HONG KONG, AUG 28: Kung-fu daredevil, Hollywood star and Guinness world-record holder, and now Hong Kong-born actor Jackie Chan is set to be a torchbearer in the lead-up to Wednesday's opening ceremony of the Paralympics in Paris.
The 70-year-old commands a huge following in France and beyond, his signature blend of comedy and martial arts transcending language barriers.
Born in British colonial Hong Kong in 1954, Chan Kong-sang started his film career as a child actor and worked as a stunt double in the 1972 Bruce Lee film "Fist of Fury".
His brand of thrilling fights interjected with slapstick humour -- showcased in films such as "Drunken Master" and "Police Story" -- made him a household name in Hong Kong and across Asia.
But his stunt work also led to frequent injuries, and the outtakes of scenes gone wrong were typically shown at the end of his films in blooper reels alongside the credits.
Guinness World Records recognised him in 2012 for "Most stunts by a living actor".
Chan's Hollywood breakthrough came with "Rumble in the Bronx" in 1996 and the subsequent "Rush Hour" trilogy where he starred opposite American comedian Chris Tucker.
The third instalment of the Rush Hour movies, filmed in France, had a pivotal fight scene at the Eiffel Tower, with Chan somersaulting and rolling off the iron beams of the Paris icon to evade his opponent.
"I did all my stunts, even the scene full of fighting and acrobatics on top of the Eiffel Tower," he told reporters in 2007 during the premiere. —AFP
