Jackie Chan
Ten years contracted to a Peking Opera school at six; turned stunt work into a genre of his own.
- Born
- 1954 · Hong Kong
- Roots
- Hong Kong Chinese; parents were Civil War refugees
- Family
- Working class
- His refugee parents worked as cook and housekeeper at the French ambassador's residence; they borrowed to pay the hospital at his birth.
- Education
- China Drama Academy (Peking Opera school), under a ten-year contract
- Started with
- A ten-year contract
- Enrolled at the opera school at six — training from dawn, corporal punishment included, stage earnings kept by the master.
- Affiliations & societies
- None documented.
- Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.
The pathway
- 1961 · age 6The opera school
His parents, leaving for embassy jobs in Australia, sign him over to Master Yu Jim-yuen's academy.
- 1971 · age 17Stuntman
Uncredited work includes taking hits from Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon.
- 1976 · age 21Dishwashing in Australia
Between film jobs, he works construction and kitchens; a coworker's nickname becomes "Jackie."
- 1978 · age 24Drunken Master
Comedy kung fu — the persona that separates him from every Bruce Lee imitator.
- 1985 · age 31Police Story
Writes, directs, and performs stunts that hospitalize him repeatedly, including a skull fracture on a later shoot.
- 1998 · age 44Rush Hour
The Hollywood breakthrough after two failed US attempts.
- 2016 · age 62Honorary Academy Award
After some 200 films and, by his account, nearly every bone broken at least once.
Sources
Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.