The transcript below is from the video “JACKIE CHAN VS JET LI… WHO LIVES BETTER?” by World Revealed.
World Revealed:
Their names are shaking the whole cinema planet. Living legends and martial arts gods Jackie Chan and Jet Li have both popularized Kung Fu movies in the Western world thanks to their incredible charisma, unique signature and unparalleled mastery. Thanks to their breathtaking and triumphant careers, both actors are now very important to know. We’re not talking about their muscles or their perfectly shaped bodies, we’re talking about their millions. But then, who is the richest of the two actors? If you want to know the answer, sit back and relax. Today, we’re going to take a look at the wallets of our two brave fighters.
World Revealed:
Here is a name that will remain eternally engraved in the annals of cinema. Jackie Chan of Chinese origin has an unparalleled charisma and presence which have made him one of the most popular action movie actors in the world today. Starting from nothing, the actor has worked very hard to make his character a true legend of the cinema. And to get out of poverty he had to fight tooth and claw, if I may say so. Thanks to his incredible talent Jackie Chan was able to put luck on his side, which makes him one of the richest men in the world today.
Indeed, not everything was rosy for this little Chinese boy born Chan Kong-sang on April 7, 1954, in Hong Kong within a family of war refugees living in total precariousness. Jackie Chan spent the first years of his life at the French Embassy in Hong Kong since his parents worked there as a cook and a maid. In 1961, Jackie’s parents migrated to Australia in response to a tempting job offer. Wanting their son to benefit from an education steeped in Chinese traditions, Jackie’s parents enrolled their son, only 7 years old, in the Peking Opera directed by Master Yu Jim-yuen.
World Revealed:
Yu Jim-yuen fell in love with the little fighter and ended up sponsoring him and making him his privileged disciple. During his years of training, the little Chan will learn all the most complex figures of the martial arts as well as the handling of weapons, but also acrobatics, theater, dance and even singing. Jackie Chan had to train himself in an almost military discipline to satisfy his master. Once out of school, Jackie had become a martial arts master capable of doing real feats on his own. Thus, he made his first timid steps in the cinema appearing as an extra or stuntman, especially sharing the stage with his idol Bruce Lee in “Fist of Fury” and “Enter the Dragon”. And with an incomparable talent and an exceptional charisma, Jackie knew how to make a place for himself among the great Hong Kong cinema. Thus, he began to shoot for great directors such as Lo Wei, John Woo and Yuen Woo-ping.
In his action game, Jackie develops his own style, combining action, dizzying stunts and bringing a subtle touch of humor. It is with this signature that he will stand out from other actors in his discipline. Having become a recognized star and a confirmed actor, he started to direct films in 1977. But like his colleague Bruce Lee, after having made a name for himself in Hong Kong, he tried to seduce an American audience this time. First with “The Big Brawl” in 1980, then with “The Cannonball Run” and then “The Protector”. The actor vacillates between two parallel careers, one in Asia and the other at the other end of the planet in the United States.
World Revealed:
Moreover, the tug of war between the Western forces and the Eastern loyalists is felt in several of his films. He made a hit with his successful films “Twin Dragons”, “Drunken Master”, “Rumble in the Bronx”, “Chinese Zodiac”, “Police Story: Lockdown”, and “Dragon Blade”, “Contre Attaque”, “Rush Hour”, “Crime Story”, “Police Story”, “Mister Dynamite”, “The Myth Armor of God 2”, “Operation Condor”, “Karate Kid”, and many others. In all, the Chinese actor has made no less than 100 films. In 2008, he shared the starring role with the legendary Jet Li for the first time in “The Forbidden Kingdom” and lent his voice in “Kung Fu Panda” where he played the famous character of the monkey.
With a career as successful as this one, let me tell you that Jackie had more than enough to fill his pockets. Hence, that mythical and unique smile of satisfaction from the actor. The latter would have an annual income of at least $50 million which places him in the Top 10 of “The Best Paid Actors in the World” according to the famous magazine Forbes. Moreover, all of his films have earned more than $2.6 billion at the global box office and each one would earn him at least $10 million. Multiply that by the number of films he has made throughout his career. It’s a quick calculation. Oh no! Wait, I almost forgot that’s not all, since Jackie Chan does not owe his huge fortune only to his acting career.
World Revealed:
Indeed, the actor would have a sharp sense for business and would be a Jack-of-all-trades. To begin with, Jackie knows that his image is worth its weight in gold. So he uses it for publicity purposes and often signs contracts with big brands. In addition to being a Kung Fu master, Jackie Chan is also a restaurateur and entrepreneur in his spare time. Under his name, the actor owns a whole chain of restaurants called Jackie’s Kitchen in Hong Kong, South Korea and Hawaii, as well as a chain of coffee shops called Jackie Chan’s Java Coffee.
Today, the fortune of this living legend is estimated at $400 million. Yes, it’s a bit of a head scratcher. And yet at one point in his life, Jackie had a major slip up that would have most certainly led to bankruptcy if he had not come to his senses. While his career was at its peak, the actor was caught up in the forbidden and obsessive pleasures that come with fame. Indeed, after realizing that he was very rich, the one who bathed all his youth in misery lost his head in front of such a fortune. Thus, he sank into the infernal spiral of alcohol, gambling and nights a little too festive. The actor, blinded by fame, had a tendency to spend without counting the cost between drunken parties, escort girls that he had to maintain gifts; expensive watches, luxury cars, handmade leather clothes and games. He squandered over $2 million in just one year.
World Revealed:
Over time, Jackie happily came to his senses. He became a philanthropist and international ambassador for UNICEF. He works hard for charitable causes and provides financial assistance to the young and old in his native country. In 2005, he founded his own association “The Dragon’s Heart”. Besides his millions, the actor has other sources of income namely; several production companies such as Jackie and JJ Production, a clothing brand, a cinema in his name, a partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, and so on.
With all this money, the actor was able to afford luxury cars at sky-high prices such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, a Lamborghini Murciélago, a Subaru Impreza WRX STI, a Lamborghini Aventador Jackie Chan Edition, a Mitsubishi 3000GT Prototype, a the Limited Edition Jackie Chan Evo X and a Bentley Mulsanne. Admit it, even you didn’t know cars like these existed. Besides his fleet of luxurious cars, the actor also owns a 46 m yacht, a $30 million Legacy 650 private jet and a $20 million Embryo Legacy 500 for short trips.
World Revealed:
As for his properties, Jackie owns a villa in Beverly Hills for $12 million, a house in California, another one in Australia, a house and a mansion in Hong Kong, a house in Phuket, another building in Hong Kong and a house in Miami. Of course, you can imagine that we haven’t finished yet because to count all Jackie Chan’s wealth, believe me, it would take more than one video.
Before we finish with Jackie Chan, you should know that he decided to disinherit his son Jaycee who will not receive any of his fortune. Following a drug use case that led his son to jail, the actor declared that it was up to Jaycee to work hard to know the value of money and that giving him all his fortune would only lead him to squander it.
World Revealed:
Let’s move on to another legend of action and martial arts cinema, the much-loved and feared Jet Li.
Jet Li, whose real name is Li Lianjie was born on April 26, 1963 in Beijing. Since he was a child, Jet Li has had a passion for martial arts and has won the title of Wushu world champion several times. With time, the young Chinese leaves the Tatamis to officially enter the cinema. While he was only 17 years old, Jet Li made his debut in “Shaolin Temple” but only officially became a real action movie star in Asia when he played the main role in the saga “Once Upon a Time in China”. After appearing in all three films of the cult saga, Jet Li made his mark in 1994 in “Fist of Legend” in which he was modeled after the legendary Bruce Lee.
World Revealed:
Jet Li collected successful films and made 25 films in Hong Kong before flying to the American dream. He moved to Hollywood in 2000 and began his career as an American actor in “Lethal Weapon 4”. Since then, Americans love him and he becomes very adored in the United States. He played in “Romeo Must Die”, “The One” or in the film “Cradle 2 the Grave”. In 2003, he reappeared on Asian screens by starring in a traditional wu shopkin which is a film of capes and swords. He also turns with the great Luc Besson in “Kiss of the Dragon” and also plays in the film “Fearless” under the direction of Ronny Yu. 6 years after the mythical film “The One”, Jet Li turns in “War” alongside Jason Statham, in “The Mummy” with Brendan Fraser, then in “The Forbidden Kingdom” where he shares the poster for the first time with the undisputed master of martial arts Jackie Chan. Of course, it was necessary to bring these two together.
World Revealed:
In 2009, Jet Li reconnects with Chinese cinema and joins Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro for the film “The Warlords” by Peter Chan Lung. The following year and in 2012, we see the Chinese actor in the explosive “Expendables” where he rubs shoulders with several major stars of American action movies including Jason Statham whom he already knows because he played with him twice.
But the career of Jet Li, unlike that of Jackie Chan, knows an abrupt break from 2010 since the actor suffers from hyperthyroidism making him weaker and preventing him from pursuing his career actively. This is evidenced by his brief appearance in “Expendables 3” in 2014 as well as the very small number of roles he holds during the years that follow. But in 2020, big surprise, Jet Li makes a triumphant return especially with the release of the film “Mulan” alongside Donnie Yen and Li Gong which is a new version of the Disney cartoon.
World Revealed:
Jet Li’s career is indeed far less glittering than Jackie Chan’s which certainly explains why the actor’s fortune is estimated at only $215 million only. Of course, during the long period of inactivity Jet Li did not sit idle. In addition to his professional earnings, the actor owes his immense fortune to wise stock market investments, a substantial real estate portfolio and very lucrative advertising contracts. The famous action star owns a sumptuous private villa in Shanghai with a total area of about 5,370 m². Besides he has a multi-million euro private jet, a sublime giant yacht and luxury cars like a BMW, a Chevrolet Caprice, a Hummer, a Spyker convertible and several other models. I think Jet Li has enough to live on for the rest of his life.
World Revealed:
Of course, he is also a man with a big heart because like Jackie Chan, Jet Li is actively involved in charity work. For this purpose, the actor also owns the foundation “The One Foundation” which works in collaboration with the red cross and helps people who are victims of natural disasters and disabled people.
So, what do you think of the fortunes of these two players? Which one manages their wealth better? Tell us what you think in the comments.
