Iconic action movie star, writer, stuntman, director and martial artist, Jackie Chan, is to be given an honorary Oscar for his “extraordinary achievements” in film.
Chan, 62, the Hong Kong-born star of Hollywood movies such as “Drunken Master“, “The Karate Kid” and the “Rush Hour” franchise, will join documentary maker Frederick Wiseman, British film editor Anne V. Coates and casting director Lynn Stalmaster as recipients.
Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs described the four as “true pioneers and legends in their crafts”. Chan, 62, starred in dozens of martial arts films in his native Hong Kong.
He went on to huge international success with hits like Rumble in the Bronx, the Rush Hour franchise, and the animation film Kung Fu Panda.
The other three honorary winners have all had long careers in film.
Anne Coates spent more than 60 years in movie editing, winning an Oscar for her work on Lawrence of Arabia; Lynn Stalmaster was involved with more than 200 feature films, including The Graduate and Deliverance; and Frederick Wiseman has made almost a film a year since 1967.
Chan made his movie debut at the age of 8, and has acted and sometimes written and directed more than 30 martial arts movies in Hong Kong. He has never won an Oscar.
In August, he was ranked the second-highest paid actor in the world by Forbes with estimated 2016 earnings of $61 million, just below “Fast and Furious” star Dwayne Johnson.
Their statuettes will be presented at the Governors Awards ceremony in November.
