I Am Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan was born in 1954 in Hong Kong. The actor and director began studying acrobatics, singing and martial arts at the age of seven while attending boarding school in Hong Kong. This training eventually lead him to a career as a stuntman.

Touted as the next Bruce Lee, Chan broke into film with the help of independent film producer Lo Wei. Chan made several Kung Fu-type movies from 1976 to 1978, discovering his unique talent for combining martial arts and physical comedy. He subsequently starred in The Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master.

Chan joined with the production company Golden Harvest in the 1980s and made his directorial debut with Young Master. The Golden Harvest partnership proved highly lucrative, making Chan one of Asia's biggest film stars and making Golden Harvest into the biggest film production company in Hong Kong. Chan parlayed his popularity in Asia, breaking into the U.S. movie market in 1996 with the releases of Rumble in the Bronx and Thunderbolt. He counts among his honors MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award for 1995.

Chan wrote I Am Jackie Chan: My Life in Action in 1998, an autobiography that has proven popular with his fans.

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