The Chinese-American martial artist and actor developed the Jeet Kune Do martial arts style and became a martial arts film icon. His body control, his mental strength, which he brought to technical perfection supported by Eastern philosophies, identify him as the greatest martial artist of the 20th century. His speed and precision in handling weapons, especially the nunchaku, has its own aesthetic and is legendary. He became world famous for films such as “The Death Fist of Cheng Li” (1971), “Death Greetings from Shanghai” (1972) and “The Man with the Death Claw” (1973). The commitment to his passion led to immense physical and psychological stress, which ultimately broke the exceptional athlete at the age of 32 at the height of his career and during the shooting of “My Last Fight” (Game of Death)…
Bruce Lee, real name Li Chen-fan, was born on November 27, 1940 to Chinese opera singer Lee Hoi Chuen and a Eurasian mother in San Francisco, USA.
Bruce Lee was born there while his parents were in San Francisco on tour. In 1941 he returned to Hong Kong with his family. There he grew up and also learned kung fu. As a child and teenager, he made his first appearances there under the name “Li Hsiao-lung” in Hong Kong films such as “Golden Gate Girl” or “The Beginning of a Boy”. In addition to martial arts, Bruce Lee also devoted himself to dancing. He competed in a number of dance championships and became Hong Kong Cha-Cha Master. In 1959 he returned to the United States and studied philosophy at the University of Washington. During his student days he gave kung fu lessons. There he met his future wife Lind Emery, whom he married in 1964. This union produced son Brandon Lee and daughter Shannon.
After graduating, Bruce Lee began his career as a martial arts genius in American film productions. Bruce Lee developed his own fighting style, which he called “Jeet Kune Do” and spread it in his own sports schools. Among his students were James Coburn and Steve McQueen. Bruce Lee’s first roles were appearances in TV series such as “Batman” and “The Green Hornet”. Disappointed with the American film style, Bruce Lee turned to Hong Kong. There was a collaboration with the producer Raymond Chow and in 1971 Bruce Lee’s first film “The Big Boss” in the style of Hong Kong films. The work and his film “The Fist of Fury” were a complete success. Bruce Lee founded his own film production company. In the early 1970s, the films “The Death Fist of Cheng Li” and “Death Greetings from Shanghai” were made, which made Lee a global superstar of the genre.
Bruce Lee and producer Chow paused filming of his next film, titled The Game of Death, for the English-language Hollywood production The Deathclaw Man. The interrupted film work was released in 1977 as “My Last Fight”. Bruce Lee made his directorial debut in 1973, while also writing and starring in the film Return of the Deathclaw. In the same year the film “The Deathclaw Strikes Again” was shown. In this film, Lee played the role of “Tang Long”, a Hong Kong fighter who has been ordered to Rome to deal with a ruthless gang of thugs who are terrorizing his great-uncle’s restaurant. In a showdown, there is a combative encounter between Chuck Norris in the role of the American champion “Cord” and Bruce Lee as “Tang Long”. This film was also directed and written by Lee.
Bruce Lee died an early and mysterious death in the United States on July 20, 1973.
There are numerous rumors surrounding his death. One of these targets the cause of death from taking a painkiller to which Bruce Lee was allergic; this is said to have caused brain swelling. After his death, other films of his were edited from unreleased archive material and broadcast. His son Brandon Lee (1965-1993) was also a film actor and died just as mysteriously as his father while filming “The Crow”; he was shot during filming. The film was completed with the help of computer technology. In 1993, Rob Cohen released a filmed biography of Lee entitled “The Bruce Lee Story”, starring Jason Scott Lee.
Filmography
1965 – The paw of the leopard
1968 – The raging puma
1968 – The Game of Death
1969 – The third in the ambush
1972 – The Death Fist of Cheng Li
1972 – Death Greetings from Shanghai
1973 – The man with the deathclaw
1973 – The Return of the Deathclaw
1973 – The deathclaw strikes again
1974 – The Mystery of the Green Hornet from TV series “The Green Hornet”
1974 – The Yellow Typhoon from TV series “The Green Hornet”
1977 – Bruce Lee – My Last Fight
1978 – The Mystery of the Blind Master
1980 – The Last Battle of the Deathclaw
How did bruce lee die?
On July 20, 1973, the actor and martial-arts expert Bruce Lee dies in Hong Kong at age 32 from a brain edema possibly caused by a reaction to a prescription painkiller.
How old was bruce lee when he died?
32 years
How bruce lee died?
From a brain edema possibly caused by a reaction to a prescription painkiller.
When did bruce lee die and how did he die?
Bruce Lee’s official cause of death was swelling of the brain caused by an allergic reaction to a headache medication, although some considered the circumstances of his death mysterious. He died in Hong Kong on July 20, 1973, six days before the release of his film Enter the Dragon there.
How old is bruce lee?
32 years
1940–1973
How tall is bruce lee?
1.72 m
When did bruce lee die?
July 20, 1973
When was bruce lee born?
November 27, 1940
Where is bruce lee from?
San Francisco, California, United States
Who trained bruce lee?
Ip Man, also known as Yip Man, (Chinese: 葉問 / 叶问; 1 October 1893 – 2 December 1972) was a Hong Kong-based Cantonese martial artist and a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun when he was 20. He had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right, the most famous among them being Bruce Lee.
Who was bruce lee?
Bruce Lee was renowned for his martial arts prowess and helped popularize martial arts movies in the 1970s. Lee starred in films such as Tang shan da xiong (1971), Jing wu men (1972), and Enter the Dragon (1973). Lee is often credited with changing the way Asian people were presented in American films.
What year did bruce lee die?
1973
Is bruce lee dead?
Date of death: July 20, 1973
Place of death: Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
Who killed bruce lee?
Cerebral edema
How has bruce lee changed the world?
He introduced ancient martial arts to the modern world with a style that he developed called Jeet Kune Do, and with just five mainstream films under his belt subsequently went on to influence popular culture all over the world.
Who taught bruce lee?
Ip Man
How strong was bruce lee?
Standing at 1.7 metres and weighing 61kg, he was clocked delivering a punch at 190km/h. That is equivalent to a high-speed train hitting you in an area no larger than the knuckles of his fist. Lee’s ability to deliver such an immense amount of energy so rapidly made his fists deadly weapons.
How did bruce lee jr die?
Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, died in March 1993 at age 28 after he was accidentally wounded by a prop gun on the film set of “The Crow.” Lee’s fiancee Eliza Hutton broke her silence on Lee’s fatal accident for the first time on Monday following Hutchins’ death, describing both accidents as an “avoidable tragedy.”
Where is bruce lee buried?
Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington, United States
Is bruce lee still alive?
Lee died on July 20, 1973, at the age of 32.