Jackie Chan’s 10 Most Frequent Co-Stars & Which Movies They Made Together

Jackie Chan was the most recognizable Hong Kong actor of all time and throughout his filmography, which included appearances in more than 150 movies, he has frequently collaborated with many of the same actors. A major reason for this was that the studio Golden Harvest, who played a major role in introducing Hong Kong action movies to the world, often relied on the same pool of actors that included Chan. This meant, Chan was often cast opposite the same performers, in particular his close collaborators Yuen Biao and Sammo Hung, who collectively became known as the Three Dragons.

However, there have also been a number of other notable stars that Chan has worked with regularly, including the Academy Award-winning actress Michaelle Yeoh with whom Chan has made several movies. A lot of Chan’s frequent collaborators also stem from his time working as a stuntman in uncredited roles. It was in this capacity that Chan first crossed paths with legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, and they appeared in several movies together. There were plenty of frequent co-stars that Chan made a number of films with in the action, drama, and kung fu genres.

10 Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have appeared in three movies together

As one of the most iconic figures in martial arts cinema, Bruce Lee held a prominent place in popular culture due to notable appearances in films kung-fu movies like Enter the Dragon and Fist of Fury. It was in this film where future superstar Jackie Chan also appeared as Lee’s stuntman. The story of Lee and Chan together was an interesting one and, although the duo never officially co-starred in a movie together, Chan did act as a stunt double and sometimes nameless opponent onscreen.

9 Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan have appeared in four movies together

While Michelle Yeoh has had something of a career resurgence in recent years with appearances in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Everything Everywhere All at Once, she got her start performing her own stunts in Hong Kong action films. Together with Jackie Chan, Yeoh appeared in four movies, including a cameo in the Three Dragons film Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars, as an inspector in Police Story 3: Super Cop, and its spin-off Supercop 2. Yeoh and Chan also reunited years later with both taking roles in Kung Fu Panda 2.

8 Anita Mui

Anita Mui and Jackie Chan appeared in five movies together

Anita Mui was a Hong Kong singer who, through her appearances film opposite Jackie Chan, broke into the world of filmmaking. Known for roles in several of Chan’s movies, such as The Legend of the Drunken Master and Rumble in the Bronx, Mui was a popular figure throughout her career which was sadly cut short early. Mui’s career came to an abrupt end in 2003 after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and, tragically, she died just one year later, at age 40.

7 Tien Feng

Tien Feng and Jackie Chan have appeared in six movies together

Tien Feng was a Chinese actor who appeared in hundreds of movies several of which also included Jackie Chan. With a career that dated back to the 1950s, Feng encountered Chan when he was cast in Fist of Fury opposite Bruce Lee, and the two also had major roles together as part of Snake Fight Fist. An important figure in martial arts movies, Feng and Chan had a working relationship for several decades, with their final appearance together being in Miracles in 1989.

6 Andy Lau

Andy Lau and Jackie Chan have appeared in six movies together

Andy Lau was one of the most successful Hong Kong actors of all time and has appeared in more than 160 movies, some of which he also appeared opposite Jackie Chan. The duo of Lau and Chan famously started opposite each other in the action-comedy kung fu movie The Legend of Drunken Master, and there are other examples of their collaboration such as Chan made a special appearance in Shaolin, which starred Lau. On top of Lau’s prolific career in movies, he also maintained a successful singing career (via Time) and stood as one of the best-selling artists in Taiwan.

5 Maggie Cheung

Maggie Cheung and Jackie Chan have appeared in seven movies together

The Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung, who was perhaps best known for her starring role in In the Mood for Love, appeared opposite Jackie Chan in seven movies. A major actress of the 1980s and 1990s, Cheung and Chan both played major roles in films like The Twin Dragons and the Police Story series, where she played Chan’s long-suffering girlfriend May. With an impressive career behind her, Cheung retired from acting in 2013 and has since kept a low profile.

4 Richard Ng

Richard Ng and Jackie Chan have appeared in seven movies together

An important figure for Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s and 1990s, Richard Ng was often known for his comedic roles and appeared in several films opposite Jackie Chan. Notable, Ng appeared as Exhaust Pipe in Winners & Sinners which acted as the template for his future roles in the Lucky Stars comedy series of films. An established actor, Ng worked with Chan on movies like Miracles, and his last appearance with Chan before his death with a minor role in 2016’s Skiptrace.

3 Dick Wei

Dick Wei and Jackie Chan have appeared in ten movies together

The Taiwanese actor and martial artist Dick Wei joined the Golden Harvest in the early 1980s where he worked with Sammo Hung’s team of actors and stuntmen, as a result of this Wei appeared in several movies alongside Jackie Chan. Wei was often known for portraying villainous characters, such as the pirate king Lor Sam Pau in Project A, which starred Chan. While most prominent through the 1980s and 1990s, Wei continued to appear in martial arts movies through the 2000s and 2010s.

2 Yuen Biao

Yuen Biao and Jackie Chan appeared in 34 movies together

Acclaimed Hong Kong actor and stuntman appeared in 34 movies with Jackie Chan, where the two were often joined by Sammo Hung to complete the iconic trio known as the Three Dragons. Most prominently, Yuen appeared opposite Chan in six acclaimed Three Dragons martial arts movies where his exceptional skill was choreographed fighting was shown off. Yuen has been a prominent figure in martial arts filmmaking since the 1960s and has appeared in over 130 films in his long and varied career where he developed a strong working relationship with Chan.

1 Sammo Hung

Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan appeared in 34 movies together

Sammo Hung was an important figure in the Hong Kong New Wave movement of the 1980s and appeared in many movies opposite Jackie Chan. Together, with Yuen Biao, the trio, known as the Three Dragons, are notable as some of the most regular frequent collaborators in the entire martial arts filmmaking industry. Hung was also an accomplished director and producer and has been credited with helping to revitalize martial arts movies and even started the zombie-like jiangshi genre. Hung was a member of the legendary Seven Little Fortunes performing group where Hung would first meet the student who went on to become Jackie Chan.

Sources: IMDb, Time