Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Jackie Chan
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jackie Chan made an impact.
Jackie Chan, born Fang Shilong, is a highly influential Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and filmmaker. He is celebrated for his unique action style that blends slapstick comedy, acrobatics, and innovative stunts, most of which he performs himself. His career has spanned over six decades, solidifying his status as a cinema icon and one of the most recognizable martial artists. His films have collectively grossed over $5.8 billion globally.
1962: Appearance in 'Big and Little Wong Tin Bar'
In 1962, at age eight, Jackie Chan appeared with some of his fellow "Little Fortunes" in the film 'Big and Little Wong Tin Bar'.
1964: Appearance in 'Liang Shan Po and Chu Ying Tai'
In 1964, Jackie Chan appeared as an extra in Yen Chun's film 'Liang Shan Po and Chu Ying Tai'.
1966: Small role in 'Come Drink with Me'
In 1966, Jackie Chan had a small role in King Hu's film 'Come Drink with Me'.
1971: Signing with Great Earth Film Company
In 1971, after an appearance as an extra in the kung fu film 'A Touch of Zen', Jackie Chan was signed to Chu Mu's Great Earth Film Company.
1972: Appearance in 'Fist of Fury'
In 1972, Jackie Chan appeared in the Bruce Lee film 'Fist of Fury' as an extra and stunt double.
1973: Appearance in 'Enter the Dragon'
In 1973, Jackie Chan appeared in another Bruce Lee film, 'Enter the Dragon', as a minor henchman.
1974: Martial arts choreographer for 'The Young Dragons'
In 1974, Jackie Chan worked as a martial arts choreographer for John Woo's film 'The Young Dragons'.
1976: Acting role offer and stage name change
In 1976, Jackie Chan received an acting role offer from Willie Chan and was offered a role in a film directed by Lo Wei and his stage name was changed to 成龍 (Sing4 Lung4).
1978: Major breakthrough with 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow'
In 1978, Jackie Chan had his first major breakthrough with the film 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow', which established the comedic kung fu genre.
1978: Breakthrough with 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow' and 'Drunken Master'
In 1978, Jackie Chan's breakthrough came with the action comedy 'Snake in the Eagle's Shadow'. Later that year, he starred in 'Drunken Master', which propelled him to mainstream success.
1979: Directorial Debut with 'The Fearless Hyena'
In 1979, Jackie Chan made his directorial debut with 'The Fearless Hyena', which was a box office success.
1980: Experimentation with Stunt Action Sequences
In 1980, Jackie Chan began experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences in films such as 'The Young Master'.
1980: Release of 'The Young Master'
In 1980, Jackie Chan starred in 'The Young Master', an action comedy film.
1980: First Hollywood film 'The Big Brawl'
In 1980, Jackie Chan's first Hollywood film, 'The Big Brawl', was released.
1980: Success of 'The Young Master' in Japan
Jackie Chan's film 'The Young Master' was a success in the Japanese market.
1981: Minor role in 'The Cannonball Run'
In 1981, Jackie Chan played a minor role in the film 'The Cannonball Run'.
1982: Release of 'Dragon Lord'
In 1982, Jackie Chan released 'Dragon Lord', experimenting with elaborate stunt action sequences.
1982: Dragon Lord's Pyramid Fight Scene
In 1982, the film 'Dragon Lord' featured a pyramid fight scene that holds the record for the most takes required for a single scene, with 2900 takes, including a final fight scene where he performs various stunts.
1983: Formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team in 'Project A'
In 1983, 'Project A' marked the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and established Chan's signature style.
1983: Formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team
In 1983, 'Project A' saw the official formation of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team and added elaborate, dangerous stunts to the fights and typical slapstick humor. In one stunt, Chan falls from the top of a clock tower through a series of fabric canopies. Critics compared his comedic stunts to Buster Keaton.
1983: First co-starring with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in 'Project A'
In 1983, Jackie Chan co-starred with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao for the first time in 'Project A', which introduced a dangerous stunt-driven style of martial arts.
1984: Release of 'Wheels on Meals'
In 1984, Jackie Chan further developed his signature style in a modern setting with 'Wheels on Meals'.
1984: Spartan X arcade game release
In 1984, Jackie Chan's film 'Wheels on Meals' (called 'Spartan X' in Japan) spawned the hit beat 'em up arcade game 'Spartan X', released as 'Kung-Fu Master' in Western markets.
1985: Abandoning US market attempts after 'The Protector' failure
After the commercial failure of 'The Protector' in 1985, Jackie Chan temporarily abandoned his attempts to break into the US market and returned to Hong Kong films.
1985: Inspiration for Super Mario Bros
In 1985, 'Spartan X' laid the foundations for the beat 'em up genre and inspired other games including 'Super Mario Bros'.
1985: Release of the first 'Police Story' film
In 1985, Jackie Chan made the first 'Police Story' film, a crime action film in which he performed dangerous stunts.
1985: Release of 'Police Story'
In 1985, Jackie Chan released 'Police Story', further developing his signature style with elaborate and dangerous stunts combined with martial arts and slapstick humor.
1986: Starring in 'Armour of God'
In 1986, Jackie Chan played "Asian Hawk" in the film 'Armour of God', which was his biggest domestic box office success up to that point.
1987: Inspiration for Street Fighter
In 1987, 'Spartan X' laid the foundations for the beat 'em up genre and inspired other games including 'Street Fighter'.
1988: Foundation of the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation
In 1988, Jackie Chan founded the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation to offer scholarships and assistance to Hong Kong's young people and to aid victims of natural disasters or illness.
1988: Last film with Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in 'Dragons Forever'
In 1988, Jackie Chan starred alongside Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao for the last time in the film 'Dragons Forever'.
1989: Release of Police Story 2
In 1989, Jackie Chan starred in Police Story 2, which won the award for Best Action Choreography at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
1990: Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu release
In 1990, 'Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu' was released for the PC-Engine and Nintendo Entertainment System.
1993: Best Actor Award at Golden Horse Film Festival for Police Story 3
In 1993, Jackie Chan won the Best Actor Award at the Golden Horse Film Festival for his role in 'Police Story 3: Super Cop'.
1994: Reprising role in 'Drunken Master II'
In 1994, Jackie Chan reprised his role as Wong Fei-hung in 'Drunken Master II', which was listed in Time Magazine's All-Time 100 Movies.
January 1995: Jackie Chan's popularity in Asia and Europe
By January 1995, Jackie Chan was the most popular action movie star in Asia and Europe.
1995: North American Mainstream breakthrough with 'Rumble in the Bronx'
In 1995, 'Rumble in the Bronx' brought Jackie Chan into the North American mainstream with a successful worldwide theatrical run.
1995: Featured in Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master
In 1995, Jackie Chan was featured in the arcade game 'Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master'.
1998: Hollywood Success with 'Rush Hour'
In 1998, Jackie Chan gained Hollywood success for portraying Chief Inspector Lee in the American buddy cop action comedy film 'Rush Hour'. He also provided voice acting for all three Chinese versions of Mulan that year.
2000: Start of 'Shanghai' film series
In 2000, Jackie Chan began working on the 'Shanghai' film series.
2003: End of Shanghai film series
In 2003, Jackie Chan finished working on the 'Shanghai' film series.
2004: Appearance in 'New Police Story'
In 2004, Jackie Chan appeared in 'New Police Story'.
2004: Acting with more emotion in films
In 2004, Jackie Chan grew tired of being typecast as an action hero, prompting him to act with more emotion in his films. In 'New Police Story', he portrayed a character suffering from alcoholism and mourning his murdered colleagues.
2004: Launch of Jackie Chan's clothing line and branded businesses
In 2004, Jackie Chan launched his own line of clothing featuring a Chinese dragon logo and the word "Jackie" or the initials "JC". Furthermore, his sushi restaurant chain, Jackie's Kitchen, expanded, and Jackie Chan's Cafe opened outlets in Beijing, Singapore, and the Philippines. Profits from these businesses go to charities.
2004: Championing disaster relief efforts
In 2004, Jackie Chan promoted disaster relief efforts for floods in mainland China and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
2005: Participation in Hong Kong Disneyland Opening Ceremony
In 2005, when Hong Kong Disneyland opened, Jackie Chan participated in the opening ceremony.
June 2006: Pledge to donate half his assets to charity
In June 2006, Jackie Chan pledged to donate half of his assets to charity upon his death, citing Warren Buffett and Bill Gates as inspirations.
2006: Appearance in 'Rob-B-Hood'
In 2006, Jackie Chan appeared in 'Rob-B-Hood'.
2006: Played an antihero for the first time
In 2006, Jackie Chan played an antihero for the first time in 'Rob-B-Hood', starring as Thongs, a burglar with gambling problems, further shedding the image of a "nice guy".
March 2008: Guest of honor at Jackie Chan Science Centre launch
On 10 March 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd launched the Jackie Chan Science Centre at the Australian National University's John Curtin School of Medical Research, with Jackie Chan as the guest of honor.
2008: Collaboration with Jet Li in 'The Forbidden Kingdom' and voice acting in 'Kung Fu Panda'
In 2008, 'The Forbidden Kingdom' marked Jackie Chan's first collaboration with Jet Li. He also started his voice acting work for the 'Kung Fu Panda' franchise.
2009: Acting against type in 'Shinjuku Incident'
In 2009, Jackie Chan played against type in 'Shinjuku Incident'.
2009: Serious drama set in Tokyo
In 2009, Jackie Chan plays a low-level gangster in 'Shinjuku Incident', a serious drama set in Tokyo about unsavory characters.
2009: Named "anti-drug ambassador"
In 2009, Jackie Chan was named an "anti-drug ambassador" by the Chinese government, participating in anti-drug campaigns.
February 2010: Opening of Jackie Chan-Yaolai International Cinema
In February 2010, Jackie Chan-Yaolai International Cinema, the first cinema in the Jackie Chan Theater International chain, opened in China. Claimed to be China's largest cinema complex, it has 17 screens and 3,500 seats. Jackie Chan hoped it would allow young directors to have their films screened.
2010: Appearances in 'Little Big Soldier' and 'The Karate Kid'
In 2010, Jackie Chan appeared in 'Little Big Soldier' and the remake of 'The Karate Kid', where he played Mr. Han.
2010: Brand Ambassador for Kaspersky Lab
In 2010, Jackie Chan served as the brand ambassador for Kaspersky Lab's antivirus software in Asia.
2011: Inspiration for The Raid: Redemption
In 2011, 'The Raid: Redemption' from Indonesian cinema took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
2011: Appearance in 'Shaolin'
In 2011, Jackie Chan appeared in 'Shaolin'.
2011: Expansion of Dragon's Heart Foundation to Europe
In 2011, the Dragon's Heart Foundation, founded by Jackie Chan in 2005, expanded its reach to Europe.
2012: Guinness World Records for 'CZ12'
In 2012, Jackie Chan earned two Guinness World Records for 'CZ12': "Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor" and "Most Credits in One Movie".
2013: Appointment to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
From 2013, Jackie Chan served two terms as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representing the "Literature and Arts" sector.
2014: Inspiration for Kingsman: The Secret Service
In 2014, 'Kingsman: The Secret Service' took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
March 2015: Partnership with David Cheng to form a racing team
In March 2015, Jackie Chan partnered with David Cheng to form a racing team, discussing his interest in motorsports with Cheng and raising the possibility of starting a team.
2016: Formation of Baxi DC Racing Alpine and Rebranding
In 2016, Jackie Chan and David Cheng formed Baxi DC Racing Alpine, the first mainland China-based operation in WEC. Later in October 2016, the team was rebranded to Jackie Chan DC Racing for the 2016-17 Asian Le Mans Series season, promoting Chan's movie Kung Fu Yoga with their liveries.
2016: Voice acting in 'Kung Fu Panda' third movie
In 2016, Jackie Chan provided voice acting for the third film in the 'Kung Fu Panda' franchise.
January 2017: Donation to flood victims in Thailand
In January 2017, Jackie Chan donated $65,000 to help flood victims in Thailand.
2017: Inspiration for Atomic Blonde
In 2017, 'Atomic Blonde' took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
2017: Victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
In 2017, Jackie Chan DC Racing became the first Chinese team to win its class (LMP2) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2017: Appearance in 'The Foreigner'
In 2017, Jackie Chan appeared in 'The Foreigner'.
2018: Inspiration for Black Panther
In 2018, Marvel's 'Black Panther' took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
2020: Inspiration for Birds of Prey and Extraction
In 2020, both the DC Extended Universe film 'Birds of Prey' and the Netflix film 'Extraction' took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
2021: Inspiration for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
In 2021, Marvel's 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' took inspiration from Jackie Chan's fight sequences and action choreography.
2022: Influence on action scenes in Uncharted
In 2022, Tom Holland cited Jackie Chan as an influence on several action scenes in 'Uncharted', noting Chan's use of his surroundings to fight people in unique ways.
2023: End of term to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
In 2023, Jackie Chan ended two terms as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, representing the "Literature and Arts" sector.
2023: Voice acting in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'
In 2023, Jackie Chan provided voice acting in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'.
2025: Future appearance in 'Karate Kid: Legends'
In 2025, Jackie Chan is slated to appear in 'Karate Kid: Legends', reprising his role as Mr. Han.
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