Jackie Chan, Hong Kong born Chinese actor and director has announced his retirement as an action star at Cannes on Thursday saying that he is too old for stunts and the world is "too violent."

Jackie is 58 now. He was last seen as a martial arts teacher in Karate Kid. He felt "really, really tired."

He is at Cannes to promote his 100th film 'Chinese Zodiac.' He said, Chinese Zodiac will be his last Hollywood outing as an action here. The film features an international cast.

Chinese Zodiac will be the third in Jackie Chan's 'Armour of God' series. It is likely to come to theatres in December this year.

Jackie said, "This is my last action film. I tell you, I’m not young any more. I’m really, really tired. And the world is too violent right now. It’s a dilemma - I like action but I don’t like violence."

Jackie said he will continue appearing in films outside the action genre and he wished to move into more serious roles.

"For the last 10 years I have been making some other different movies. I want to be an Asian Robert De Niro. I don’t just want to be an action star, I want to be a true actor. I want to get rid of my image," he said.

He also said, "I want the audience to know I’m not only a comedian. I can act. Day by day, year by year, I’m going to show you the real Jackie Chan."

In his teens, Jackie worked as a stuntman on the Bruce Lee films Fist of Fury and Enter the Dragon. He became a crossover Hollywood star in the 1990s with hits including Rumble in the Bronx, Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon.

His first major break was the 1978 film Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. Jackie Chan introduced the comedic kung fu genre in movies with his blend of martial arts, improvisation and humour.

He also voiced Master Monkey in Kung Fu Panda and recently played a Mr. Miyagi-style character in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid.

Producer Brett Ratner, re-teaming with Chan following their successful partnership in the Rush Hour films, said: "Jackie is superhuman. He does things that no actor would ever do.In Hollywood we would do a green screen and put the actors on wires and pretend they were in the sky. Jackie does it for real. No other actor, I don’t care who they are, can do what Jackie Chan can do."