Joan Lin is a retired Taiwanese actress who rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s for her roles in many romantic films based on the novels of Chiung Yao.
She is also known as the wife of Jackie Chan, one of the most successful and influential actors in Hong Kong cinema.
Despite her popularity, she left the film industry after her marriage and has since lived a quiet, low-profile life.
Profile
- Full name: Lin Feng-jiao
- Nickname: Joan Lin
- Date of birth: June 30, 1953
- Age: 71 years old
- Gender: Female
- Place of birth: Taipei, Taiwan
- Nationality: Taiwanese
- Profession: Actress (retired)
- Height: 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
- Parents: Lin Ching-hsiung (father) and Chen Hui-Ying (mother)
- Siblings: Four (two brothers and two sisters)
- Spouse: Jackie Chan
- Children: Jaycee Chan (son)
- Relationship status: Married
- Net worth: $100 million
Early Life & Education
Joan Lin was born on June 30, 1953, in Taipei, Taiwan, the second child of five siblings. Her father was a tailor, and her mother was a housewife. Her family was poor and struggled to make ends meet.
She dropped out of school at the age of 12 and started working as a waitress, a salesgirl, and a seamstress to help support her family.
She had no formal education beyond elementary school and learned to read and write independently.
Personal Life
Joan Lin met Jackie Chan, a rising star in Hong Kong cinema, in January 1981 while filming in Taiwan.
They fell in love and secretly married in Los Angeles in December 1982. Their only child, Jaycee Chan, was born the day they married.
Jaycee followed in his parent’s footsteps and became an actor and singer.
Joan Lin has been a supportive and devoted wife to Jackie Chan, who has admitted to having affairs and fathering a daughter out of wedlock.
She has also been a loving and protective mother to Jaycee, who was arrested in 2014 for drug possession in China and spent six months in prison.
She rarely makes public appearances and prefers avoiding the media spotlight.
Career
Joan Lin started acting in 1972 at 19 when she starred in her first film, The Hero of Chiu Chow, a kung fu film. She soon became a popular actress in Taiwan and Hong Kong, appearing in over 70 films during her 10-year career.
Many of her films were based on the novels of Chiung Yao, a famous Taiwanese writer specializing in romantic stories.
Her most notable films include The Story of a Small Town, The Green, Green Grass of Home, The Last Night of Madame Chin, and The Young Ones.
In 1979, she won the Best Leading Actress award at the 16th Golden Horse Awards for her performance in The Story of a Small Town, nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
She retired from the film industry after marrying Jackie Chan in 1982 and has not acted since then.
Awards
Some of the awards that Joan Lin has won throughout her career are:
- Best Leading Actress at the 16th Golden Horse Awards in 1979 for The Story of a Small Town.
- Best Actress at the 6th Asia-Pacific Film Festival 1979 for The Story of a Small Town.
- Best Actress at the 7th Asia-Pacific Film Festival 1980 for The Green, Green Grass of Home.
- Best Actress at the 1st Hong Kong Film Awards 1982 for The Green, Green Grass of Home.
- Special Award at the 50th Golden Horse Awards in 2013 for her contribution to Taiwanese cinema.
Net Worth
Joan Lin’s net worth is estimated at USD 1million.
She inherited most of her wealth from her husband, Jackie Chan, who announced in 2011 that he would donate half of his fortune to charity and leave nothing to his son.
Social Media
- Instagram: N/A
- Twitter: N/A
Filmography
- The Hero of Chiu Chow
- The Green, Green Grass of Home
- The Story of a Small Town
- The Last Night of Madame Chin
