Action movie star, writer, director and martial artist Jackie Chan is to be given an honorary Oscar for his "extraordinary achievements" in film. The US film academy also voted to give the awards to editor Anne Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentary maker Frederick Wiseman. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs describes the four as "true pioneers and legends in their crafts". Jackie, 62, made his movie debut at the young age of 8, and has acted, written and directed in over 30 martial arts films in Hong Kong. He then went on to huge international success with hits like Rumble in the Bronx, the Rush Hour franchise, and the animation film Kung Fu Panda. Despite this, he has never won an Oscar. In August, Forbes Magazine listed Jackie as the world’s 2nd highest paid actor, with an estimation of $61 million earnings in 2016, just below “Fast & Furious” star Dwayne Johnson. The other three honorary winners have all had long careers in film. Anne Coates spent more than 60 years in movie editing, winning an Oscar for her work on Lawrence of Arabia; Lynn Stalmaster was involved with more than 200 feature films, including The Graduate and Deliverance; and Frederick Wiseman has made almost a film a year since 1967. Their statuettes will be presented at the Governors Awards ceremony in November. ~~~ cred: BBC
