Jackie Chan is one of the most recognized Asian martial artists throughout the Globe and has worked with stars ranging from Bruce Lee (1940-1973) to modern-day stars such as Will Smith and Chris Tucker.
With regards to his height, I never thought much of it through over 20 years of watching his films, as he seems to blend into the crowd without looking neither short nor tall.
But what height exactly is he? and when next to other celebs outside of film, does he still appear "average" in height? Well, let's find out!
What's His Real Height?
As of the 2020s Jackie Chan is nearing 70 years old, and stands at a flat 5'8" tall throughout the day. During his peak years, however, in the mornings he stood close to 5'9", dropping down to 5'8.75-5'8.5" for the majority of the day.
Therefore, on this page, I will list his peak height as 5'8.5" (174 cm) tall.
Height Claim
In the book, Jackie Chan: Long Cheng, on page 54, when discussing physical characteristics, the interviewer asks him:
Interviewer: What's your bodyweight right now?
Jackie: 72 kilos [158 pounds].
Interviewer: And how tall are you, approximately?
Jackie: Five-ten-and-a-half (1).
This isn't the only time he has claimed 5'10.5". and one thing is for sure, and that is unless wearing height-increasing shoes, Jackie certainly has never stood this tall during his adult life!
Book Descriptions
Jackie Chan's physical descriptions generally range from 5'8"-5'9".
1: For instance, in the book Jackie Chan (Star Files) (2005), on page 8 Chan is described as:
Height: 5 feet 8 inches (1.72m meters) (2).
2: In the book Chinese Face/Off (2005), on page 49 it mentions that:
"Chan's five-foot-nine height and his muscular body would by no means be seen as small within the Chinese community" (3).
Both of these heights are closer to the truth, and a realistic, rounded estimation of Chan's height range.
Next to Other Celebs in Earlier Years (Before Age 50)
Stephen Chow 5'7.5" (171.5 cm)
Starring together in 4 movies, including King of Comedy (1999), when Chan stands next to Chow during his short cameo, he looks to be 1.25-5 inches taller than Chow.
In other pics of them together Chan is clearly the taller of the pair, consistently looking between 1.25-1.5 inches taller.
Therefore, when compared to Chow in his younger years, Chan looks to be between 5'8.5-5'9" tall.
Owen Wilson 5'10.5" (179.1 cm)
Starring together in 4 films including Shanghai Noon (2000) & Shanghai Knights (2003), Owen looks to be a comfortable 2 inches taller than Jackie throughout these films. However, the premiers for the films, Jackie looks slightly taller, and this difference seems closer to 1.75 inches.
So when next to Owen in his younger years, Jackie looks to be 5'8.5-75" tall.
Next to Other Celebs in Later Years (After Age 50)
Height Loss
Jackie looks to have lost some height in recent years when compared to his heyday. This is no surprise, as on average we lose 1cm of height per decade after 40. On the flip side, Jackie has also suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, and is standing taller today than one might expect him to!
Adrian Brody 6'.0" (182.9 cm)
Starring together in the film Dragon Blade (2015), they stand together at the premiere for the film in Singapore and Thailand. also, they can be seen together at the 16th Huading Film Awards in Hong Kong, and in all of these situations, Jackie looks a comfortable 4 inches shorter than Adrian.
Also, at these events, he also looks to be an easy 6 inches shorter than John Cusack, who stands 6'2" inches.
So when next to Adrian Brody, Jackie looks to be in the 5'8" range of height.
Chris Tucker 6'0.5" (184.2 cm)
Starring together in the Rush Hour 1/2/3 (1998-2007), back then, there was a 3.5-4 inch difference in height. Yet, when pictured together in recent years, Jackie looks slightly shorter next to Chris.
For instance, at the 2017 Oscars, Jackie consistently looks to be 4.25 inches shorter, and this carries itself over to other recent pics of them together.
So, with Chris Tucker, in recent years Jackie looks to be 5'8-5'8.25" tall.
When comparing Jackie Chan's height to other celebs, in earlier years he was comfortably 5'8.5"-5-9", but in recent years he looks to be around 5'8"-5'8.25" tall - around a 1/2 inch shorter.
The Bottom Line
After investigating Jackie Chan's height claims, and comparing his height to other celebrities throughout the years, I believe he stands at 5'8" today. During his peak years, however, he held a solid 5'8.5" (174 cms) throughout the day, and that is what I will list his height at on this page.
Heights Related to Jackie Chan
- Joan Lin, Wife (m. 1982), 5'5" (165.1 cm)
- Jaycee Chan, Son, 5'9" (175.3 cm)
- Etta Ng Chok Lam, Daughter, 5'7" (170.2 cm)
- Bruce Lee, Stuntman: Fist of Fury (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), 5'7.25" (170.8 cm)
- Jet Li, Co-Star: The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) + more, 5'5.5" (166.4 cm)
References
1: Jackie Chan Long Cheng, page 54, By John R. Little, Curtis Wong · 1999
Sourced from Archive.org
2: Jackie Chan (Star Files), page 4, By Dan Fox
3: Chinese Face/Off The Transnational Popular Culture of Hong Kong (Pop Culture and Politics Asia PA), Page 96, By Kwai-Cheung