On November 12, 2016, Hong Kong actor, Jackie Chan, along with three other artists were awarded honorary Oscars by the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences for their achievements in filmmaking. Jackie Chan was overjoyed at receiving his award, proclaiming, “After 56 years in the film industry, making more than 200 films, breaking so many bones, finally this is mine.” This achievement is history making, as Mr. Chan is the first Chinese actor to ever receive an Oscar. Not only does it prove that great performances come in many forms, but it also shines a light on how comedies are usually underrepresented at award shows (which is a shame since it is probably one of the most difficult film genres to execute, believe it or not). Furthermore, I am especially moved by this occasion. Being an Asian American filmmaker myself, I have grown up not seeing many Asian filmmakers taking home an Academy Award, let alone seeing it ever awarded to an Asian actor. This is truly a special night and I am glad to have seen one of the hardest working men in Hollywood finally receive such a prestigious award (cause trust me—it was long overdue). Let’s take a look back on Mr. Chan’s extensive and successful career over the past 56 years.

At the age of seventeen, Jackie Chan got his start by being a stuntman for Bruce Lee’s films “Fist of Fury” and “Enter the Dragon.” In 1976, a Hong Kong producer by the name of Willie Chan took notice in him and initially intended to model his fighting movies off those of Bruce Lee. Jackie Chan first saw success when he starred in the movie, “Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow,” but it was not until Jackie Chan played the lead character in “Drunken Master” that he began to witness mainstream success. With success in Hong Kong, Willie Chan decided to help introduce Jackie Chan into the Hollywood film scene.

In his first ever-American film, Jackie Chan played the lead role of Jerry Kwan in “The Big Brawl” in 1980, which turned out to be a commercial flop. This led to film heads advising Chan to play minor roles, which he did in “The Cannonball Run.” Chan later made another attempt at a starring role in “The Protector,” but it was also met with another commercial failure. This led Jackie Chan to temporarily quit Hollywood and return to Hong Kong to continue making movies there. In Hong Kong, Jackie Chan began focusing on making action comedies. He starred in “The Young Master”, which broke box office records set previously by Bruce Lee, launching Chan as one of the top actors in Hong Kong. After making one successful movie after another (like “Police Story” and its sequels), Chan finally decided to give Hollywood another chance.

After refusing to play the part of the villain in Sylvester Stallone’s “Demolition Man” (a part that ultimately went to Wesley Snipes), Chan landed the starring role in “Rumble in the Bronx”, which gained a cult following and finally catapulted Jackie Chan into the Hollywood limelight. His success led to the release of “Police Story 3: Supercop” to a U.S. audience, which became a box office hit. In 1998, Jackie Chan starred alongside Chris Tucker in “Rush Hour,” a buddy cop comedy, which ultimately gross about $130 million in the United States alone. They would go on to make two other sequels (“Rush Hour 2” and “Rush Hour 3”) with “Rush Hour 4,” said to currently be in the works. Later on in his career, Jackie Chan teamed up with Owen Wilson to make “Shanghai Noon,” a Western action comedy that proved successful enough for a sequel, “Shanghai Knights.” A sequel to these two films, “Shanghai Dawn,” has been announced to have started production, and would see Chan co-starring with Wilson again on the big screen.

Starring in movies such as the ones listed and much more in his extensive career of 200-plus films has made Jackie Chan a household name. Furthermore, Chan has seen success when he branched out as a singer, becoming a pop star in China with the release of his single “Guojia (Country).” Jackie Chan has, no doubt, become a cultural legacy, even going so far as to be parodied and referenced in various songs, cartoons, and video games. Breaking almost every bone in his body while making over 200 films in a span of 56 years proves that he was long overdue for one of the most coveted acting accolades. Congratulations, Jackie Chan on your winning night and I look forward to the new release in films by you in the coming years!