Bruce Lee (American Martial Artist & Actor) Biography

Bruce Jun Fan Lee was born in San Francisco in the hour and the year of the Dragon, a powerful symbol in Chinese astrology and a strong omen of the life he was to live.

Raised in Hong Kong, Bruce began diligently studying Chinese gung at the age of 13. He soon realized that the value of martial arts training was found in the confidence it instilled instead of the need to defend one’s honor through fighting.

During that time, he also developed interests in dancing and acting. The graceful movements he’d mastered in martial arts lent themselves to him being a terrific dancer, and Bruce’s early love of acting led to appearances in 20 films before leaving Hong Kong.

In 1959, at the age of 18 with $100 in his pocket, Bruce headed back to San Francisco. In the years that followed, he majored in philosophy at University of Washington, supported himself as a dance instructor and gung fu teacher, met and married his wife Linda, and opened multiple martial arts schools on the west coast.

Fate stepped in when Bruce’s otherworldly gung fu skills collided with an opportunity to return to acting in the 1966 TV series “The Green Hornet”. The birth of his two children, film roles catapulting him to success, writing, directing and developing his own martial art of “Jeet Kune Do” continued to fill his years until 1973, when he died in Hong Kong from an allergic reaction to a pain medication. Lee was 32.

The actions of the Bruce Lee Foundation continue to ensure Bruce Lee remains one of the most relevant sources of inspiration, motivation, and honest self-expression to millions around the globe.

Bruce Lee Biography

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Childhood & Early Life

• Bruce Lee was born to Lee Hoi-chuen and Grace Ho in San Francisco’s Chinatown. When he was three months old, his family relocated to Hong Kong. He had four siblings
• Despite being raised in an affluent family, he was involved in a lot of street fights and gang rivalries which urged the need to be trained in martial arts. His first tutor was his father, under whom he learned the basics.
• By the age of 13, he started his Wing Chun training under Yip Man. His mixed ancestry led him to learn the art of Wing Chun privately from Yip Man and Wong Shun Leung.
• Academically, he received his preliminary education from La Salle College, but poor marks resulted in his being transferred to St. Francis Xavier’s College.
• His continuous involvement in street fight led to his relocation to San Francisco in 1959, as his parents were deeply disturbed by his violent behaviour and wanted him to leave Hong Kong to pursue a safer and healthier avenue.
• After putting up in San Francisco for a few months, he moved to Seattle where he enrolled at the Edison Technical School to complete his further education. Meanwhile, he worked as a live-in waiter for Ruby Chow’s restaurant.
• He enrolled at the University of Washington in 1961, where he majored in drama.

Career

• Much before he learned to utter monosyllabic words as a baby, his career had kick-started, owing to the film-background of his father, who was a Cantonese opera star. He was only three months old when he starred in his first film, ‘Golden Gate Girl’.
• Ever since his launch into the world of showbiz, his early years of life were eventful. A born actor (quite literally as well), his acting skills polished with every film. By the time he turned 18, he was 20 films old.
• From 1959 until 1964, he gave up his acting career to pursue a vocation in martial arts. He started off as a teacher of Kung Fu. With time, he opened his own martial arts school, Lee Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle.
• In 1964, he dropped out of college to join James Lee, a famous martial arts instructor on Oakland. Together, the two opened a second institute, Jun Fan Martial Art Studio in the city.
• He participated in the 1964 Long Beach International Karate Championships, which popularized him for his ‘two-finger push-ups’ and ‘one inch punch’. It was there that he met Taekwondo master Jhoon Goo Rhee, a friendship that formed instantly and benefitted both artists. He performed in the 1967 event as well.
• Meanwhile, in 1964, he had a private match with Wong Jack Man, which he won. Though the result of the match was unanimously declared, there are two versions about the proceedings of it.
• His extraordinary performance in Long Beach Karate Championship brought him under the limelight of Hollywood directors. His first stint of acting as a matured adult was in the TV series ‘The Green Hornet’. The show lasted for one season from 1966 until 1967.
• From 1967 until 1969, he made guest appearance in few more television series including ‘Ironside’, ‘Here Comes the Brides’ and ‘Blondie’.
• In between acting, he found time and started concentrating on martial arts. He realized that traditional martial arts technique were too rigid and that a new system that had traits of practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency needed to be devised. This was when Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist was formulated.
• In 1969, he made a guest appeared in the film, ‘Marlowe’. However, biasness and dearth of key roles resulted in him leaving Los Angeles for Hong Kong in the summer of 1971.
• Upon arriving at Hong Kong, he signed a two film contract. First to release was ‘The Big Boss’, which had him in the lead role. The film was a major hit but was soon surpassed by his next film, ‘Fists of Fury’, which went onto become a grand success.
• With the 1972 film, ‘Way of the Dragon’, he turned from being merely an actor to the writer, director, star, and choreographer of the fight scenes. Same year, he was offered ‘Enter the Dragon’, which was the first joint venture of Golden Harvest and Warner Bros.
• ‘Enter the Dragons’ was slated for a July 26, 1973 release. However, just six days before its premier, he passed away.

Influences

Shortly after Bruce entered La Salle College of China (middle school to us), he came home one day and told his mother he was being bullied around after school. He wanted to be trained in the martial arts. His father practiced Tai Chi Chuan, which is a series of exercises and moves carried out in slow motion. Bruce had joined his father once or twice doing Tai Chi, but the slowness of the movements did not appeal to him. His teacher became Master Sifu Yip Man, a master at Wing Chun system of Kung Fu.

Yip Man showed Bruce a way to find direction in life, he interested his young student in the philosophical teachings of Buddha, Confucius, Lao-Tze, the founders of Taoism, and other great spiritual Leaders. As a result, Bruce’s mind became a sponge of the wisdom of such teachers, specifically, but not exclusively, the deep teachings of the Yin-Yang principle. Yin-Yang is generally represented by the double fish symbol, the foundation of which stayed with Bruce and guided him through his adult life.

FITNESS

Lee was well-known for his physical energy and fitness, which he attained by following a focused fitness regimen to become as strong as possible. He stood at 172 cm (5 ft 8 in) and weighed 64 kg (141 lb)[127]. Lee’s approach to martial arts training was altered following his 1965 matchup with Wong Jack-man. In Lee’s opinion, a lot of martial artists in his era did not devote enough time to physical training. Physical strength, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, and flexibility are all components of comprehensive fitness that Lee possessed. Though not excessive, as it could impair speed or flexibility, he added some muscular bulk using conventional bodybuilding techniques. However, Lee insisted that in terms of balance, mental and spiritual preparation are essential to the accomplishment of physical training.

Honors

Bruce Lee’s accolades and awards are listed below. Born in the United States and raised in British Hong Kong, he pursued careers in martial arts, acting, screenwriting, film directing, martial arts instruction, philosophy, tai chi, and cha-cha dancing.

• The Asian Awards: Founder’s Award (2013)
• Martial Arts Industry Association: Lifetime Achievement Award — Australia (2011)
• General Administration of Sport of China | All-China Youth Federation — Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
• Hong Kong Film Award for Star of Century (2005)
• EMMA (Ethnic Multicultural Media Academy): Legend Award — London (2004)
• Chinese Wushu Association: Supreme Movie Star Award (1998).
• Government of Puerto Rico: Recognition Award making Aguadilla City the home of Bruce Lee in Puerto Rico (1998)
• Hong Kong Film Award for Lifetime Achievement (1994).
• Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards: Special Jury Award (1972). Also, Best Feature Film, Fist of Fury — Runner-up.
• National Karate Championship — Washington, D.C.: Guest of Honor (1970); Special Guest (1969); Guest Judge (1968); Appreciation Award (1967)
• Wally Jay | Island Judo Jujitsu Club, Alameda, California — Commemorative Exhibition Award (1964).
• Long Beach International Karate Championships: Karate Championship Award for his “contribution” (1964).
• Hong Kong Inter-School Boxing Championship (1958).
• Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship — Hong Kong (1958)

Bruce Lee Net worth

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Major Works

• An iconic martial arts performer, he performed in a number of television shows and films. However, the film that gained the most limelight and made him a ‘hero’ in the West as well was the Golden Harvest and Warner Bros production, ‘Enter the Dragon’. The film grossed about $200 million worldwide.

Awards & Achievements

• Posthumously, he was listed in the Time Magazine list of ‘100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century’.
• In 2013, he was conferred with the prestigious Founders Award at The Asian Awards. Same year, a statue of him was unveiled in Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Standing 7-foot tall, the statue was made in Guangzhou, China and proudly serves as the testament of his accomplishments as a martial arts instructor.
• Bruce Lee was included in Time Magazine’s list of the “100 Most Important Persons of the 20^th Century” after his death.
• He received the esteemed Founders Award at The Asian Awards in 2013. Around the same time, a memorial of him was installed in Chinatown, Los Angeles.
• Bruce Lee was chosen by Overseas Chinese Daily News as one of the Top 10 Cinema Stars of 1972.
• One of the biggest heroes and icons, Bruce Lee was listed among the 100 Most Important Persons of the Century by TIME Magazine in 1999.
• Bruce Lee was referred to as the “Father of Mixed Martial Arts” by UFC President Dana White in 2004.

Personal Life & Legacy

• While studying at the University of Washington, he met Linda Emery, with whom he tied the knot in August 1964. The couple was blessed with two children, Brandon Lee and Shannon Lee.
• On May 10, 1973, he collapsed suddenly, while dubbing for ‘Enter the Dragon’ after suffering from seizures and headaches. Immediately, he was rushed to Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, where he was diagnosed with cerebral edema. He recovered from the first collapse.
• On July 20, 1973, scheduled to meet James Bond star, George Lazenby, he got ready and arranged a meeting with Raymond Chow and Betty Ting Pei at the latter’s residence to discuss the script of ‘Games of Death’ which he intended to make with Lazenby. He complained of headache and therefore had analgesic. He lay down to take a nap little knowing that it would be his last nap.
• He was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he was declared dead. An autopsy confirmed that the death was due to an allergic reaction caused by the ingredient meprobamate which aides in muscle relaxation that caused a 13% increase in his brain size, from 1,400 to 1,575 grams.
• He was buried at his wife’s hometown in Seattle at Lakeview Cemetery. His home in Hong Kong is proclaimed to be preserved and turned into a tourist site by philanthropist, Yu Pang-lin.

Bruce lee Death

There have been multiple theories as to what caused Lee’s cerebral edema over the years. At the time of Lee’s death, a coroner later concluded that the cerebral edema was due to a reaction from the painkiller Equagesic, even though Lee had reportedly taken the pill before.

Lee died on July 20, 1973. According to Polly, the news of Lee’s death broke around 11:30 p.m., when Hong Kong’s police commissioner Charles Sutcliffe was notified.

Suttcliffe was hosting a party with many prominent members of the Hong Kong media present, and they all made their way to Queen Elizabeth Hospital after hearing the news.

Lee died at the home of Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei in Kowloon, Hong Kong. On the day of his death, Lee and producer Richard Chow drove to Pei’s home, where he took an Equagesic and laid down for a nap.

Here are some lesser-known facts about Bruce Lee

1. The only martial artist who has ever used a sidekick to break a 45 kg sandbag is Bruce Lee.
2. Bruce Lee had a one-inch punch that could knock a 75 kg opponent 5–6 metres away and could punch nine times in a second.
3. The information that is now available indicates that Bruce Lee could perform 1500 push-ups simultaneously with both hands, 400 with one hand, 200 with two fingers, and 100 with one thumb.
4. Bruce Lee retains the world record for kicking a 135 kg sandbag to the roof, which was around 5 metres high
5. Before relocating to the United States at the age of 18, Bruce Lee, a young actor who had roles in over 20 films in Hong Kong, moved there.