MY LIFE IN PICTURES - JACKIE CHAN

THE ACTOR AND MARTIAL-ARTS ICON SHARES HIS JOURNEY FROM ‘NAUGHTY CHILD’ TO ACTION-MOVIE LEGEND

- CLARE FISHER and ERIC ANDERSSON

Mastering martial arts takes discipline and dedication— two things Hong Kong native Jackie Chan lacked as a child. A self-described “very naughty” kid, he had no interest in school or learning. “All the books in my backpack? I always throw them away,” jokes the actor and action star, whose mischievous smile has endeared him to fans across the world for years. His parents, Charles, a cook, and Lee-lee, a house-keeper, unable to control their boisterous son, “sent me to a martial-arts school where they teach all kinds of skills,” he says.

A Fighter Early On Chan (in the 1950s) says he "always" tussled with other kids. From left: Chan in 1992 and in 2019.