Biography
Producer/Director/Actor
Former Five Times World Kickboxing Champion, Writer, Producer, Director. Coming from a working-class background and growing up in the back streets of East London, England, I've been a fighter in every sense of the word, known for pursuing my goals relentlessly. Whether it's in the ring, through music, songwriting, screenplay writing, directing, acting, or filmmaking as a whole, my unwavering determination drives me forward. My current goal is to bulldoze through boundaries and make a ever-lasting mark..! "I've been fortunate to connect with incredible video and filmmakers over the years. A community of highly skilled individuals. As a result, I brought together this talented group to establish JKO Films, a platform dedicated to delivering unique and comprehensive film and video services, serving as a one-stop shop for our clients." - Jacko
Ali Jacko is a fighter. Both literally and metaphorically. Having battled his way from a working-class background in East London, everyday racism and street violence to the top of the fighting world.
Born to Bangladeshi parents in London's Bethnal Green, JACKO - 'You can call me Jacko or Ali, just call me' - began by following in his tailor father's footsteps, working in fashion and designing for everyone from River Island to Hugo Boss. But a chance encounter with the legendary Muhammad Ali in 1978 on the flight to Bangladesh. When he was a child there was always a part of Jacko's brain that was a fighter. Again, both literally and metaphorically.
'My parents always watched boxing,' he says now, 'so Muhammad Ali was a legend in our house. Then one day, when I was about eight, we were flying to Bangladesh and he was on the same flight. He was playing around with me because I was one of the only kids on the plane, making it like he was going to hit me so I actually punched him first. And since then all I got was, "How can you hit Muhammad Ali?" I met him a few times after that when he came over. He was my hero."
Inspired by that, by an obsession with Bruce Lee films - he actually imagined at one point he would go to China and become a star - and spurred on by the racism he was getting at school, Jacko signed up, at the age of 15, for martial arts. He started out as the punch-bag and ended up with several national and international titles, the first guy in his gym to do anything like that.
'I never lost a fight,' he says now that he has retired from the ring, even though throughout his fighting career he suffered from a heart condition called Supraventricular tachycardia, which would make his heart go at up to 220 beats per minute and which he has since undergone keyhole surgery to deal with. 'Once I fought with 22 stitches my hand and still came out on top. Mind you, I did splash everyone in the front row with my blood.'
Having well and truly conquered the world of fighting (and community relations!), his singing career started inauspiciously with everyone telling him, in no uncertain terms, that he couldn't sing. 'I went on a tour from Toronto to San Francisco on a coach. Everyone was singing along to the coach but as soon as I started everyone was like, "Shut up! You can't sing!'" They should have known that 'you can't...' is not how you start a sentence when it's directed at Jacko.
