Jackie remembers late dad, cries at birthday

Beijing - A remorseful Jackie Chan burst into tears at his starry 60th birthday banquet on Monday, remembering how he had missed his late father's big 6-0 because he was filming.

The Hong Kong action superstar held the charity dinner at JW Marriot Hotel Beijing, where Chinese stars Li Bingbing, Jiang Wen, Zhao Benshan and Ge You and South Korean stars Lee Byung Hun, Lee Seung Gi and pop group Super Junior's Choi Si Won were among about 100 guests, said NetEase website.

A total of about 70.6 million yuan (S$14.3 million) was raised and the proceeds will be donated to the China Film Foundation, said the report.

At the banquet, a video of Chan's father, Charles, played and a voice like that of the dad said: "When I was 60, I could still be a cook and feed myself. Have you ever thought about your future? You're young now, you can fight and work hard. When you're 60, what can you do?"

The star, already in tears when he saw his father on the big screen, choked with emotion several times when Chinese talk show host Lu Yu asked him what he had done for his dad's 60th birthday, said NetEase.

Finally, he said he was sorry he had been so busy that he neglected to spend time with his parents. His father, who had been a cook at the French embassy in Hong Kong and the American embassy in Australia, died in 2008 at age 93.

Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang was the emcee on Monday, said Oriental Daily News.

Tsang, who held a huge 60th birthday party last year, said Chan told him then to host his celebration. But a year passed and Tsang forgot all about it, till Chan called him on Sunday, the comedian said. Tsang said he told Chan he had filming scheduled, because "I didn't know if you would still be alive".

Still, Tsang showed up and did his job at the dinner.

Chan has been holding a series of birthday celebrations. A charity concert on Sunday was followed on Monday by a fan meeting and the banquet.

Choi, who shares the same birthday as Chan, also attended the meeting, where the Hong Kong star shared some home videos, said Apple Daily. A clip showed him making orange juice for his son, Jaycee, and saying: "You're studying so hard, have a cup of juice."

This article was published on April 9 in The Straits Times.

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