Besides risking his life with dangerous martial arts stunts, Chan also enthusiastically acted dead as an extra in battle scenes. More: 5 new books you won't want to miss this week: Jackie Chan's memoir, new Nora RobertsĪlso: Vocal sensation Jackie Chan destroyed my power-ballad singing dreamsĪfter the impoverished stuntman was assured by the angry father of his first love that he would never amount to anything, Chan was obsessed with making it big. For example, the section detailing 2010's 'The Karate Kid' with Will and Jaden Smith is disappointingly thin. 'In 1999, I made a serious mistake,' Chan writes talking about the child he fathered with another woman.Ĭhan only pulls back from the candor with his eventual Hollywood success (he was granted an honorary Oscar last year).

Chan even discusses how he 'screwed up royally' cheating on his wife Joan Lin. It's all told with Chan's blunt speaking style, which makes the revelations powerful – from his legitimately deadly screen stunts to his prattish star behavior toward a string of broken-hearted loves. 'Jackie Chan: The Movie' might initially seem like a stretch for the martial arts living legend, now 64.īut this life story, as told in the star's impossibly colorful memoir ' Never Grow Up' (Gallery Books, 333 pp., ★★★ out of four), would have Charles Dickens speed-dialing Chan's film agent for movie rights – with tales of Chan's impoverished youth (from age 6, enrolled in the abusive China Drama Academy), lost loves, undying ambition fueled by his insecurity over his upbringing, true bravery and eventual glory. Watch Video: Jackie Chan is known for his moves, but check out his pipes!

Jackie chan and bruce lee