Bruce Lee[b] (bornLee Jun-fan;[c] November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong-Americanmartial artist, actor, and filmmaker. He was the founder ofJeet Kune Do, ahybrid martial arts philosophy which was formed from Lee's experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense—as well aseclectic,Zen Buddhist andTaoist philosophies—as a new school of martial arts thought.[3][4] With afilm career spanning Hong Kong and the United States,[5][6][7] Lee is regarded as the first global Chinese film star and one of the most influential martial artists in the history of cinema.[8] Known for his roles in five feature-lengthmartial arts films, Lee is credited with helping to popularize martial arts films in the 1970s and promotingHong Kong action cinema.[9][10]
Born in San Francisco and raised inBritish Hong Kong, Lee was introduced to theHong Kong film industry as a child actor by his fatherLee Hoi-chuen.[11] His early martial arts experience includedWing Chun (trained underIp Man),tai chi,boxing (winning a Hong Kong boxing tournament), and frequentstreet fighting (neighborhood androoftop fights). In 1959, Lee moved toSeattle, where he enrolled at theUniversity of Washington in 1961.[12] It was during this time in the United States that he began considering making money by teaching martial arts, even though he aspired to have a career in acting. He opened his first martial arts school, operated out of his home in Seattle. After later adding a second school inOakland, California, he once drew significant attention at the 1964Long Beach International Karate Championships of California by making demonstrations and speaking. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to teach, where his students includedChuck Norris,Sharon Tate, andKareem Abdul-Jabbar.
His roles in America, including playingKato inThe Green Hornet, introduced him to American audiences. After returning to Hong Kong in 1971, Lee landed his first leading role inThe Big Boss, directed byLo Wei. A year later he starred inFist of Fury, in which he portrayedChen Zhen, andThe Way of the Dragon, directed and written by Lee. He went on to star in the American-Hong Kong co-productionEnter the Dragon (1973) andThe Game of Death (1978).[13] His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films, all of which were commercially successful, elevated Hong Kong martial arts films to a new level of popularity and acclaim, sparking a surge of Western interest inChinese martial arts. The direction and tone of his films, including theirfight choreography and diversification,[14] dramatically influenced and changed martial arts and martial arts films worldwide.[15] With his influence,kung fu films began to displace thewuxia film genre—fights were choreographed more realistically, fantasy elements were discarded for real-world conflicts, and the characterisation of the male lead went from simply being a chivalrous hero to one that embodied the notion ofmasculinity.[16]
The ethnicity of Bruce Lee's mother, Grace Ho, is contested. The traditional consensus is that Grace Ho's father was aGerman immigrant, and that her mother wasChinese, as attested by biographersRobert Clouse and Bruce Thomas. Bruce Lee's wife,Linda Lee Cadwell, wrote that Bruce Lee's grandfather was a GermanCatholic.[27][28]
A new alternative theory argues that Grace Ho's father was actually the son of aDutch Jew, Charles Maurice Bosman, and his Chineseconcubine.[29] Charles Russo has questioned this origin story entirely, suggesting that Grace Ho's father might have been Chinese or mixed-Chinese, and that her mother might have been English.[28]Matthew Polly concedes that Grace Ho's paternal grandfather was aDutch Jew, but likewise asserts that her mother was English.[30]
However, according to Doug Palmer, the claim that Grace Ho had an English mother is only speculation.[31] Palmer also notes that family records suggest that the Dutch-Jewish Bosman family had originated from Germany, which may account for the assumption that Grace Ho was part German.[31]
Career and education
1940–1958: Early roles, schooling and martial arts initiation
Lee's father was aCantonese opera star. As a result, Junior Lee was introduced to the world of cinema at a very young age and appeared in several films as a child. Lee had his first role as a baby who was carried onto the stage in the filmGolden Gate Girl.[32] He took his Chinese stage name as 李小龍, lit. "Lee the Little Dragon", for the fact that he was born in both the hour and the year of theDragon by theChinese zodiac.[33]
At age seven, Lee began practicingtai chi together with his father.[34] As a nine-year-old, he co-starred with his father inThe Kid in 1950, which was based on a comic book character, "Kid Cheung", and was his first leading role.[35] By the time he was 18, he had appeared in 20 films.[33] After attending Tak Sun School (德信學校; several blocks from his home at 218Nathan Road,Kowloon), Lee entered the primary school division of theCatholicLa Salle College at age 12.[36]
In the early 1950s, Lee's father became anopium addict.[37] In 1956, due to poor academic performance (and possibly poor conduct), Lee was transferred toSt. Francis Xavier's College.[38] He was mentored by Brother Edward Muss,F.M.S., a Bavarian-born teacher and coach of the schoolboxing team.[39][40][41]
In 1953, Lee's friendWilliam Cheung introduced him toIp Man.[42][43] According to Cheung, Lee's European background on his mother's side led him to be rejected, initially, from learningWing Chun kung fu under Ip Man because of the long-standing rule in theChinese martial arts world not to teach foreigners.[44][45][46] Cheung spoke on his behalf and Lee was accepted into the school and began training in Wing Chun with Ip Man.[47][48] Ip tried to keep his students from fighting in the street gangs of Hong Kong by encouraging them to fight in organized competitions.[49]
After a year of his training withIp Man, most of the other students refused to train with Lee. They had learned of his mixed ancestry, and the Chinese were generally against teaching their martial arts techniques to non-Asians.[50][51] Lee's sparring partner, Hawkins Cheung, states, "Probably fewer than six people in the whole Wing Chun clan were personally taught, or even partly taught, byIp Man".[52] However, Lee showed a keen interest in Wing Chun and continued to train privately with Ip Man,William Cheung, andWong Shun-leung.[53][54]
In 1958, Lee won the Hong Kong schools boxing tournament,knocking out the previous champion, Gary Elms, in the final.[39] That year, Lee who was also a goodcha-cha dancer, won Hong Kong's Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship.[55]
1959–1964: Move to Seattle
In his late teens, Lee's street fights became more frequent and included beating the son of a fearedtriad family.[56] In 1958, after students from a rivalChoy Li Fut martial arts school challenged Lee'sWing Chun school, he engaged in a fight on a rooftop. In response to an unfair punch by another boy, he beat him so badly that one of his teeth was knocked out, leading to the boy's parents making a complaint to the police.[57]
Lee's mother had to go to a police station and sign a document saying that she would take full responsibility for his actions if they released him into her custody. Though she did not mention the incident to her husband, she suggested that her son return to the United States to claim his U.S. citizenship at the age of 18.[58] Lee's father agreed as Lee's college prospects were not very promising if he remained in Hong Kong.[57]
The police detective came and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Lee, your son is really fighting bad in school. If he gets into just one more fight I might have to put him in jail".
In April 1959, Lee's parents decided to send him to the United States to stay with his older sister, Agnes Lee (李秋鳳), who was already living with family friends in San Francisco. After several months, he moved toSeattle in 1959 to continue his high school education, where he also worked forRuby Chow as a live-in waiter at her restaurant. Chow's husband was a co-worker and friend of Lee's father. Lee's elder brotherPeter Lee (李忠琛) joined him inSeattle for a short stay, before moving on toMinnesota to attend college.[60]
In 1959, Lee started to teach martial arts. He called what he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu (literally Bruce Lee's Kung Fu).[61] It was his approach toWing Chun.[60] Lee taught friends he met in Seattle, starting with Judo practitionerJesse Glover, who continued to teach some of Lee's early techniques.[62] Lee's early student group was the most racially diverse group of practitioners of Chinese martial arts until that time.[63] During this time period, Lee invented hisone-inch punch.[64] He also became interested inboxing and the techniques ofMuhammad Ali andSugar Ray Robinson.[65]
Taky Kimura became Lee's first assistant instructor and continued to teach his art and philosophy after Lee's death.[66] Lee opened his first martial arts school, named the Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle.
In March 1961, Lee enrolled at theUniversity of Washington.[68] Despite what Lee himself and many others have stated, Lee's official major was drama rather than philosophy, according to a 1999 article in the university's alumni publication.[69] In his junior year, he took two classes in psychology and two classes in philosophy; both of these became core interests for him for the rest of his life.[70] He socialized with wealthy young people, but lived in relative poverty and worked as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant.[71]
1964–1965: Oakland
Lee dropped out of university in early 1964 and moved toOakland to live withJames Yimm Lee.[72] James Lee was twenty years senior to Lee and a well-known Chinese martial artist in the area. Together, they founded the second Jun Fan martial arts studio in Oakland.[73] James Lee was responsible for introducing Lee toEd Parker, an American martial artist. At the invitation of Parker, Lee appeared in the 1964Long Beach International Karate Championships.[74] He performed repetitions of two-finger push-ups, using the thumb and the index finger of one hand, with feet at approximately shoulder-width apart.[75]
In the same Long Beach event, he also performed the "one-inch punch".[75] Lee stood upright, his right foot forward with knees bent slightly, in front of a standing, stationary partner. Lee's right arm was partly extended and his right fist was approximately one inch (2.5 cm) away from the partner's chest. Without retracting his right arm, Lee then forcibly delivered the punch to volunteer Bob Baker while largely maintaining his posture. This sent Baker backward and falling into a chair placed behind Baker to prevent injury, though Baker's momentum caused him to fall to the floor. Baker recalled, "I told Bruce not to do this type of demonstration again. When he punched me that last time, I had to stay home from work because the pain in my chest was unbearable".[76] It was at the 1964 championships that Lee first metTaekwondo masterJhoongoo Rhee. The two developed a friendship— a relationship from which they benefited as martial artists. Rhee taught Lee theside kick in detail, and Lee taught Rhee the "non-telegraphic" punch.[77]
At the Long Beach event, he also publicly criticized a number of classicalkarate andkung fu styles and argued for modernizing martial arts. This was a highly controversial presentation that convinced some spectators, while offending others.[78] Subsequently, he appeared at the Sun Sing Theatre to present his new approach to theChinatown, Oakland, community. More traditional kung fu practitioners took Lee's claims as an open challenge.[79]
In 1964, Lee had a controversial private match withWong Jack-man.[80] Jack-man was a direct student of Ma Kin Fung, known for his mastery ofXingyiquan,Northern Shaolin, andtai chi.[81] According to Lee, the Chinese community issued an ultimatum to him to stop teaching non-Chinese people. When he refused to comply, he was challenged to a combat match with Wong. The arrangement was that if Lee lost, he would have to shut down his school, while if he won, he would be free to teach white people, or anyone else.[82] Wong denied this, stating that he requested to fight Lee after Lee boasted during one of his demonstrations at a Chinatown theater that he could beat anyone in San Francisco, and that Wong himself did not discriminate against whites or other non-Chinese people.[83] Lee commented, "That paper had all the names of thesifu from Chinatown, but they don't scare me".[84] Individuals known to have witnessed the match include Cadwell, James Lee (Bruce Lee's associate, no relation), and William Chen, a teacher of tai chi.[citation needed]
Wong and William Chen stated that the fight lasted an unusually long 20–25 minutes.[83][85] Wong claims that although he had originally expected a serious but polite bout, Lee aggressively attacked him with the intent to kill. When Wong presented the traditional handshake, Lee appeared to accept the greeting, but instead, Lee allegedly thrust his hand as a spear aimed at Wong's eyes. Forced to defend his life, Wong asserted that he refrained from striking Lee with killing force when the opportunity presented itself because it could have earned him a prison sentence, but used illegal cufflings under his sleeves. According to Michael Dorgan's 1980 bookBruce Lee's Toughest Fight, the fight ended due to Lee's "unusually winded" condition, as opposed to a decisive blow by either fighter.[83]
However, according to Bruce Lee,Linda Lee Cadwell, andJames Yimm Lee, the fight lasted a mere three minutes with a decisive victory for Lee. In Cadwell's account, "The fight ensued, it was a no-holds-barred fight, it took three minutes. Bruce got this guy down to the ground and said 'Do you give up?' and the man said he gave up."[82] A couple of weeks after the bout, Lee gave an interview claiming that he had defeated an unnamed challenger, which Wong says was an obvious reference to him.[83][85]
In response, Wong published his account of the fight in thePacific Weekly, aChinese-language newspaper in San Francisco, with an invitation to a public rematch if Lee was not satisfied with the account. Lee did not respond to the invitation despite his reputation for violently responding to every provocation.[83] There were no further public announcements by either, though Lee continued to teach non-Chinese people. Lee was unhappy with the outcome of the fight, and the experience led him to pursue further innovations in his personal style of martial arts.[86]
Lee had abandoned thoughts of a film career in favor of pursuing martial arts. However, a martial arts exhibition in Long Beach in 1964 eventually led to the invitation by television producerWilliam Dozier for an audition for a role in the pilot for "Number One Son" about Lee Chan, the son ofCharlie Chan. The show never materialized, but Dozier saw potential in Lee.[87]
1966–1970: American roles and creating Jeet Kune Do
A publicity photo of Williams and Lee forThe Green Hornet in 1966
From 1966 to 1967, Lee played the role ofKato alongside the title character played byVan Williams in the TV series produced and narrated byWilliam Dozier[88] titledThe Green Hornet, based on theradio show by the same name.[89][87] The show ran for one season (26 episodes) from September 1966 to March 1967. Lee and Williams also appeared as their characters in threecrossover episodes ofBatman, another William Dozier-produced television series.[90][91][92]
The Green Hornet introduced the adult Bruce Lee to an American audience and became the first popular American show presenting Asian-stylemartial arts. The show's director wanted Lee to fight in the typical American style using fists and punches. As a professional martial artist, Lee refused, insisting that he should fight in the style of his expertise. At first, Lee moved so fast that his movements could not be caught on film, so he had to slow them down.[93] The American martial arts community promoted the TV show and viewed Lee as their first mainstream star.[94]
During the show's production, Lee became friends withGene LeBell, who worked as a stuntman in the show. The two trained together and exchanged martial arts knowledge from their respective specialties.[95] After the show was canceled in 1967, Lee wrote to Dozier thanking him for starting "my career in show business".[93]
TheJeet Kune Do emblem is a registered trademark held by the Bruce Lee Estate. TheChinese characters around theTaijitu symbol read: "Using no way as way" and "Having no limitation as limitation". The arrows represent the endless interaction betweenyang and yin.[96]
After filming one season ofThe Green Hornet, Lee found himself out of work and opened the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute inChinatown, Los Angeles.[97] The controversial match with Wong Jack-man influenced Lee's philosophy about martial arts. Lee concluded that the fight had lasted too long and that he had failed to live up to his potential using hisWing Chun techniques. He took the view that traditional martial arts techniques were too rigid and formalized to be practical in scenarios of chaoticstreet fighting. Lee decided to develop a system with an emphasis on "practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency". He started to use different methods of training such asweight training for strength, running for endurance, stretching for flexibility, and many others which he constantly adapted, includingfencing and basicboxing techniques.[citation needed]
Jeet Kune Do originated in 1967. The name means "way of the intercepting fist" inCantonese.[98] This was a new hybrid system that tookfootwork fromboxing, kicks from kung fu, and technique fromfencing.[99] Lee emphasized what he called "the style of no style". This consisted of getting rid of the formalized approach which Lee claimed was indicative of traditional styles. Lee felt that even the system he now called Jun Fan Gung Fu was too restrictive, and it eventually evolved into a philosophy and martial art he would come to callJeet Kune Do or theWay of the Intercepting Fist. It is a term he would later regret, because Jeet Kune Do implied specific parameters that styles connote, whereas the idea of his martial art was to exist outside of parameters and limitations.[100]
At the time, two of Lee's martial arts students were Hollywood script writerStirling Silliphant and actorJames Coburn. In 1969, the three worked on a script for a film titledThe Silent Flute, and they went together on a location hunt to India. The project was not realized at the time, but the 1978 filmCircle of Iron, starringDavid Carradine, was based on the same plot. In 2010, producer Paul Maslansky was reported to have planned and received funding for a film based on the original script forThe Silent Flute.[101]
In 1969, Lee made a brief appearance in the Silliphant-penned filmMarlowe, where he played a hoodlum hired to intimidate private detectivePhilip Marlowe, played byJames Garner, who uses his martial arts abilities to commit acts of vandalization to intimidate Marlowe.[102][103] The same year, he was credited as the karate advisor inThe Wrecking Crew, the fourth installment of theMatt Helm comedyspy-fi film starringDean Martin.[104] Also that year, Lee acted in one episode ofHere Come the Brides andBlondie.[105][106]
1971–1973: Hong Kong films, stardom, and Hollywood breakthrough
Lee in 1971
In 1971, Lee appeared in four episodes of the television seriesLongstreet, written by Silliphant. Lee played Li Tsung, the martial arts instructor of the title character Mike Longstreet, played byJames Franciscus, and important aspects of his martial arts philosophy were written into the script.[109][110] According to statements made by Lee, and also byLinda Lee Cadwell after Lee's death, Lee pitched a television series of his own in 1971, tentatively titledThe Warrior, discussions of which were confirmed byWarner Bros. During a December 9, 1971, television interview onThe Pierre Berton Show, Lee stated that bothParamount and Warner Bros. wanted him "to be in a modernized type of a thing and that they think the Western idea is out, whereas I want to do the Western".[111]
According to Cadwell, Lee's concept was retooled and renamedKung Fu, butWarner Bros. gave Lee no credit.[112] Warner Bros. states that they had for some time been developing an identical concept,[113] created by two writers and producers,Ed Spielman and Howard Friedlander in 1969,[114] as stated too by Lee's biographerMatthew Polly.[115] According to these sources, the reason Lee was not cast was because he had a thick accent,[116] butFred Weintraub attributes that to his ethnicity.[117][118]
The role of theShaolin monk in theKung Fu was eventually awarded to then-non-martial artist David Carradine. In an interview withThe Pierre Berton Show, Lee stated he understood Warner Bros.' attitudes towards casting in the series: "They think that business-wise it is a risk. I don't blame them. If the situation were reversed, and an American star were to come to Hong Kong, and I was the man with the money, I would have my own concerns as to whether the acceptance would be there".[119]
Producer Fred Weintraub had advised Lee to return to Hong Kong and make a feature film that he could showcase to executives in Hollywood.[120] Not happy with his supporting roles in the US, Lee returned to Hong Kong. Unaware thatThe Green Hornet had been played to success in Hong Kong and was unofficially referred to as "The Kato Show", he was surprised to be recognized as the star of the show.[121] After negotiating with bothShaw Brothers Studio andGolden Harvest, Lee signed a film contract to star in two films produced by Golden Harvest.[122]
Lee played his first leading role inThe Big Boss (1971), which proved to be an enormous box-office success across Asia and catapulted him to instant stardom in Hong Kong.[123] He followed up withFist of Fury (1972), which broke the box office records set previously byThe Big Boss, with film critic Blake Howard writing that Lee was "cresting the wave of international super-stardom".[124] Having finished his initial two-year contract, Lee negotiated a new deal with Golden Harvest. Lee later formed his own company,Concord Production Inc., with Chow. For his third film,The Way of the Dragon (1972), he was given complete control of the film's production as the writer, director, star, andchoreographer of the fight scenes. In 1964, at a demonstration inLong Beach, California, Lee met karate championChuck Norris. InThe Way of the Dragon Lee introduced Norris to moviegoers as his opponent. Their showdown has been characterized as "one of the best fight scenes inmartial arts andfilm history".[125][126]Fist of Fury andWay of the Dragon grossed an estimatedUS$100 million andUS$130 million worldwide, respectively.[127]
From August to October 1972, Lee began work on his fourth Golden Harvest film,Game of Death. He began filming some scenes, including his fight sequence with 7 ft 2 in (218 cm) American basketball starKareem Abdul-Jabbar, a former student. Production stopped in November 1972 when Warner Bros. offered Lee the opportunity to star inEnter the Dragon, the first film to be produced jointly by Concord, Golden Harvest, and Warner Bros. Filming began in Hong Kong in February 1973 and was completed in April 1973.[128]
One month into the filming, another production company, Starseas Motion Pictures, promoted Lee as a leading actor inFist of Unicorn, although he had merely agreed to choreograph the fight sequences in the film as a favor to his long-time friendUnicorn Chan. Lee planned to sue the production company but retained his friendship with Chan.[129] However, only a few months after the completion ofEnter the Dragon, and six days before its July 26, 1973, release, Lee died.[130]
Enter the Dragon went on to become one of the year's highest-grossing films and cemented Lee as a martial arts legend. It was made for US$850,000 in 1973,[131] the equivalent of $4 million adjusted for inflation as of 2007.[132]Enter the Dragon is estimated to have grossed over$400 million worldwide,[130] the equivalent of over$2 billion adjusted for inflation as of 2022[update].[133][134] The film sparked a brieffad in martial arts, epitomized in songs such as "Kung Fu Fighting" and some TV shows.[citation needed]
Robert Clouse, the director ofEnter the Dragon, together with Golden Harvest, revived Lee's unfinished filmGame of Death. Lee had shot over 100 minutes of footage, includingouttakes, forGame of Death before shooting was stopped to allow him to work onEnter the Dragon. In addition to Abdul-Jabbar,George Lazenby, Hapkido masterJi Han-jae, and another of Lee's students,Dan Inosanto, appeared in the film, which culminated in Lee's character, Hai Tien, clad in a yellow tracksuit[d] taking on a series of different challengers on each floor as they make their way through a five-level pagoda.[136]
In a controversial move, Robert Clouse finished the film using a Leelook-alike (Kim Tai Chung, withYuen Biao as a stunt double) andarchive footage of Lee from his other films with a new storyline and cast. It was released in 1978. The cobbled-together film contained only fifteen minutes of actual footage of Lee.[136] The unused footage Lee had filmed was recovered 22 years later and included in the documentaryBruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey.[citation needed]
In 1972, after the success ofThe Big Boss andFist of Fury, a third film was planned byRaymond Chow atGolden Harvest to be directed byLo Wei, titledYellow-Faced Tiger. However, at the time, Lee decided to direct and produce his script forWay of the Dragon instead. Although Lee had formed a production company with Raymond Chow, a period film was also planned from September–November 1973 with the competingShaw Brothers Studio, to be directed by eitherChor Yuen or Cheng Kang, and written by Yi Kang andChang Cheh, titledThe Seven Sons of the Jade Dragon.[137]
In 2015, Perfect Storm Entertainment and Bruce Lee's daughter,Shannon Lee, announced that the seriesThe Warrior would be produced and would air onCinemax. FilmmakerJustin Lin was chosen to direct the series.[138] Production began in October 2017, inCape Town, South Africa.[139] In April 2019, Cinemax renewed the series for a second season.[140] The series ended after three seasons, in 2023.[141]
In March 2021, it was announced that producerJason Kothari had acquired the rights toThe Silent Flute "to become aminiseries, which would haveJohn Fusco as a screenwriter and executive producer.[142]
Unproduced works
Lee had also worked on several scripts himself. A tape containing a recording of Lee narrating the basic storyline to a film tentatively titledSouthern Fist/Northern Leg exists, showing some similarities with the canned script forThe Silent Flute (Circle of Iron).[143] Another script had the titleGreen Bamboo Warrior, set in San Francisco, planned to co-starBolo Yeung and to be produced byAndrew Vajna.[129] Photoshoot costume tests were organized for some of these planned film projects.
Lee's first introduction to martial arts was through his father, from whom he learned the fundamentals ofWu-style tai chi.[146] In his teens, Lee became involved in Hong Kong gang conflicts, which led to frequentstreet fights.[56] The largest influence on Lee's martial arts development was his study ofWing Chun.[145] Lee was 16 years old under the Wing Chun teacherIp Man, between late 1956 and 1957, after losing to rival gang members.[48]
Lee was trained inboxing, between 1956 and 1958, by Brother Edward, coach of theSt. Francis Xavier's College boxing team. Lee went on to win the Hong Kong Schools boxing tournament in 1958 while scoringknockdowns against the previous champion Gary Elms in the final.[39] After moving to the United States, Lee was heavily influenced byheavyweight boxing championMuhammad Ali, whosefootwork he studied and incorporated into his style in the 1960s.[156]
Lee demonstrated hisJeet Kune Do martial arts at theLong Beach International Karate Championships in 1964 and 1968, with the latter having higher-quality video footage available. Lee is seen demonstrating quickeye strikes before his opponent canblock and demonstrating theone-inch punch on several volunteers. He demonstrateschi sao drills while blindfolded against an opponent, probing for weaknesses in his opponent while scoring withpunches andtakedowns. Lee then participates in afull-contact sparring bout against an opponent, with both wearing leather headgear.[157]
Lee is seen implementing his Jeet Kune Do concept of economical motion, using Ali-inspired footwork to keep out of range whilecounter-attacking withbackfists andstraight punches. He halts attacks with stop-hitside kicks and quickly executes severalsweeps and headkicks. The opponent repeatedly attempts to attack Lee but is never able to connect with a clean hit. He once managed to come close with aspin kick, but Lee counters it. The footage was reviewed byBlack Belt magazine in 1995, concluding that "the action is as fast and furious as anything inLee's films."[157]
It was at the 1964 championships that Lee first mettaekwondo masterJhoongoo Rhee. While Rhee taught Lee theside kick in detail, Lee taught Rhee the "non-telegraphic" punch.[77] Rhee learned what he calls the "accupunch" from Lee and incorporated it into American taekwondo. The "accupunch" is a rapid fast punch that is very difficult to block, based on human reaction time—"the idea is to finish the execution of the punch before the opponent can complete the brain-to-wrist communication."[158]
Lee commonly used the oblique kick, made popular much later inmixed martial arts.[159] It is called thejeet tek, "stop kick" or "intercepting kick", in Jeet Kune Do.[160]
Grappling
Lee favoredcross-training between different fighting styles, and had a particular interest ingrappling.[148] Lee trained with several judo practitioners inSeattle and California, among them Fred Sato,Jesse Glover,Taky Kimura,Hayward Nishioka, andWally Jay, as well asGene LeBell.[161][148] Many of his first students were proficient in judo and other arts, and he learned as much as he taught.[162] After befriending LeBell on the set ofThe Green Hornet, Lee offered to teach him striking arts in exchange for being taught grappling techniques.[95][163] LeBell had been taughtcatch wrestling by prestigious grapplersLou Thesz andEd Lewis, and notable techniques of both judo and catch wrestling can be seen in Lee'sTao of Jeet Kune Do.[164] He also learned grappling moves fromhapkido masterJi Han-jae.[148]
According to Glover, Lee only found judo ineffective at the action of getting hold of the opponent.[148] In their first training together, Glover showed Lee anosoto gari, which Lee considered not a bad technique, but he disliked that Glover had needed to hold onto Lee.[165] While in Seattle, Lee developed anti-grappling techniques against opponents trying totackle him or take him to the ground. Glover recalled Lee "definitely would not go to the ground if he had the opportunity to get you standing up".[148] Nonetheless, Lee expressed to LeBell a wish to integrate judo into his fighting style.[148] He incorporated the osoto gari into Jeet Kune Do, among other throws, armlocks and chokeholds from judo.[166]
Lee was also influenced by the training routine ofThe Great Gama, an Indian/Pakistanipehlwani wrestling champion known for his grappling strength. Lee incorporated Gama's exercises into his training routine.[168]
Street fighting
Another major influence on Lee was Hong Kong'sstreet fighting culture in the form of rooftop fights. In the mid-20th century, soaringcrime in Hong Kong, combined with limitedHong Kong Police manpower, led to many youngHongkongers learning martial arts forself-defense. Around the 1960s, there were about 400 martial arts schools in Hong Kong, teaching their distinctive styles of martial arts. In Hong Kong's street fighting culture, there emerged a rooftop fight scene in the 1950s and 1960s, where gangs from rival martial arts schools challenged each other to bare-knuckle fights on Hong Kong's rooftops, to avoid crackdowns by British colonial authorities. Lee frequently participated in these Hong Kong rooftop fights. He combined different techniques from different martial arts schools into his ownhybrid martial arts style.[169]
When Lee returned to Hong Kong in the early 1970s, his reputation as "the fastest fist in the east" routinely led to locals challenging him to street fights. He sometimes accepted these challenges and engaged in street fights, which led to some criticism from the press portraying him as violent at the time.[170]
Fitness
At 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) and weighing 64 kg (141 lb),[171] Lee was renowned for his physical fitness and vigor, achieved by using a dedicated fitness regimen to become as strong as possible. After his match withWong Jack-man in 1965, Lee changed his approach toward martial arts training. Lee felt that many martial artists of his time did not spend enough time on physical conditioning. Lee included all elements of total fitness—muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility. He used traditionalbodybuilding techniques to build some muscle mass, though not overdone, as that could decrease speed or flexibility. At the same time, concerning balance, Lee maintained that mental and spiritual preparation are fundamental to the success of physical training in martial arts skills. InTao of Jeet Kune Do he wrote:
Training is one of the most neglected phases of athletics. Too much time is given to the development of skill and too little to the development of the individual for participation. ... JKD, ultimately is not a matter of petty techniques but of highly developed spirituality and physique.[172]
According toLinda Lee Cadwell, soon after he moved to the United States, Lee started to take nutrition seriously and developed an interest in health foods, high-protein drinks, and vitamin and mineral supplements. He later concluded that achieving a high-performance body was akin to maintaining the engine of a high-performance automobile. Allegorically, as one could not keep a car running on low-octane fuels, one could not sustain one's body with a steady diet of junk food, and with "the wrong fuel", one's body would perform sluggishly or sloppily.[173]
Lee avoided baked goods and refined flour, describing them as providing empty calories that did nothing for his body.[174] He was known for being a fan of Asian cuisine for its variety and often ate meals with a combination of vegetables, rice, and fish. Lee had a dislike for dairy products and as a result, used powdered milk in his diet.[175]
Dan Inosanto recalls Lee practicedmeditation as the first action on his schedule.[161]
Artistry
Philosophy
While best known as a martial artist, Lee studied drama and Asian and Western philosophy, starting while a student at the University of Washington. He was well-read and had an extensive library dominated by martial arts subjects and philosophical texts.[176] His books on martial arts and fighting philosophy are known for their philosophical assertions, both inside and outside of martial arts circles. Hiseclectic philosophy often mirrored his fighting beliefs, though he was quick to say that his martial arts were solely a metaphor for such teachings.[177]
He believed that any knowledge ultimately led to self-knowledge. He said that his chosen method of self-expression was martial arts.[177] His influences includeTaoism andBuddhism.[178] Lee's philosophy was very much in opposition to the conservative worldview advocated byConfucianism.[179] John Little states that Lee was anatheist. When asked in 1972 about his religious affiliation, he replied, "None whatsoever".[180] When asked if he believed in God, he said, "To be perfectly frank, I really do not."[177]
Aside from martial arts and philosophy, which focus on the physical aspect and self-consciousness for truths and principles,[182] Lee also wrote poetry that reflected his emotions and a stage in his life collectively.[183] Many forms of art remain concordant with the artist creating them. Lee's principle of self-expression was applied to his poetry as well. His daughter Shannon Lee said, "He did write poetry; he was really the consummate artist."[184]
His poetic works were originally handwritten on paper, then later on edited and published, with John Little being the major author (editor), for Bruce Lee's works. Linda Lee Cadwell (Bruce Lee's wife) shared her husband's notes, poems, and experiences with followers. She mentioned, "Lee's poems are, by American standards, rather dark—reflecting the deeper, less exposed recesses of the human psyche".[185]
Most of Bruce Lee's poems are categorized asanti-poetry or fall into aparadox. The mood in his poems shows the side of the man that can be compared with other poets such asRobert Frost, one of many well-known poets expressing himself with dark poetic works. The paradox taken from theYin and Yang symbol in martial arts was also integrated into his poetry. His martial arts and philosophy contribute a great part to his poetry. Thefree verse form of Lee's poetry reflects his quote "Be formless ... shapeless, like water."[186]
Personal life
Names
Lee'sCantonese birth name wasLee Jun-fan (李振藩).[187] The name homophonically means "return again", and was given to Lee by his mother, who felt he would return to the United States once he came of age.[188] Because of his mother's superstitious nature, she had originally named himSai-fon (細鳳), which is a feminine name meaning "smallphoenix".[59] The English name "Bruce" is thought to have been given by the hospital's attending physician, Dr. Mary Glover.[189]
Lee had three other Chinese names: Lee Yuen-cham (李源鑫), a family/clan name; Lee Yuen-kam (李元鑒), which he used as a student name while he was attendingLa Salle College, and his Chinese screen name Lee Siu-lung (李小龍;Siu-lung means "little dragon").[citation needed] Lee's given name Jun-fan was originally written in Chinese as震藩; however, theJun (震)Chinese character was identical to part of his grandfather's name, Lee Jun-biu (李震彪).[citation needed] Hence, the Chinese character forJun in Lee's name was changed to thehomonym振 instead, to avoidnaming taboo in Chinese tradition.[citation needed]
Family
Lee's father,Lee Hoi-chuen, was one of the leadingCantonese opera and film actors at the time and was embarking on a year-long opera tour with his family on the eve of theJapanese invasion of Hong Kong. Lee Hoi-chuen had been touring the United States for many years and performing in numerous Chinese communities there.[citation needed]
Although many of his peers decided to stay in the US, Lee Hoi-chuen returned to Hong Kong after Bruce's birth. Within months, Hong Kong was invaded and the Lees lived for three years and eight months underJapanese occupation. After the war ended, Lee Hoi-chuen resumed his acting career and became a more popular actor during Hong Kong's rebuilding years.[citation needed]
Lee's mother, Grace Ho, was from one of the wealthiest and most powerful clans in Hong Kong, the Ho-tungs. She was the half-niece ofSir Robert Ho-tung,[190][191] the Eurasian patriarch of the clan. As such, the young Bruce Lee grew up in an affluent and privileged environment. Despite the advantage of his family's status, the neighborhood in which Lee grew up became overcrowded, dangerous, and full of gang rivalries due to an influx of refugees fleeingcommunist China for Hong Kong, at that time a BritishCrown Colony.[59]
Grace Ho is reported as either the adopted or biological daughter of Ho Kom-tong (Ho Gumtong,何甘棠) and the half-niece ofSir Robert Ho-tung, both notable Hong Kong businessmen and philanthropists.[190] Bruce was the fourth of five children: Phoebe Lee (李秋源), Agnes Lee (李秋鳳),Peter Lee, andRobert Lee.[citation needed]
Bruce Lee with his son Brandon in 1966
Grace's parentage remains unclear. Linda Lee, in her 1989 biographyThe Bruce Lee Story, suggests that Grace had a German father and was a Catholic.[125] Bruce Thomas, in his 1994 biographyBruce Lee: Fighting Spirit, suggests that Grace had a Chinese mother and a German father.[192] Lee's relative Eric Peter Ho, in his 2010 bookTracing My Children's Lineage, suggests that Grace was born in Shanghai to a Eurasian woman named Cheung King-sin.[193] Eric Peter Ho said that Grace Lee was the daughter of a mixed-race Shanghainese woman and her father was Ho Kom Tong. Grace Lee herself reported that her mother was English and her father was Chinese.[193][194] Fredda Dudley Balling said Grace Lee was three-quarters Chinese and one-quarter British.[195]
In the 2018 biographyBruce Lee: A Life,Matthew Polly identifies Lee's maternal grandfather as Ho Kom-tong, who had often been reported as his adoptive grandfather. Ho Kom-tong's father, Charles Maurice Bosman,[196] was a Dutch Jewish businessman fromRotterdam.[197] He moved to Hong Kong with theDutch East India Company and served as the Dutch consul to Hong Kong at one time. He had a Chinese concubine named Sze Tai with whom he had six children, including Ho Kom Tong. Bosman subsequently abandoned his family and immigrated to California.[198] Ho Kom Tong became a wealthy businessman with a wife, 13 concubines, and a British mistress who gave birth to Grace Ho.[199][200][201]
His younger brotherRobert Lee Jun-fai is a musician and singer; he performed in the Hong Kong group The Thunderbirds.[202][203][204] A few singles were sung mostly or all in English. Also released was Lee singing a duet withIrene Ryder.[205] Lee Jun-fai lived with Lee in Los Angeles in the United States and stayed. After Lee's death, Lee Jun-fai released an album and a single by the same name dedicated to Lee called "The Ballad of Bruce Lee".[206]
Lee died when his son Brandon was eight years old. While alive, Lee taught Brandon martial arts and would invite him to visit sets. This gave Brandon the desire to act and he went on to study the craft. As a young adult, Brandon Lee found some success acting in action-oriented pictures such asLegacy of Rage (1986),Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991), andRapid Fire (1992). In 1993, at the age of 28, Brandon Lee died after being accidentally shot by a prop gun on the set ofThe Crow.[209]
Lee died when his daughter Shannon was four. In her youth she studiedJeet Kune Do underRichard Bustillo, one of her father's students; however, her serious studies did not begin until the late 1990s. To train for parts in action movies, she studied Jeet Kune Do withTed Wong.[210]
Friends, students, and contemporaries
Lee's brotherRobert with his friendsTaky Kimura,Dan Inosanto,Steve McQueen,James Coburn, and Peter Chin were his pallbearers.[211] Coburn was a martial arts student and a friend of Lee. Coburn worked with Lee andStirling Silliphant on developingThe Silent Flute. Upon Lee's early death, at his funeral, Coburn gave a eulogy.[211] Regarding McQueen, Lee made no secret that he wanted everything McQueen had and would stop at nothing to get it.[212][213][214] Inosanto and Kimura were friends and disciples of Lee. Inosanto would go on to train Lee's sonBrandon.[215][216] Kimura continued to teach Lee's craft inSeattle.[217] According toLee's wife, Chin was a lifelong family friend and a student of Lee.[218]
James Yimm Lee (no relation) was one of Lee's three personally certified 3rd rank instructors and co-founded the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute inOakland where he taught Jun Fan Gung Fu in Lee's absence. James was responsible for introducing Lee toEd Parker, the organizer of theLong Beach International Karate Championships, where Lee was first introduced to the martial arts community.[219] Hollywood coupleRoman Polański andSharon Tate studied martial arts with Lee. Polański flew Lee toSwitzerland to train him. Tate studied with Lee in preparation for her role inThe Wrecking Crew. After Tate was murdered by theManson Family, Polański initially suspected Lee.[220]
ScreenwriterStirling Silliphant was a martial arts student and a friend of Lee.[221][222] Silliphant worked with Lee andJames Coburn on developingThe Silent Flute.[223] Lee acted and provided his martial arts expertise in several projects penned by Silliphant, the first inMarlowe (1969) where Lee plays Winslow Wong a hoodlum well-versed in martial arts. Lee also did fight choreographies for the filmA Walk in the Spring Rain (1970) and played Li Tsung, aJeet Kune Do instructor who teaches the main character in the television showLongstreet (1971). Elements of his martial arts philosophy were included in the script for the latter.[102][103][107][108][109][110]
Basketball playerKareem Abdul-Jabbar studied martial arts and developed a friendship with Lee.[107] Actor and karate championChuck Norris was a friend and training partner of Lee's.[224] After Lee's death, Norris said he kept in touch with Lee's family.[225] Judoka andprofessional wrestlerGene LeBell became a friend of Lee on the set ofThe Green Hornet. They trained together and exchanged their knowledge of martial arts.[95][163]
Taiwanese actressBetty Ting immediately came under media's spotlight after it was revealed that Bruce Lee was found unconscious at her flat before his death. At her testimony Ting said she was asked by producerRaymond Chow, who in turn was told by Lee's family, not to disclose that Lee was at her apartment, which contributed to the misinformation that Lee died at his own house. Ting later said Lee fell in love with her and the two shared a close relation. Her constant presence by Lee's side earned the affectionate nickname of "Little Dragon Girl" (or Bruce's Girl).[226]
Drug use
In July 2021 a private collection of over 40 handwritten letters Lee made to fellowFist of Fury actor Robert "Bob" Baker was sold for $462,500 at Heritage Auctions. These letters were written from 1967 to 1973 and included requests by Lee for Baker to mail him cocaine, pain killers, psilocybin and other drugs for his personal use.[227][228] Doctor Poon Wai-ming in Hong Kong said cocaine could have caused his collapse in May 1973, two months before his death.[229]
On July 20, 1973, Lee was in Hong Kong planning to have dinner with actorGeorge Lazenby, with whom he intended to make a film. According to Lee's wife Linda and testimony at Lee's coroner's court, Lee met producerRaymond Chow at 2 p.m. at home to discuss the making of the filmGame of Death. They worked until 4 p.m. and then drove together to the home of Lee's colleague Betty Ting arriving at around 5. The three then went over the script at Ting's home. At around 7 Lee, having a headache, took a pill of painkiller from Ting and took a nap. Chow left around an hour later to attend a dinner meeting with Lazenby, which Lee was expected to join later.[233][234][230]
When Lee did not arrive at the dinner, Chow came to the apartment at around 9.45 p.m., but he was unable to wake Lee up. Chu Poh-hwye,[235] a private doctor of Ting, was summoned at 10, as Lee's doctor was unreachable, and spent ten minutes attempting to revive Lee, who by then no longer had anyvital signs, before sending him by ambulance toQueen Elizabeth Hospital. Lee was declareddead on arrival at the age of 32.[236][230]
Donald Teare, a senior British pathologist recommended byScotland Yard who had overseen over 1,000 autopsies, was assigned to perform anautopsy on Lee. His conclusion was "death by misadventure" caused bycerebral edema due to a reaction to compounds present in the combination medicationEquagesic. According toautopsy reports, Lee's brain had swollen from 1,400 to 1,575 grams, a 12.5% increase. Lee had takenEquagesic on the day of his death, which contained bothaspirin and the sedativemeprobamate, although he had taken it many times before.[240][241][242] The Coroner's Court unanimously returned a "death by misadventure" verdict.[230]
Lee's iconic status and untimely death fed many rumors and theories. These included murder involving thetriads and a supposed curse on him and his family.[243][244] Tabloids and magazines in Hong Kong publicised multiple conspiracy theories on Lee's death for viewership.[245]
Although there was initial speculation thatcannabis found in Lee's stomach may have contributed to his death, Teare said it would "be both 'irresponsible and irrational' to say that [cannabis] might have triggered either the events of Bruce's collapse on May 10 or his death on July 20". Dr. R. R. Lycette, the clinical pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, reported at the coroner hearing that the death could not have been caused by cannabis.[246]Armed Forces Institute of Pathology of the United States concluded that they were unable to attribute Lee's death to cannabis intoxication.[247]
In a 2018 biography, author Matthew Polly consulted with medical experts and theorized that the cerebral edema that killed Lee had been caused by over-exertion andheat stroke; heat stroke was not considered at the time because it was then a poorly understood condition. Furthermore, Lee had his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972, in the apparent belief that underarm sweat was unphotogenic on film. Polly further theorized that this caused Lee's body to overheat while practicing in hot temperatures on May 10 and July 20, 1973, resulting in heat stroke that in turn exacerbated the cerebral edema that led to his death.[248][249]
In an article in the December 2022 issue ofClinical Kidney Journal, a team of researchers examined the various theories regarding Lee's cause of death, and concluded that his fatal cerebral edema was brought on byhyponatremia, an insufficient concentration of sodium in the blood. The authors noted that several risk factors predisposed Lee to hyponatremia, including excessive water intake, insufficientsolute intake, alcohol consumption, and use or overuse of multiple drugs which impair the ability of thekidneys to excrete excess fluids. Lee's symptoms before his death were also found to closely match known cases of fatal hyponatremia.[250][251][252]
In July 2025, the Hong KongTVB program "Ctrl+F The Truth" concluded that Lee died ofsudden unexpected death in epilepsy, based on opinions from medical experts, after other causes of death including cerebral edema caused by aspirin allergy, which was suspected by the court, were considered unlikely.[245] It was presumed that a lack of professional knowledge or attempts to protect Lee's legacy hid the true cause of his death at the time.[232]
Enter the Dragon has been cited as one of the most influentialaction films of all time. Sascha Matuszak ofVice saidEnter the Dragon "is referenced in all manner of media, the plot line and characters continue to influence storytellers today, and the impact was particularly felt in the revolutionizing way the film portrayed African-Americans, Asians and traditional martial arts."[262] Kuan-Hsing Chen and Beng Huat Chua citedfight scenes in Lee's films such asEnter the Dragon as being influential for the way they pitched "an elemental story of good against evil in such a spectacle-saturated way".[263]
Jeet Kune Do, ahybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that was founded by Lee, is sometimes credited with paving the way for the combat sportmixed martial arts (MMA).[268][269][270][271] The concept of mixed martial arts was popularized in the West by Bruce Lee via his system of Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that "the best fighter is not a Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style, to be formless, to adopt an individual's own style and not following the system of styles."[272]
In 2004,Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) founderDana White called Lee the "father of mixed martial arts" and stated: "If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything. You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away".[272]
Lee was largely responsible for many people's decisions to take up martial arts.[271] These include numerous fighters incombat sports who were inspired by Lee;boxing championSugar Ray Leonard said he perfected hisjab by watching Lee, boxing championManny Pacquiao compared his fighting style to Lee, andUFC championConor McGregor has compared himself to Lee and said that he believes Lee would have been a champion in the UFC if he were to compete in the present day.[273]
Lee is credited with helping to change the wayAsians were presented inAmerican films.[10] He defiedAsian stereotypes, such as theemasculated Asian male stereotype.[19] His friend Amy Sanbo recalls that, "In a time when so many Asians were trying to convince themselves they were white, Bruce was so proud to be Chinese he was busting with it."[278] In contrast to earlier stereotypes which depicted Asian men as emasculated, childlike,coolies, ordomestic servants, Lee demonstrated that Asian men could be "tough, strong and sexy" according toUniversity of Michigan lecturer Hye Seung Chung. In turn, Lee's popularity inspired a new Asian stereotype, the martial artist.[279]
In North America, his films initially played largely toblack,Asian andHispanic audiences. Within black communities, Lee's popularity was second only to heavyweight boxerMuhammad Ali in the 1970s. As Lee broke through to the mainstream, he became a rarenon-white movie star in a Hollywood industry dominated by white actors at the time.[280] According to rapperLL Cool J, Lee's films were the first time many non-white American children such as himself had seen a non-whiteaction hero on the big screen in the 1970s.[266]
Bruce Lee influenced several comic book writers, notablyMarvel Comics founderStan Lee,[265] who considered Bruce Lee to be asuperhero without a costume.[266] Shortly after his death, Lee inspired the Marvel charactersShang-Chi (debuted 1973) andIron Fist (debuted 1974) as well as the comic book seriesThe Deadly Hands of Kung Fu (debuted 1974). According to Stan Lee, any character that has been a martial artist since then owes their origin to Bruce Lee in some form.[266]
Bruce Lee was a formative influence on the development ofbreakdancing in the 1970s. Early breakdancing pioneers such as theRock Steady Crew drew inspiration from kung fu moves, as performed by Lee, inspiring dance moves such as thewindmill among other breaking moves.[282][266]
In India, Lee films had an influence onHindimasala films.[283] After the success of Lee films such asEnter the Dragon in India,[284]Deewaar (1975) and later Hindi films incorporated fight scenes inspired by 1970s Hong Kong martial arts films up until the 1990s.[285] According toIndian film starAamir Khan, when he was a child, "almost every house had a poster of Bruce Lee" in 1970sBombay.[286]
In Japan, themanga andanime franchisesFist of the North Star (1983–1988) andDragon Ball (1984–1995) were inspired by Lee films such asEnter the Dragon.[287][288] In turn,Fist of the North Star and especiallyDragon Ball are credited with setting the trends for popularshōnen manga and anime from the 1980s onwards.[289][290]Spike Spiegel, the protagonist from the 1998 animeCowboy Bebop, is seen practicing Jeet Kune Do and quotes Lee.[291]
Bruce Lee films such asGame of Death andEnter the Dragon were the foundation forvideo game genres such asbeat 'em upaction games andfighting games.[292][293][294] The first beat 'em up game,Kung-Fu Master (1984), was based on Lee'sGame of Death.[295] TheStreet Fightervideo game franchise (1987 debut) was inspired byEnter the Dragon, with the gameplay centered around an international fighting tournament, and each character having a unique combination of ethnicity, nationality and fighting style;Street Fighter went on to set the template for all fighting games that followed.[296] Since then, nearly every major fighting game franchise has had a character based on Bruce Lee.[266] In April 2014, Lee was named a featured character in the combatsports video gameEA Sports UFC, and is playable in multiple weight classes.[297]
In France, theYamakasi cited the martial arts philosophy of Bruce Lee as an influence on their development of theparkour discipline in the 1990s, along with the acrobatics of Jackie Chan.[298][299] The Yamakasi considered Lee to be the "unofficial president" of their group.[299]
The Legend of Bruce Lee (2008), aChinese television drama series based on the life of Bruce Lee, has been watched by over400 million viewers in China, making it the most-watched Chinese television drama series of all time, as of 2017.[300][301]
In November 2022, it was announced that Taiwanese filmmakerAng Lee was directing a biopic on Bruce Lee. Ang Lee's sonMason Lee was cast to star in the movie, while Bruce Lee's daughter,Shannon Lee, is set to produce the film.[302]
In 2024, there was a proposal made to erect a statue of Bruce Lee in San Francisco. Lee's daughter is in favor of erecting it stating, "the Bay Area is a very rich and vital part of our legacy."[11]
Bruce Lee appears inHitman: World of Assassination in September 2025. Lee is reinvented as an agent in the game, assassinating opponents during a martial arts competition. The player's goal is to prevent enemies from getting in the way.[303]
Tributes
Underworld pay tribute to Bruce Lee in their songBruce Lee from their 1999 albumBeaucoup Fish, a blend of rock, techno, and guitar riffs. According to DAFT FM, the lyrics can be interpreted as encouraging the idea of self-actualization and individuals to be true to themselves, thus paying tribute to Lee's philosophy of empowering oneself and living life to the fullest.[304][unreliable source?]
Commercials
Though Bruce Lee did not appear in commercials during his lifetime, his likeness and image has since appeared in hundreds of commercials around the world.[266]Nokia launched an Internet-based campaign in 2008 with staged "documentary-looking" footage of Bruce Lee playing ping-pong with hisnunchaku and also igniting matches as they are thrown toward him. The videos went viral on YouTube, creating confusion as some people believed them to be authentic footage.[305]
Statue of Bruce Lee (Mostar): The day before the Hong Kong statue was dedicated, the city ofMostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina unveiled its own 1.68 m (5.5 ft)bronze statue; supporters of the statue cited Lee as a unifying symbol against the ethnic divisions in the country, which had culminated in the 1992–95Bosnian War.[312]
Places
A theme park dedicated to Lee was built inJun'an, Guangdong. Mainland Chinese only started watching Bruce Lee films in the 1980s, when videos of classic movies likeFist of Fury became available.[citation needed]
On January 6, 2009, it was announced thatLee's Hong Kong home (41 Cumberland Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong) would be preserved and transformed into a tourist site byYu Pang-lin.[313][314] Yu died in 2015 and this plan did not materialize.[315] In 2018, Yu's grandson, Pang Chi-ping, said: "We will convert the mansion into a centre for Chinese studies next year, which provides courses like Mandarin and Chinese music for children."[316]
^Film producerAndre Morgan, who worked with Lee on the set ofGame of Death, recalls that a choice had to be made from what was made available: a yellow suit or a black suit. The yellow suit was chosen because it allowed a footprint from a kick to be seen on film in a fighting scene with Kareem.[135]
References
^Bowman, Paul (2017).Mythologies of Martial Arts. London New York: Rowman & Littlefield International. p. 104.ISBN978-1-78660-192-6.
^Polly 2019, p. 13,507 "For decades, Bruce Lee biographers have asserted that Bruce's mother, Grace Ho, was half German. Robert Clouse wrote, "Grace had come to Hong Kong with her Chinese mother and German father at 19." (Bruce Lee: The Biography, p.9). Bruce Thomas concurred, "Grace was the daughter of a Chinese mother and a German father." (Bruce Lee, Fighting Spirit, p.3). Linda Lee wrote, "Grace Lee was half German and a Catholic" (The Bruce Lee Story, p.20).".
^abPalmer, Doug (September 21, 2020).Bruce Lee: Sifu, Friend and Big Brother. Chin Music Press. p. 31.ISBN978-1-63405-982-4. "Matthew Polly asserts that her father was indeed half Chinese and half Dutch-Jewish, and that her mother was 100% English. See pp. 13-14 and chapter notes thereto. But from the notes, it is clear that he is speculating. His notes also mention that the Dutch-Jewish Bosman family could be traced to Germany several generations before, which could explain the origin of the claim that Grace was part German."
^De Roche, Everett (June 1989)."William Cheung Scene one... Take One".Australasian Blitz Magazine. No. Print edition Vol. 3 No. 3. Blitz Publishers. Gordon and Gotch Ltd.ISSN0818-9595.Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 12, 2017.
^Lallo, Michael (January 20, 2011)."All the right moves".The Sydney Morning Herald. No. onliine. Fairfax Media. RetrievedDecember 26, 2016.
^Chen, Edwin (January 5, 2016)."Bruce Lee Was an Anchor Baby".asamnews.com. No. Online. AsAmNews.Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. RetrievedNovember 1, 2020.
^abcBlack Belt: Bruce Lee Collector's Edition Summer 1993
^Black Belt: Bruce Lee Collector's Edition Summer 1993, p. 18.
^Weintraub, Fred (2012).Bruce Lee, Woodstock And Me: From The Man Behind A Half-Century of Music, Movies and Martial Arts. Brooktree Canyon Press. pp. chapter 1.ISBN978-0-9847152-0-6.
^abThomas, B. (2003) Bruce Lee Fighting Words. Berkeley: Frog Ltd.
^abWilson, Wayne (2001).Bruce Lee. Mitchell Lane Publishers. pp. 30–1.ISBN978-1-58415-066-4.After its release,Enter the Dragon became Warner Brothers' highest grossing movie of 1973. It has earned well over $400million
^Polly, Matthew (2019).Bruce Lee: A Life.Simon and Schuster. p. 478.ISBN978-1-5011-8763-6.Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. RetrievedJune 8, 2020.Enter the Dragon struck a responsive chord across the globe. Made for a minuscule $850,000, it would gross $90 million worldwide in 1973 and go on to earn an estimated $350 million over the next forty-five years.
^Elegant, Robert S. (January 21, 1973)."Chinese movies find market as gore, blood fill screen".The Sun Herald. p. 5.Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. RetrievedApril 15, 2022 – viaNewspaperArchive.Today, Bruce Lee is the hottest property in the Chinese film business and "the fastest fist in the east," as Chow calls him. Small boys — and some very big boys — regularly challenge him to fight when they spy him on the streets. Sometimes he accepts, for he is full of suppressed violence engendered by a singularly unhappy childhood.
^Lee, Bruce; Linda Lee Cadwell (1999). "Part 4 Poetry". In John Little (ed.).Bruce Lee Artist of Life (Book). Martial Arts: Tuttle. p. 92.ISBN978-0-8048-3263-2.
^Tucci, Rick (1994)."Dan Inosanto Returns to Black Belt".Black Belt Magazine. Vol. 33, no. 8. pp. 42–43–44–45–48–140–141.Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. RetrievedNovember 4, 2020.
^Lyke, M.L. (June 4, 1995). "Visitors leave objects of devotion on graves of Bruce Lee and son". p. E – 6.
^abcGreen, Thomas A.; Svinth, Joseph R. (2010)."Martial Media".Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia of History and Innovation.ABC-CLIO. pp. 527–64.ISBN978-1-59884-244-9.Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. RetrievedJune 10, 2020.
^Early, Mwanafunzi Gerald (January 17, 1975)."The Fists of Bruce Lee".The Daily Pennsylvanian.Philadelphia. p. 4.Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. RetrievedApril 7, 2022.Bruce Lee, at this time, rates behind only Muhamnad Ali as the most popular personality for Black folks. (...) Lee's films have played largely to Black, Puerto Rican, and Chinese audiences in America. Indeed, whenThe Return of the Dragon was released it grossed an unbelievable $185,000 in one week at two theaters in the Black section of Chicago (...) He became an image, a very powerful, very beautiful, non-white image in a world where only Liv Ullman and Robert Redford are supposed to be beautiful.
Campbell, Sid; Lee, Greglon (2006).Remembering the master : Bruce Lee, James Yimm Lee, and the creation of Jeet Kune Do. Berkeley, Calif.: Blue Snake Books/Frog, Ltd.ISBN978-1-58394-148-5.OCLC62348277.Partial preview at Google Books.
Cheng, David (1993).Jeet Kune Do Basics: Everything You Need to Get Started in Jeet Kune Do – from Basic Footwork to Training and Tournaments. [United States]: Tuttle Publishing.ISBN978-1-4629-0267-5.OCLC1445328209.Partial preview at Google Books.
Little, John R. (1996).The Warrior Within: The Philosophies of Bruce Lee to Better Understand the World around You and Achieve a Rewarding Life. New York: McGraw-Hill.ISBN978-0-8092-3194-2.OCLC156347843.
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