Monday, September 10, 2007

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan SBS, (born April 7, 1954), also known as Sing Lung (Simplified Chinese: 成龙; Traditional Chinese: 成龍; Pinyin: Chéng Lóng), born Chan Kong Sang (Simplified Chinese: 陈港生; Traditional Chinese: 陳港生; Pinyin: Chén Gǎngshēng), is a Chinese actor, director, martial artist, film producer, screenwriter, singer and stunt performer.
Chan is one of the best-known names in kung fu and action films worldwide for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons and innovative stunts. He has appeared in over 100 films and has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A Cantopop star, he has released 20 albums since 1984 and sung many of the theme songs for the films in which he has starred.

Personal life
In 1982, Jackie Chan married Lin Feng-Jiao, a Taiwanese actress. The two had a son the same year, singer and actor Jaycee Chan

Image and celebrity status
Jackie Chan's fashion shop on the Avenue of Stars, Hong KongJackie Chan has received worldwide recognition for his acting, having won several awards including an Innovator Award from the American Choreography Awards and a lifetime achievement award from the Taurus World Stunt Awards. He has stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars. Chan is a cultural icon, having been referenced in Ash's song "Kung Fu" and television shows Celebrity Deathmatch and Family Guy. He has been the inspiration for manga such as Dragon Ball, the character Lei Wulong in Tekken and the fighting-type Pokémon Hitmonchan.

A number of video games have featured Jackie Chan. Before Stuntmaster, Chan already had a game of his own a PC-Engine video game, Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu was released in 1990 followed by an NES version. In 1995, Jackie Chan The Kung-Fu Master (aka Jackie Chan in Fists of Fire), an arcade fighting game from Kaneko, was released. The game features digitized fighters and the bosses are three different versions of Jackie Chan. There were a series of Japanese Jackie Chan games released on MSX by a company called Pony, which were all based on his movies (Project A, Project A 2, Police Story, The Protector and Sparatan X "Wheels On Meals").

Jackie Chan is a successful singer in Hong Kong and Asia, having begun producing records professionally in the 1980s. He often sings the theme songs of his films, playing them during the closing credits. In 2004, Chan launched his own line of clothing, which bears a Chinese dragon logo and the English word "Jackie".

Despite considerable box office success in Hollywood, Chan's American films have been criticised with respect to the action choreography. Reviewers of Rush Hour 2, The Tuxedo, and Shanghai Knights criticised the toning down of Chan's fighting scenes, citing less intensity compared to his earlier films. The comedic value of his films is questioned, some critics stated it can be childish at times.

Chan has always wanted to be a role model to children, remaining popular with them due to his good-natured acting style. He has refused to play villains and has never used the word fuck in his films. Chan's greatest regret in life is not having received proper education, inspiring him to fund educational institutions around the world. He funded the construction of the Jackie Chan Science Centre at the Australian National University and the establishment of schools in poor regions of China.
Chan with Disney favourites during the opening ceremony of Hong Kong DisneylandChan is a spokesperson for the Government of Hong Kong, appearing in public service announcements. In a Clean Hong Kong commercial, he urged the people of Hong Kong to be more considerate with regards to littering, a problem that has been widespread for decades. Furthermore, in an advertisement promoting nationalism, he gave a short explanation of the March of the Volunteers, the national anthem of the People's Republic of China. When Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005, Chan participated in the opening ceremony. In the United States, Chan appeared alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in a government advert to combat piracy and made another public service announcement with Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca to encourage people, especially Asians, to join the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Chan is a keen philanthropist and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, having worked tirelessly to champion charitable works and causes. He has campaigned for conservation, against animal abuse and has promoted disaster relief efforts for floods in mainland China and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. In June 2006, he announced the donation of half his assets to charity upon his death, citing his admiration of the effort made by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to help those in need.
-Film career;
-Stunts;
-Jackie Chan filmography;
-Jackie Chan discography;


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