Jackie Chan, revered worldwide for his martial arts prowess and action-comedy legacy, recently opened up about a deeply personal revelation that had remained hidden from him for decades — his father was a spy. The 71-year-old actor revisited the moment he learned the truth during a candid chat with People magazine.

While flipping through a family photo in the video interview, Jackie pointed to his parents and said, “That’s my father and my mom. I cannot remember how old I am at the time.” What followed was an emotional recollection of a conversation that would reshape his understanding of his identity.

“One day, I was driving my car and my father suddenly said, ‘Son, I’m old. I might sleep and never wake up… I have a secret to tell you,’” Jackie recounted. “Then he told me, ‘You are not Chan. Your original name is Fang.’”

The confession left Jackie “very shocked.” He admitted he struggled to process the information at the time and couldn’t fully absorb the story his father, Charles, went on to share.

It wasn’t the only secret his parents had kept from him. Jackie later commissioned a 2003 documentary titled Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family, which revealed more about his family’s hidden history. His father Charles had worked as a government spy during the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s, while his mother Lee-Lee had once been an opium smuggler and gambler — a fact that further deepened Jackie’s appreciation for the life they had shielded him from.

From Local Star to Global Icon

Jackie Chan’s journey to Hollywood began with Rumble in the Bronx (1995), but it was the smash success of Rush Hour (1998), opposite Chris Tucker, that turned him into a household name globally. Known for doing his own stunts and blending martial arts with humour, Jackie became an enduring figure in global pop culture.

Most recently, he returned to the Karate Kid universe with Karate Kid: Legends, starring alongside Ralph Macchio. The film follows a new martial arts prodigy, played by Ben Wang, mentored by Jackie’s Mr. Han and Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso. The trailer features Jackie’s voiceover asking, “In life, you only have one question: Is it worth fighting for or not?”