Jackie Chan To Receive Honorary Oscar

Jackie Chan has been selected to receive an honorary Academy Award for his contribution to film over the course of his career.

Jackie Chan Gets Honorary Oscar

It was announced Thursday that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would be awarding Chan with an honorary Oscar at the Academy’s 8th Annual Governors Awards. On Tuesday, the Board of Governors had cast their ballots and selected Chan, British film editor Anne Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentarian Frederick Wiseman.

“The Honorary Award was created for artists like Jackie Chan, Anne Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman – true pioneers and legends in their crafts,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.  “The Board is proud to honor their extraordinary achievements, and we look forward to celebrating with them at the Governors Awards in November.”

In the Academy’s statement, Chan is lauded for his notable contribution to the martial arts film canon.

“After making his motion picture debut at the age of eight, Chan brought his childhood training with the Peking Opera to a distinctive international career,” reads the statement.  “He starred in – and sometimes wrote, directed and produced – more than 30 martial arts features in his native Hong Kong, charming audiences with his dazzling athleticism, inventive stunt work and boundless charisma.”

The statement continues, “Since Rumble in the Bronx in 1996, he has gone on to enormous worldwide success with the Rush Hour movies, Shanghai Noon, Shanghai Knights, Around the World in 80 Days, The Karate Kid  and the Kung Fu Panda series of animated films.”