Did you know that Jackie Chan's birthday is on the day historians believe Jesus was crucified?
ADVERTISEMENT7 April 30/1954: Jesus is crucified / Jackie Chan is born
The 7th of April was a big day in history. According to theologians and historians, today is the most agreed upon day that Jesus was crucified. It’s generally believed that Jesus’ crucifixion took place around the Jewish holiday of Passover.
The first night of Passover is celebrated on the 15th of Nissan, on the Jewish calendar. The best approximations put the crucifixion as the day before that, on the 14th of Nissan 30 AD, which would line up with a current calendar date of 7 April.
So there you go, happy anniversary of the execution of Jesus Christ. Merry Easter everyone.
Of course, Easter isn’t just the celebration and recognition of the Christian son of God. It’s also the anniversary of everyone’s favourite Hong Kong actor and martial arts star, Jackie Chan.
Chan was born on this day in 1954. Celebrating his 69th birthday today, he’s made a career as one of the hardest working actors alive. He’s starred in over 150 films since his first film roles in the 60s.
His work from the 70s on included multiple action roles where Chan would regularly perform his own stunts. He first came to the attention of major Hong Kong film producers for his work as a stuntman in action films starring Bruce Lee like Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon.
The 1978 film Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow was Chan’s breakout starring role. The comedy kung fu movie laid the template for many of Chan’s career defining roles to come. More comedic martial arts films followed before Chan felt his star was strong enough to take on Hollywood.
Small parts in commercial successes like The Cannonball Run followed but the true success of this next phase in Chan’s career came back in Hong Kong, when he starred in the first of four Police Story films. The first film was the most successful Hong Kong film to date, making over $18 million at the box office.
Sequels followed. The second was another hit, and the third, released as Super Cop in the US, saw Michelle Yeoh join the cast as co-star.
Blockbuster success came when Chan co-starred alongside Chris Tucker the 1998 film Rush Hour. More fame came with Shanghai Noon, where he played against Owen Wilson. Both films spawned sequels, and Chan’s name in the West was made.
He’s an internationally renowned actor now, but to truly understand the brilliance that is Jackie Chan, all it takes is to watch a YouTube compilation of the stunt work he did in the earlier years of his career. The Hong Kong film scene then was far more aloof to actor safety than Hollywood today and the sheer insanity of some of the stunts Chan pulled off on the sets of Police Story is staggering.
