RIP Willie Chan: meet the man who made Jackie Chan a global star
Willie Chan helped many Asian stars, including Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Daniel Wu and Edison Chen, rise to fame
Hong Kong film producer and talent manager Willie Chan Chi-keung passed away peacefully at home on October 24. He was 76 years old.
Born in Malaysia, Chan joined the Hong Kong entertainment industry by producing the movie Love Is A Four Letter Word in 1973. He single-handedly helped an array of superstars, including Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Jacky Cheung, Daniel Wu and Edison Chen, build their careers.
Chan, who graduated with a master’s degree in marketing from the East-West Centre in Hawaii in 1966, moved to Hong Kong in 1970 and entered the film industry as a producer. At his peak in the early 1990s, he managed a total of 43 actors and actresses. In 2011, he received the Hong Kong Film Awards for Professional Achievement for his contribution to the industry.
Let’s look at how the talented manager influenced some of the superstars’ paths.
Jackie Chan
Willie Chan had been the manager and business partner of the kung fu star for 30 years since 1974, and he introduced him to the Hollywood scene. The duo first met when Jackie Chan was a stuntman in New Fist of Fury.
