenhaus of ''Film/TheExterminator'' fame. An OldShame for Jackie Chan due to its ExploitationFilm nature, and his ReCut version drastically toned down the violence and nudity, and reshot the action scenes to match his other movies. An attempt to address the film's issues led to...

* ''Film/TheYoungMaster'': 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/ArmorOfGod Armour of God 1]]'', and its sequel ''Armour of God 2: Operation Condor'', later released in the US in reverse order as ''Operation Condor'' and ''Operation Condor 2: The Armor of the Gods''.

* ''Film/IslandOfFire'': A prison flick starring Jackie Chan and an EnsembleCast including Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Jimmy Wang Yu and Tony Leung. Notably the closest Chan would get into the HeroicBloodshed genre, when the final scene of the movie inexplicably turning into a John Woo flick where Chan, Lau and Sammo gets to kill lots and lots of mooks with dual pistols.

* BatmanGambit: Jackie once challenged Benny '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Jet]]' Urquidez to a fight on the set of ''Wheels on Meals''. Benny, being a legitimate kickboxing champion who beat people up for real for a living, was very skeptical about this, since Jackie was just a performer, not a proper fighter. Word of this fight got around to the crew and they started taking bets on either men, but Jackie kept putting it off even though the hype was at an all time high. It was only at the end of the shoot that Jackie declined the fight, but by then he had gotten his crew motivated. It also played into Benny and Jackie's competitive natures, which was reflected in their fight scenes (which is widely regarded as the best fight ever choreograph in film history).

** This is also of the few of his films to feature his two "brothers," Creator/SammoHung (who also directed the action) and Creator/YuenBiao as co-stars - notably, they could not make it for the sequel.

*** ''Project A2'', the sequel, showed Jackie chewing up hot peppers and spitting them onto his fists to fight someone. Actual hot peppers. [[http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/4/2/4/141424_v1.jpg Which may or may not have been a smart idea.]] Rumor has it that the sequel was made at the behest of The Emperor of Japan, who even asked Jackie himself. [[note]]Project A part 1 and part 2 uses the same page.[[/note]]

* ''Jackie Chan: Stuntmaster'' - UsefulNotes/PlayStation

* RuleOfFunny: Many of his fight scenes revolve around this. As mentioned, Jackie himself is not a big fan of violence (and even condemns the typical "American" style of simply using blunt objects to beat someone senseless), and so he choreographs his fight scenes to be more like a comedy skit than a real brawl. This is where his brilliant use of props really shines-- for example, in ''Project A'', he's on a bicycle being chased by a bad guy, also riding a bike. He passes a store and knocks on the door while riding past, and by the time someone answers, [[ToyotaTripwire the door being opened takes out the bad guy behind him.]]

* DoesNotLikeGuns: Something that sets him apart from Bruce Lee, who is a gun collector. Despite using guns in many of his American-film roles (and the fact that his characters don't have a problem with it), Jackie mentioned in a special called "My Stunts" that he thinks guns are terrible and that [[RealityEnsues holding a gun does not make a person a hero]].

* MookChivalry: Averts the trope almost at all times. He's so fast and is able to use props and such so well that he can believably take on multiple foes at once even when they don't politely wait their turn. Also, [[RealityEnsues in a nice bit of realism]], his character will sometimes [[KnowWhenToFoldEm simply run away if he's hopelessly outnumbered]].

* RealityEnsues:
** All those stunts look cool, but they're actually ''really'' dangerous. For one, the ''Armour Of God'' film left him with a plug in his skull after a stunt gone wrong caused him to take a nasty fall into a tree.
** To give an element of realism, some of Jackie's movies [[KnowWhenToFoldEm has him running away from a multi-person fight]], unless [[ImprovFu when he's surrounded by objects he can use]].
** Part of the appeal and excitement to his fight scenes is that the gang of mooks he fights [[MookChivalry don't attack him one at a time]], and will instead rush together. They also don't just go down with one hit, so Jackie not only needs to fight defensively, he needs to be able to outlast them as well.
** Jackie's characters often show fear when confronted with a dangerous situation or pain when they get hit, like normal people would. Contrast this to even the likes of Creator/BruceLee, who struts against the bad guys like he's [[InvincibleHero alpha badass]] and doesn't react to injuries.
** Invoked with the issue on guns; as mentioned above, Jackie strongly believes that carrying a gun automatically does not make a person a hero.

Jackie Chan (成龙 ''Cheng Long''), born Chan Kong-Sang (陈港生) in UsefulNotes/HongKong on 7 April 1954, is, quite simply, Made of Awesome. He has hit the big time since 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.

Chan is best known as a stunt performer and fight choreographer, and really that's the entire point of going to see any of his movies - watching dumbfounded as he does all sorts of insane tricks and stunts in jaw-dropping fight scenes. He reportedly says that he loves action, but hates violence. Rather than being bone-crunching kung fu instead he is heavily inspired by 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). Most of his films are just backdrops to amazing stunts, creative fight scenes and little wire work.

Traditionally, Chan [[DoingItForTheArt does all his own stunts]] and in his days of producing low-budget Hong Kong chop-socky that was the only way it was ever done. So, if you see Jackie Chan's character fall through three awnings onto the street below? Really him. If you see him roll artfully over a [[RuleOfCool running circular saw]]? Yup, actually him.[[note]]Though the outtakes show that the saw wasn't running when he rolled over it.[[/note]] But worry not -- [[Film/RushHour Jackie always OK]].

And in case you don't believe it, there's usually a montage of outtakes over the end credits showing things going wrong while filming (go to Website/YouTube and search for Jackie Chan outtakes... and prepare to be amazed!). Often involving ambulances. 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 the [[OlderThanTheyLook age of 67]], 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''', also in part because in the Hollywood system, insurance for the stars is a must and, as aforementioned, he has a little trouble with that.

Chan 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.]] (Seriously, if you've somehow never seen his work before, you can spend many happy and amazed hours on Website/YouTube watching fight scenes.)

Needless to say, he's been injured fairly frequently. His closest brush with death came from a comparatively "safe" stunt in ''Armour of God'' when he fell from a tree, fracturing his skull and permanently rupturing one of his eardrums. This being a man who has run along the edges of skyscrapers and crashed through electrical wires, it was a reminder that he can't be casual about anything he does. Among his injuries he has dislocated his pelvis, broken his fingers, toes, nose, both cheekbones, hips, sternum, neck, ankle and ribs on numerous occasions.

[[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 when you know that he originally trained for UsefulNotes/PekingOpera, which features acrobatic fight scenes. He also has his own AnimatedAdaptation, ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures.''

In some parts of the global Asian community, he is also accused of being [[TheQuisling a sellout to his own culture, pandering to the Western market]] by repeatedly portraying caricatures of the Chinese man. Reportedly advising that the protagonist role in ''Film/TheForbiddenKingdom'', originally intended to be a Chinese-American boy rediscovering his roots, be recast as a kung-fu obsessed [[MightyWhitey white boy]] is sometimes advanced as evidence for this view. Further rubbing salt in wounds is his compliance to Sony's decision to force the ''Film/TheKarateKid2010'' remake to bear its original title, rather than the proposed ''The Kung Fu Kid'', in spite of the fact that the film is set in China and is ''about'' the Chinese martial art of Wushu (aka kung fu). The people who accuse Chan of this are probably right, in that [[BrutalHonesty Chan has admitted he does this]]. He claims he [[MoneyDearBoy does it for the money]], so that he can finance the films he actually ''likes'' to make, as well as fund his considerable charity work.

It seems possible, however, that the strains of old age may have finally caught up with him, as is painfully evident from ''Rush Hour 3'' onwards wherein he is no longer able to perform stunts that were second-nature to him only 5 years ago without the aid of computers. As he has become more and more overshadowed by his younger and more athletic co-stars, as well as trapped by the formula of wholesomeness that the fans have come to expect from him, Chan finally announced that ''Chinese Zodiac'', the third installment in the ''Armor of God'' series, will be '''the last''' "big action movie" of his career, a dignified slam-bang of a finale. All future roles will focus less on his dangerous stunt work and more on dramatic roles and smaller action set pieces.

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

* {{Omniglot}}: He speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and American Sign Language and also speaks some German, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Thai.

And in case you don't believe it, there's usually a montage of outtakes over the end credits showing things going wrong while filming (go to Website/YouTube and search for Jackie Chan outtakes... and prepare to be amazed!). Often involving ambulances. 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 the [[OlderThanTheyLook age of 66]], 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''', also in part because in the Hollywood system, insurance for the stars is a must and, as aforementioned, he has a little trouble with that.

Jackie Chan (成龙 ''Cheng Long''), born Chan Kong-Sang (陈港生) in UsefulNotes/HongKong on April 7, 1954, is, quite simply, Made of Awesome. He has hit the big time since 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.

* ''Mr. Nice Guy'': The saw blade scene? Yep, this is the movie.

* ''Dragon Lord'': not one of Jackie's more renown films, but nonetheless important. It stands as what is arguably the transition from Jackie's straight up Kung-Fu period pieces (like Drunken Master) and the modern stunt oriented films he would gain much of his worldwide fame from. If you spot any stunt reel of his you find online featuring Jackie falling off a massive pile of men over a tower of buns, this is the film that set piece is from.

* ButtMonkey: Jackie's not afraid to get hurt in amusing ways on the silver screen for the sake of comedy.

Jackie Chan (成龙 ''Cheng Long''), born Chan Kong-Sang (陈港生) on April 7, 1954, is, quite simply, Made of Awesome. He has hit the big time since 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.

* BatmanGambit: When Benny '[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Jet]]' Urquidez was cast in ''Wheels on Meals'', Jackie challenged him to a fight. Benny, a legitimate kickboxing champion who beat people up for real for a living, was very skeptical about this, since Jackie was just a performer, not a proper fighter. Word got around to the crew and they started taking bets, but Jackie kept putting off the fight even though the hype was at an all time high. It was only at the end of the shoot that Jackie declined the fight, but he got his crew motivated. It also played into Benny and Jackie's competitive natures, which was reflected in their fight scenes (which is widely regarded as the best fight ever choreograph in film history).

* TheatricsOfPain: Even when playing protagonists, Jackie doesn't just sell being punched but punching people.

* ButIPlayOneOnTV: Has repeatedly said that while he portrays an impossibly skilled martial artist in his films, if he were to get into a real fight, especially one with a professional fighter, he'd get his ass kicked or just run away.

* CombatPragmatist: Jackie may not like to fight, but if you get him into one, he will use everything and anything to beat you. And we're not just talking about weapons either. He'll poke you in the eye, bite you, grease himself up so he's harder to grapple, or just even tickle you.