7 Crazy Facts about Jackie Chan that You Don't Know Yet

When thinking about your childhood hero, Jackie Chan will always have a special place on my personal list. And I'm pretty sure many other people can agree with me on that, at least on some level. However, there might be some facts about Jackie Chan still unknown to you.

1. His Parents almost sold Him

Times were rough for Jackie's parents at the moment were about to be born, and their financial situation wasn't the best one. In fact, Jackie almost got sold to a wealthy British couple.

When they flew from China to Hong Kong, Jackie's parents were so impoverished that they couldn't even afford to pay the Hospital bills. They thought they could settle the bills by selling the newborn to the doctor couple.

2. His Father was a Spy while his Mother was a Drug Dealer

I thought the same: Jackie Chan was already living in a movie even before he was born. The young dragon was born into a family with a really really interesting background and story.

His mother used to be an Opium dealer, a gambler, and an important person in China's organized crime net. On the other hand, his father was a spy serving the Nationalist government, just to, later on, become the boss of the underworld.

Obviously, his parents met while working: Jackie's father arrested the underworld opium queen while she was dealing the drug. Not your ordinary romance story, but it surely gets everybody's attention.

3. Jackie is just a Nickname

In fact, as you may have imagined Jackie Chan is not a typical Chinese name. Jackie's real name is Chan Kong-Sang. The nickname Jackie was given to him while he was working on a construction site.

The beginnings were not easy for Jackie too. During the seventies, he had to move to his parents in Canberra, Australia. He started working as a construction worker.

A colleague of his named Jack mentored him on the work site, and very soon Chan became the little Jack.

4. When Jackie got married, two of his Female fans committed suicide

When Jackie announced he was getting married to his long-term girlfriend. Without any doubt, he has some of the largest and most committed fanbases ever, maybe even too much.

One of the girls committed suicide by jumping in the Metro, and the second one drank poison in front of his office.

5. Blacklisted by Insurance Companies

No insurance will ever ensure for Jackie or the crew of his stunt team because of the daredevil stunts they're always involved in. In fact, Jackie has to pay his and his team's injury expenses by himself.

This brings us to the next point in our list of Facts about Jackie Chan.

6. He Almost Died while Filming his Stunts

It's a known fact that Jackie is a perfectionist who will retake scenes so many times until they're perfect. The matter is that the logic applies to his dangerous stunt scenes too.

While filming what had to be an easy stunt on the set of Armor of God, Jackie fell from a tree right on his head. He suffered from a very serious skull fracture.

Nowadays, even decades after the incident, Jackie was left with a hearing loss problem on one side and a plastic plaque in his broken skull.

He is a very talented stuntman, no doubt. But his daredevil moves sometimes left us speechless and worrying about the men's health. Here below you can find some of his most incredible and dangerous stunts.

7. He's a Beloved Singer

Alongside his martial arts training, Jackie trained as an Opera singer too. He studied at the Peking Opera School when he was just a little boy. He has released about 20 albums singing in 5 different languages!

In fact, Jackie speaks many languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Taiwanese, and English. Since acting and singing are an inseparable couple in Hong Kong, every actor worthy of being called such has to sing too. (source)